With every stair we build we focus on important details. We believe in design integrity and flawless construction. Each stair is designed and built for the environment in which it will be installed – its forever home. And each one definitely looks unique. But, to begin, we typically see one of these types of stairs as the starting point:
Modern Straight Monobeam Staircase in Steel, Glass, and Stone | Cherry Hill, New Jersey
This type of staircase needs no introduction. From one floor to the next, this type of staircase takes no turns, no change in direction.
While the staircase itself is straight, that doesn’t mean the design of the stair needs to be boring. We’ve built some spectacular straight stairs using all kinds of different design elements. In our Straight Stair Gallery you’ll see monobeam stairs (like the one shown here) with one main support beam for the treads, zigzag stairs (where each tread is a separate box creating a zigzag pattern when viewed from the side), floating stairs – whose treads look like they’re magically held into place, traditional design stairs with treads and risers, and so much more. If your remodeling plan only allows for a straight stair, our staircase designers can help develop a stair for you with a ton of personality.
Interesting note … monobeam stairs have recently become incredibly popular. Sometimes what’s old is new again. We were building monobeam stairs in the 70s!
Open Riser Rustic Wood Staircase | Seattle, Washington
While most L-shaped stairs have a more pronounced L, this staircase shows what’s meant.
This is basically a quarter-turn stair. In essence, the stairway ends roughly 90 degrees from where it began.
Modern Monobeam Staircase | Aspen, Colorado
With a landing or stairs to separate two parallel flights of stairs, this style of stair is common to all of us.
Again, even though the basic shape of this stair might be ordinary, your staircase can be anything but ordinary. When your plans call for this type of stair, we’ll help you develop a design that enhances the aesthetics of your home while providing gorgeous access to upper floors.
Custom Spiral Staircase in Douglas Fir – Montana 3385
This compact stair is designed to function well when space is at a premium. Sometimes called a “Circular Stair” the spiral stair is noted for its center support column.
With a million different companies providing inexpensive, poorly made spiral stairs in kit form, this staircase design can sometimes be overlooked. When built with quality materials – like gorgeous wood, metal, and glass – spiral stairs can actually be spectacular. For this staircase, we built a parapet wall surrounding the outside edge. It provides a substantial look and feel without increasing the footprint.
Modern Helical Stair with Glass Balustrade and Integrated Lighting | California
The helix shape comes from nature – most commonly recognized as the shape of nautilus seashells or the strong molecular shape associated with a strand of DNA. Sometimes helical stairs are used instead of spiral stairs when space is at a premium. Because they curve around an axis, they’re incredibly efficient.
Nautilus Shell – Helical Shape
In one sense, helical stairs are curved stairs. What makes them unique is the shape of the curve and their similarity to a nautilus shell.
We’ve been building helical stairs for years. And years. With the right design touch, they can blend beautifully with a traditional home and can be equally gorgeous with modern materials and design. It’s a distinctive shape.
Modern Curved Staircase With Parapet Wall – Montauk, New York
Where U-Shaped or L-Shaped stairs have a landing as the means to change direction, curved stairs are created with one continuous curve from floor to floor. When we began building stairs more than 50 years ago, we became known for our curved stairs. Until then, this staircase design was a problem for most home contractors and a real headache for their carpenters. Since that time, it’s perhaps the shape of stair that’s most commonly associated with Arcways.
Curved staircases can be incredibly different from one another. We build curved staircases with a graceful S-shaped curve and we build them with a more open curved shape. We’ve built them with wood, metal, stone, glass, fiberglass, and concrete. Truly, the curved staircase allows your imagination to run wild. It’s a dramatic staircase shape that amplifies the home’s architectural impact with incredible grace.
To get a glimpse of the full range of options, visit our Curved Stair Gallery.
Modern Floating Straight Staircase in Wood and Glass | Montana
Floating staircases have become increasingly popular in recent years, though the term is often used quite loosely to encompass a wide range of staircase design and construction techniques.
For us, a “Floating Staircase” means that the stair appears to exist without visible support. Often this includes stairs without risers – where there’s open space between treads. Sometimes the treads look like they’re magically attached to a wall and cantilever into position. Sometimes there’s a monobeam supporting the tread structure. Other times, floating stairs appear to connect two floors without sidewalls or any other means of support.
Though they’re currently part of the modern design trend, floating stairs have been used in many different environments.
A word of caution about floating stairs: at Arcways, we take staircase safety quite seriously. We always hope that anyone supplying stairs will do the same, but that’s not always the case when a trend has taken hold. When you work with Arcways for your staircase, you will always know that the most advanced engineering has gone into your staircase to make it as safe as it can possibly be.
