The brief for this project was to replace a rather awkward, impractical stair within a converted oast house. We designed an elegant swept stair which forms practical access to the three levels of the oast and a beautiful sculptural element within the entrance hall double storey. A balance of openess over the three levels without creating vertigo was achieved.

As part of the design we worked with our clients on creating a better flow on the ground floor by opening up the links between the entrance hall and the dining room and also between the dining room and the kitchen and the dining room and the living room. Fitted with pocket sliding doors these new generous openings can be closed if more privacy is required. The existing front door was replaced by a double height glazed screen incorporating a large feature front door which now floods the entrance hall with light and provides appropriate access to the generous oast house.

A new wide sliding-folding door connects the dining room with the garden which previously was beautifully designed by our clients.

All these moves together create a striking transparency within the oast at ground floor level from the front door through to the dining room and out into the rear garden.

For the stair case a variety of construction methods was explored such as solid concrete and steel. Making the stair out of enginnered timber finished with oak treads and risers and plastered soffits and sides proved to be by far the most cost-effective and aesthetically pleasing method. We worked with the specialist cabinet maker and joiner Paul Koder Ltd who fabricated the stair in his workshop partly using CNC techniques but also partly forming it by hand to achieve the curved geometry and who installed it on site. Very detailed and accuratly measured and dimensioned drawings worked out by Elemental enabled the joiner to successfully install the stair within the existing entrance hallway.