Spiral stone staircases can be used as a powerful architectural gesture within a home. They serve both sculptural and aesthetic purposes. Four renowned Australian designers tell us how they’ve used stone in their staircase designs.
Spiral stone staircases are a spectacular centrepiece, offering spatial connectivity while building a memorable visual dialogue within modern designer homes. Many architects and interior designers experiment with bold and gracefully arcing staircase forms, selecting a natural stone, such as marble, to heighten the visual expression of their spiral designs.
Natural stone is in its element when used on a staircase, ideal for its variegated colourings and beautiful veining that can be custom cut to hero a slab’s unique patterning and grain. Natural stone is also hardwearing and durable, making it a long lasting option that ages with grace. We hear from four Australian designers on how they have used spiral stone staircases to transform and highlight the interior design of four beautiful homes.
1. Dramatic double helix staircase at Hawthorn House by Christopher Elliott Design
The scale and grandeur of the natural stone staircase in Hawthorn House by Christopher Elliott Design really sets the stage for the rest of the residence. Centrally located in the architecture this dramatic double helix staircase is enhanced by the “sumptuous and seamless” Artedomus Elba, which Christopher has wrapped up the treads. This becomes a pivotal element of the entire design, influencing the look and feel of the rest of the house with Elba becoming a recurring feature throughout the design. Christopher, who is drawn to authentic materials, chose Elba for its “elegant simplicity and gorgeous colouration”.
Elba is unique for its subtle, sophisticated colour palette with low porosity, making it a beautiful natural stone that is hard wearing, long lasting, naturally resilient and distinctly easy to live with. “We intended to use time-honoured natural materials with a restricted palette to create interest with the built form. We wanted the materiality to evoke elegance but not be fussy. There was an overarching simplicity to the design and our approach,” says Christopher.
2. Hand cut granite staircase at South Yarra Residence by Kestie Lane Studio
This breathtaking staircase by Kestie Lane Studio features a Rocaro granite which has been carefully cut and grain pattern matched to appear as if it has been cut from a single block. The visual dialogue of this stair is intense and stunning, continuing the granite from the main living quarters, down the stairs to the basement.
The adjacent stair surround has also been cut to suit the room as the house was built. “We literally sliced and created the staircase form and cut out on site and then finished and softened it with a beautiful concrete render,” says Kestie in an interview with Habitusliving. Most outstanding about the Rocaro granite is the way it has been vein cut to highlight the beautiful grain movement in the slab.
3. David Hicks reveals his genius in this Bedonia stone spiral staircase
David Hicks is renowned for his modern elegance and timeless style which employs clean lines and luxurious materials. This is clearly evident in the Bedonia stone spiral staircase that is a stand-out feature in his Toorak Residence.
The client, eschewing the trappings of a typical family home, opted for a layer of luxury and high level finishes that would meet the demands of their family while still feeling elegant and luxurious. The honed Bedonia used on the stairs (and which continues onto the floors as well) is distinctive for its timeless grey colour, luxurious, fluid patina and incredible durability.
As David writes in his 2016 book, “Intimate – A Private World of Interiors”: In modern homes that new-found openness (an effect of open-plan living) has its challenges, and he often looks to bring human scale and interest to spaces, to make them feel less cavernous. “Adding architectural gestures, such as columns, arches, sculptural staircases and coffered ceiling, can break up the spaces according to the function, while also giving the eye a rest,” writes David. These cues, he writes, allow us to visually navigate a space. The Bedonia stone spiral staircase shows us this ethos in action.
4. FGR’s spiral staircase is like an architectural pirouette
In FGR Architects’ Concrete Curtain residence the spiral staircase rises up to the second level living quarters like an elegant architectural pirouette. It’s centrally located and finished in a Litzio travertine which has been used throughout the whole ground floor. The travertine sits alongside an intentionally limited selection of natural stones in a way that dominates the material palette – but in a visually calming way. “The stone itself has this beautiful fresh tone during the day and goes into this nice, warm glow coming evening time,” says FGR Architects Principal, Feras Raffou.
As Feras notes in an interview with The Local Project: “The muted concrete walls and elegant lighting program create a sense of tactile pleasure. When the light penetrates during the day, it’s fresh and vibrant. Then, as the sun sets and it’s lit from within, there’s a still, relaxing feeling.” This same rationale has informed his use of natural stone internally and externally – including on the staircase – in an enveloping and holistic way.
Like this article? Dive into our 10 natural stone and porcelain benchtop alternatives to engineered stone.
Words by Alice Blackwood
