After relocating back to the UK from Canada, our customers, whose work meant that they had spent a lot of time traveling the world, commissioned NOOK to design and build a bespoke oak and glass staircase with storage underneath.
The existing staircase and lobby in this Ponteland home featured a stainless steel bannister, zebra print carpet, and marble floor tiles. While the staircase was fully functional, our customers, Ed and Sandra, felt it was too corporate and reminiscent of generic hotel lobbies they’ve seen on their travels. Instead, they wanted to create a more homely and welcoming feel. They also briefed us to include practical storage solutions to accommodate coats, jackets, and other outerwear.
To give the space a more inviting atmosphere, we designed and hand-built a solid oak staircase with glass paneling. A matt oiled finish added warmth to complement the walls – painted with Farrow & Ball Farrow’s Cream. After speaking to Ed and Sandra about their vision and carefully measuring the space, we came up with concept designs to meet their requirements. The designs included under-stairs cupboards with a pull-out hanging solution and shoe racks to keep outdoor clothing organised and easy to reach.
We also took inspiration from a beautiful piece of indigenous Canadian artwork the customers wanted to showcase, creating a dedicated recess space at the bottom of the staircase and making it visible to any visitors entering the front door. By custom-fitting a seat underneath the recess, we built a comfortable area for the family to sit while putting shoes on.
By replacing the white ceramic tiles with oak flooring, and the zebra print with an elegant stripe designed carpet, we developed a more sophisticated and timeless aesthetic throughout the space.
As with all our projects, we built every element of the staircase and lobby furniture in our local Northumberland workshops, ensuring the highest quality and level of attention to detail.
Ed and Sandra felt the results were exactly what they were looking for. They said:
“We are absolutely delighted with our new staircase and under-stairs cloakroom designed and installed by Nook. It is stunning.
The whole process of working with them was great from the quote and design, where they beat out some noted competitors, to the build where their attention to detail and quality of finish was first-rate. Most importantly of all, they were great to work with as people and they have a love for what they do which is translated into a top-quality end product.
We love what they have done for us, and would work with them again.”
