After all, a staircase is a fairly permanent structure, and its size alone makes it a major interior architecture element in any space.

The type of staircase you choose can have a massive impact on how you will use your space, how much square footage you’ll have to work with, and how the room(s) will look, so it’s important to take the time to understand your options and fully consider what will work best.

The Basics
A traditional staircase has several components. The horizontal parts of the stairs that we actually step on are called treads. The treads are generally supported at each end by upright elements called stringers. Stringers also support the risers, which are the vertical pieces set perpendicular to the treads.

The Materials
While more traditional staircases a typically made of various types of wood, steel has become very popular, particularly for use in modern and minimalist designs. In opting for a steel staircase, designers give themselves much more flexibility in how they will choose to use a space, as steel staircase materials are much stronger than their wooden counterparts and thus these structures can be built to take up less space, leaving more square footage available, which is ideal for anything from a private home to a commercial space.

The Design
The most popular type of steel staircase is arguably the steel mono-stringer staircase. This option is a particular favorite among modern designers, who enjoy the clean lines and open feel of the design.  

With a steel mono-stringer staircase, there is only one stringer (as opposed to the standard two), and it runs down the center of the treads as opposed to encasing the sides. These staircases can be custom fabricated to fit the aesthetics of nearly any design style, and their lack of side supports typically allows for the area under the stairs to not only remain open and usable, but to become as integral a design element as the stairs themselves.

TMRncy creates custom-designed and –fabricated steel staircases with a specialty in steel mono-stringer staircases.

Contact us to find out how we can turn your metal staircase concept from utilitarian to unique.

For those looking for the clean lines, simplicity, and minimalism of a modern design, a steel mono-stringer staircase is an ideal option.

Traditional staircases have two stringers; these are the structural components that support both the treads (the actual steps) and the risers (the vertical pieces between the treads).

The stringers are typically positioned on either side of the staircase, supporting each end of the treads and risers. Some staircases lack the risers, which lends to a very “open” type of design in which the area under and beyond the stairs is visible from the front.

With a steel mono-stringer staircase, there is only one stringer as opposed to the standard pair. The single steel stringer provides a central support to the treads, which often creates the illusion, from some angles, that the stairs are floating because there are no stringers serving as side facings to enclose the area beneath the stairs.

Both a major component of interior architecture and a simple, utilitarian option, a steel mono-stringer staircase brings a clean, modern, minimalist design element to any space. The open design allows for the space beneath the stairs to be well utilized and keeps the entire space from feeling blocked off, as it would be by a traditional, closed staircase.

Steel can be easily painted and the treads can be finished in any number of ways, making a custom-designed steel mono-stringer staircase a fantastic option for those wishing to maximize both design impact and space. 

Contact us for more information about custom-fabricated staircases and schedule a time for a personal consultation.

Quite the weekend at the Brooklyn Flea this Sunday. Decided to bring out the old copper dining table to step things up this weekend and who other than who happens to show up on Sunday but Jerry Seinfeld and George Stephanopoulos. Rachel gave me the secret code for celebrity alert and when I turned around low and behold there they were sneaking down the staircase for a little lunchtime with the Flea Food Vendors. Now normally I don’t get terribly excited about seeing celebrities but nearing the end of the day ,Sam told me that Wyatt Cenac was upstairs so I had to give him an award for being so f@#*ing funny. One of my favorite bits was his collaboration with Slim Thug, “Still a Boss“. You have to check that out.

TMR’s products are available at the market. The products that are available range from, but are not limited to, MetroCard Belt Buckles, Steel-ring bowls, Side-Wired Tables, Swarf Tables, and weekly creations by Scott Behr that are exclusive to the weekend event. Some recent creations have consisted of mini diamond do-whatever-you-want-it-to’s, steel-ring necklaces, and found furniture that transforms from trash to treasure with added steel accents.

Here is a video that our friend James Jones shot for us one weekend. Check out the video and then clear your Saturday and Sunday schedule for some Brooklyn trinket-treating and delicious food finding.

Colicchio & Sons

85 Tenth Ave (at 15th Street), New York NY, 10011

www.colicchioandsons.com

212-400-6699

Designer Pages , the new source for searching products in Architecture and Design, commissioned TMRnyc to design and build three SideWired tables for their booth at the NEOCON 2009 expo in Chicago. One being 10′ long. More pictures to follow. Their booth included a giant 12′ media wall that was running a Twitter app featuring all of the Tweets during the show. Farrokh at Farrodyne provided the water jet cutting and installation for us in Chicago. Actually, Farrodyne saved our collective butts after one unmentionable glass company in Chicago dropped the ball at the last minute. They couldn’t understand why I was upset for some reason and then went into this whole “You’re from New York and you have a bad NY attitude”  Is there some weird New York/Chicago beef I am missing? Fill me in.