Types of Stairs
Making one design decision leads to what seems like a million other to-dos; take tile for instance. What color tile? What size tile? What pattern? – The same applies when it comes to your staircase. This goes beyond the style of the steps, the risers or the banister. The first thing you’ll need to consider is the actual shape of the staircase. Here are several popular types of stairs; bring your favorites to your architect and contractor to discuss what makes the most sense for your home.
Straight
This one is straightforward, literally. Straight stairs feature a single linear flight with no change in direction.
L-Shaped – a.k.a. Quarter-Turn
The classic straight style, zhuzhed up a little. In this design, the stairs make a 90-degree turn at some point, going left or right after a landing.
U-Shaped – a.k.a. Half-Turn
If you’ve ever promised yourself you’d take the stairs every day at your office, you’ve seen this back-to-basics style. The bend is taken even further to form a full U shape, and similar to the L-shaped staircase, a landing separates the two parallel flights.
Winder
The slightly more complicated sister to the L-shaped staircase. A set of winders—treads that are wider on one side than the other—takes the place of the landing to save space.
