Cantilevered Stairs with Cable Railing – Shelton, CT

This residence sits directly on the Housatonic River in Shelton, Connecticut. When the homeowners decided to renovate the home, their main goal was to open up the great room that looks out at the river. To make the room look and feel more spacious, the homeowners wanted a unique floating staircase to connect the room with the second-floor. Our team designed this cantilevered staircase with the stringer hidden in the wall, giving the treads and platform the appearance of floating up the stone wall. The cantilevered stairs combined with a cable railing system give the contemporary home a light and airy feel.

Cantilevered Stairs:

While the staircase appears weightless, it has a robust support system hidden from sight. A steel stringer, supported by three vertical steel posts, was built into the stone wall. Each red oak stair tread sits on top of a steel plate that connects to the stringer on one side. At the top of the stairs, a steel structure was designed to support a platform of red oak and create a transition between the stairs and the upper-level.

Cable Railing System:

To match the weightless appearance of the staircase, the homeowners wanted the railing system to have a minimalist design. They opted for our Ithaca Style cable railing which features slender posts with clean lines. For the railing, the homeowners chose “Raven Black” powder-coated steel posts and a red oak top rail. We crafted a custom post for the top of the stairs where the railing meets a slanted portion of the ceiling.

For a cohesive look, we extended the stair railing to the upper-level balcony which faces the great room’s large windows and the river beyond. The railing’s stainless steel cable infills allows for optimized views from the balcony.