Client
Rose Gray

Role
Lead Designer

Practice
Nick Hancock Design Studio

Sector
Special Projects
Components

Status
Constructed

Year
2008

Commissioned for the London home of Rose Gray, co-founder of the celebrated River Café, this bespoke staircase was conceived as a functional object, a piece of craftsmanship and a sculptural intervention within the apartment.

The brief was to create a lightweight feature stair that would connect the living spaces while appearing elegant, effortless and understated. Rather than treating the staircase as a purely functional element, the design sought to create an experience of movement through the space; transforming a daily act into something engaging and memorable.

The stair is formed from a series of folded stainless steel treads supported by a lightweight structural framework. The resulting construction possesses a natural flexibility that responds subtly to movement, creating a gentle sensation of floating as it is used. Soft to the touch and visually delicate, the stair combines engineering precision with a refined material expression.

Designed, detailed and delivered by Nick Hancock Design Studio, the project required careful consideration of fabrication, tolerances and assembly to achieve the desired balance between structural performance and visual lightness. The simplicity of the final form conceals a significant amount of technical development and craftsmanship.

Although modest in scale, the project reflects many of the principles that continue to inform the studio’s work today: clarity of concept, careful detailing, elegant engineering and the belief that even the most functional elements can enrich the experience of a place.

It was a privilege to work with Rose Gray on the project and to create a piece that became an integral part of her home and daily life.