The first thing you notice is the gap beneath the treads. The floating steel staircase cuts through the room with thick solid oak steps that do not touch the wall. Instead, a steel stringer carries the load, fixed only into the floor and the upper level. The dark RAL 9005 finish keeps the structure visually quiet, while the oak grain gives each step a clear edge. In the background, the kitchen and its marble worktop remain present, but the staircase holds the scene.

A staircase that moves through the former classroom

The room once served as a classroom, and that earlier use still matters when you read the plan. There had never been a staircase here before, so the route had to be worked out from scratch. That means finding the right rise, the right line, and the right amount of openness for the space. The result is not a closed block against one wall, but a floating staircase in interior that keeps sightlines open as it climbs. The treads appear to hover because the structure is doing its work out of view.

Seen from a distance, the stair reads almost like a line drawing in steel and timber. Up close, the proportions become more physical. The oak treads are 70 mm solid pieces, with visible grain and a mass that contrasts with the fine profile of the metalwork. The construction is not attached to the wall, so the eye follows the steps as they project freely into the room. That separation gives the staircase its character without needing ornament or extra parts.

Steel carries the load, oak marks the steps

The structure relies on steel tubes and profiles, with the stringer taking on the technical work. That clarity is visible in the way the staircase reads as one composed system: dark steel below, oak above, glass beside it. The steel staircase with oak treads does not try to hide how it is built. The support remains legible, and the timber is left to show the natural surface of the steps. It is a straightforward combination, but the detailing gives it precision.

Because the treads are free from the wall, every step has a slightly suspended presence. The underside stays open, which lets light pass around the construction instead of stopping at a solid side. The staircase therefore changes the room without dividing it. It gives a clear route between levels, yet the floor area around it still feels connected to the rest of the interior. That is especially visible where the wooden floor pattern runs up to the stair zone and then gives way to the dark metal line.

Where the fixings disappear

The most restrained parts of the staircase are the ones that carry the most responsibility. The fixings at the floor and upper landing are the only places where the structure is anchored. Elsewhere, the treads seem to travel on their own. This is where the floating steel staircase earns its name: not because it ignores structure, but because the structure is concentrated where it can be least seen. The result is a stair that reads cleanly from across the room and still feels engineered when you stand beside it.

The black finish, specified as RAL 9005 with a fine texture, absorbs light instead of reflecting it. That helps the steel recede while the oak remains readable. In the stair zone, the glass element adds another layer: a clear safety glass infill that catches reflections and softens the edge of the construction. The glass is not decorative in itself, but it gives the stair a lighter perimeter and keeps the view through the room open.

Safety glass and a darker line through the room

The staircase with safety glass gains much of its visual clarity from that contrast between opaque and transparent parts. The glass sits beside the dark steel and the oak treads, so the stair zone feels layered rather than heavy. In the photos, the glass also mirrors light from the room, which adds movement to an otherwise disciplined composition. It is a useful detail, but also one that keeps the stair from becoming too solid in a setting that still wants openness.

Another detail is the way the staircase frames the background kitchen without competing with it. A marble worktop and wooden fronts are visible beyond the stair, but they stay secondary. The stair is the stronger line in the composition. That works because the materials are distinct: steel, oak, glass, marble, and wood each occupy their own place. Nothing here is overexplained. The room is simply arranged so that the stair can be read at full length.

Oak, steel and glass in close view

In close-up, the solid oak stair treads become the quietest but most tactile part of the project. The grain is visible across the wide surfaces, and the edges sit cleanly against the dark structure beneath. The metal profiles beneath the treads remain sharp and linear, giving each step a clear boundary. That contrast between soft timber surface and hard steel support is what gives the staircase its presence. The materials are common enough; the way they are held together is what makes the composition interesting.

The stair rail and surrounding glass line keep the whole zone visually contained without sealing it off. Reflections on the glass catch the darker tones of the staircase and the light from the room, while the open side preserves the sense of movement between levels. From one angle the stair feels almost suspended; from another, the steel frame becomes more graphic and direct. Both readings are true, and both depend on the same careful coordination of structure, timber and clear panels.

A measured route from one level to the next

What this project shows best is how a custom staircase can turn a practical connection into a spatial event. The route had to work in a former classroom that had never contained a stair, and that constraint shaped the form. The final answer is not bulky or forced. It is a steel stringer staircase with solid oak treads, fixed with precision at top and bottom, and left open where the wall might otherwise have interrupted the line. That open side is what lets the staircase read so clearly in the room.

The composition depends on restraint. No unnecessary gesture, no extra framing, no attempt to turn the stair into something it is not. Steel tubes and profiles do the technical work, oak provides the walking surface, and safety glass keeps the edge light enough to preserve the view. Together they make a staircase that is easy to read from the room and satisfying to walk. The structure is visible when you need it, and nearly disappears when you look past it.