How a Surfside Stair Completely Transformed a Traditional Hamptons Home

When the Studio 3H team took on a renovation of a traditional Gambrel-style Hamptons home, the design brief was both clear and complex: to completely transform the existing house inside and out into something much more contemporary.

What began as an open-ended exploration with the clients and David Bennett Construction evolved into "one of the projects that we are most proud of," according to Studio 3H founder and lead architect Mike Hill.

"We framed it conceptually as Tulum and Ibiza meets the Hamptons," explains Hill. The clients ultimately wanted the renovation to have a modern, awe-inspiring touch to it, while still maintaining the calm feel of a beach-adjacent residence.

"As an escape from the energy of the city, we deployed a pared-down aesthetic inspired by nature and the coast." This reimagination included rearticulating the facade and incorporating natural sun-bleached oak, soft limewash walls, and organic shapes and materials into the home’s architectural features and furniture. "This was a massive contrast to the heavy trim, molding, and decorative wall panels that were there when we started," Hill adds. 

Since the main tone of a home is set the minute you walk through the door, special emphasis was placed on the entryway—and, more specifically, a statement staircase boasting the same clean, natural aesthetic.

For this particular home, Hill opted for Viewrail’s FLIGHT Stack system, having implemented it before in a previous home to much success. Viewrail is a one-stop shop specializing in the floating stair aesthetic, and they handle everything from the construction to the installation of these statement staircases, along with the integrated modern railing. "What I like most about this particular system is the ‘simple magic’ it seems to express," adds Hill. "There is no visible structure or hardware; just elemental blocks stacked on top of one another." This creates the optical illusion that the staircase is dangling unassisted in mid-air.

In terms of materials, the focus was all about natural, textured flooring and a glass railing to complete the luxe look. "We used oak treads on the stair, a platform finished in micro-topping cement to match the walls, and glass guardrails without exposed fasteners to disappear other than the reflections," explains Hill. "The handrail is a small black iron tube that gently floats against the wall to add a small, crafted touch point." Think organic, yet sculptural, with touches of industrial to tie it all together.

Hill says none of this would have been possible without Viewrail’s unique FLIGHT Stack floating system, which has two fully-hidden zigzag steel stringers that follow the profile of the stairs. This allows a one-of-a-kind, artistic look with lots of open space for an added sleekness factor. There’s also the mandatory blocking of the walls and base, so even though it appears suspended in mid-air, the entire construction is solidly anchored.

While the illusion might seem like a complicated installation, Hill says Viewrail made the entire process virtually seamless—completely taking the guesswork out of fabrication and installation. The stairs, delivered as prefabricated elements, were installed on-site by Viewrail’s expert team in a few days.

"Viewrail supplied us with detailed dimensions and shop drawings that allowed our team to accurately lay out all other pieces of the puzzle (tight tolerances between the contractor, framers, micro-topping cement finisher, the custom ironworker, etc) with ease," says Hill. "They also had the installer visit the site and walk through the installation process and sequencing with the other trades."

The fact that the staircase looks like it’s falling out of the ceiling was all part of the added flair and drama the homeowners wanted the entryway to evoke. "This was an opportunity to create visual movement in an unexpected way," says Hill. "We looked at it as three basic elements playing with one another: The ceiling opening is meant to feel cut out by the cascading wood stairs that land gently on the raised sculpted base with the integrated daybed. Without the usual structural support, it allowed this to be a pure composition of these elements." 

That composition—alongside Viewrail’s closed risers and hidden stringers—quickly elevated the whole look."As the staircase is the first thing you see upon entering the home, this was a great opportunity to set the tone for the entire property," Hill says. The carefully considered design does just that, creating a functional work of art that ties the entire home together.

Get a quote for your own custom floating staircase at viewrail.com.