DISOUL
A white stucco terrace on a tree-lined London street, with a black cab at the kerb and a red bus further along

The Cantilevered Horizon
Bespoke Floating Staircase

-For London Homes-

Designed to dissolve the boundary between functional circulation and architectural sculpture, this London residential installation transforms a compact entryway into a light-filled focal gallery.

Concealing all structural load pathways directly within the adjacent brickwork, the staircase achieves a weightless aesthetic that opens uninterrupted sightlines from the front door through to the rear living space.

"A staircase should never simply bridge two levels; it must command the space. For this London residence, our priority was maximizing spatial volume and natural light without compromising structural rigidity."

From Concept to Millimetre Precision: The Engineering Blueprint

Measured elevation of the flight, marking a 2,820 mm rise over thirteen cantilevered steps onto a 1,100 mm entry podium

Every bespoke staircase begins with complete structural calculation and spatial coordination. Using detailed laser survey data, our design team modeled the 2,820 mm vertical floor-to-floor rise, incorporating 13 floating steps that land upon an extended 1,100 mm floating entry podium.

The engineered scheme maps out critical compliance points under UK Building Regulations (Approved Document K)—calibrating the 900 mm balustrade datum, load transfers, and minimum ceiling headroom clearances—giving the client total clarity before physical fabrication.

The completed flight visualised in place, black cantilevered treads set against a pale wall beneath a slim dark handrail
The same flight seen from below, showing the underside of the cantilevered treads

Metal Process | The Structural Spine: Wall Anchoring & Cantilever Fabrication

The illusion of floating treads demands rigorous, unyielding steel engineering. Our structural team chased the existing solid brick wall down to the masonry substrate, embedding a continuous heavy-duty steel stringer plate anchored via high-tensile chemical anchors.

Each step’s internal armature consists of an engineered box-section steel cantilever plate, welded directly to the backbone plate at precise pitch angles. Once mechanically bolted, welded, and load-tested for deflection, the entire steel armature was boarded and skimmed over, leaving only the bare cantilever brackets protruding through a flawless, seamless wall plane.

A continuous steel stringer plate anchored into the chased brick wall of the stripped hallway
Threaded fixings set along the steel stringer where the plaster has been cut back to bare brick
A single cantilever bracket set into the wall and checked for level before the wall is closed up
The completed steel armature stepping up the hallway wall, seen from the front door

Wood Process | Artisan Joinery: Mitred Oak Box Sleeves & Acoustic Bonding

Following the completion and curing of the surrounding wall plaster, our master joiners commenced the on-site installation of the bespoke timber treads. Each tread is crafted as a precision-mitred solid oak box sleeve, engineered to slide seamlessly over the internal steel cantilever armature while maintaining continuous, uninterrupted wood grain along every edge.

To eliminate hollow footfall acoustics and guarantee complete stability, high-performance structural bonding adhesive (CT1) was applied directly across the steel plates. This creates a permanent, acoustically dampened bond between timber and steel, delivering a solid, quiet, and monolithic feel underfoot. Immediately following alignment and final leveling, every tread was cocooned in heavy-duty protective wrapping to safeguard the pristine timber finish from site dust and ongoing decorating works until final project handover.

Two joiners sliding a protected oak tread sleeve over the steel cantilever armature
Structural bonding adhesive applied along a bare steel cantilever plate before its tread is fitted
The finished flight under protective wrapping, seen through the open rear doors

Balustrade Process | Pure Transparency: Structural Toughened Glass & Minimalist Detailing

To provide dependable barrier protection without enclosing the narrow London hallway, the flight features heavy-duty low-iron toughened safety glass panels. Mounted directly into the structural flanks of the cantilevered steps with countersunk mechanical fixings, the glazing preserves uninterrupted sightlines from the front threshold straight through to the rear living space.

The installation is capped with a slimline, dark-finished handrail that mirrors the architectural pitch of the flight up to the open first-floor landing. The resulting composition balances crisp geometry, structural compliance with UK Building Regulations (Approved Document K), and an uncluttered floating silhouette.

A tread box drilled for its balustrade fixing, showing the countersunk detail
The installed flight seen from the hallway doorway while the surrounding finishes are completed
Looking up the completed flight through the frameless glass balustrade to the first-floor landing
DISOUL staircase project background

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One studio. One shared standard. One staircase developed as a complete architectural composition.

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