Project Information
This is a stairwell barrier that I designed and built based on a Japanese torii gate. It is made of black walnut, black walnut veneered panels, brushed steel, and 1/2" tempered glass.
You do not need to have a handrail and balusters for a stairwell barrier. The clients wanted something unique here. The architect's ideas and designs were not unique enough, they were the standard variations appropriate to the Prairie Style. The front double entry door has an Asian graphic design in it. We laid the design in the floor when we did the tile work, and I came up with the idea of Japanese torii gates holding sheets of glass.
The last two photos show the early ideas for the shape that would cap off the top and the MDF model. The final shape to top off the steel frame was not figured out until I had the steel frames in hand and everything came together in the design.
I had to veneer the panels that the glass is mounted to. The solid stock that I had was out of control with movement, and I knew that there would be a liability issue. The great thing was that it created a symmetry on all four torii gate stands. Many people have commented on it wondering how I got the same pattern out of a single log. They thought it was all solid wood.
These were technically quite challenging to install because everything had to line up so perfectly plumb and straight. The stands are bolted clear through the floor and floor trusses with 12" bolts and back plates underneath. I also had to core drill through the tile to mount the units on the flat subfloor. Install took me 3 days.
I was excited about the clients choosing my design. But it was easy since the architect started a great painting that I had the rare opportunity to add just a few of my own brush strokes.
You do not need to have a handrail and balusters for a stairwell barrier. The clients wanted something unique here. The architect's ideas and designs were not unique enough, they were the standard variations appropriate to the Prairie Style. The front double entry door has an Asian graphic design in it. We laid the design in the floor when we did the tile work, and I came up with the idea of Japanese torii gates holding sheets of glass.
The last two photos show the early ideas for the shape that would cap off the top and the MDF model. The final shape to top off the steel frame was not figured out until I had the steel frames in hand and everything came together in the design.
I had to veneer the panels that the glass is mounted to. The solid stock that I had was out of control with movement, and I knew that there would be a liability issue. The great thing was that it created a symmetry on all four torii gate stands. Many people have commented on it wondering how I got the same pattern out of a single log. They thought it was all solid wood.
These were technically quite challenging to install because everything had to line up so perfectly plumb and straight. The stands are bolted clear through the floor and floor trusses with 12" bolts and back plates underneath. I also had to core drill through the tile to mount the units on the flat subfloor. Install took me 3 days.
I was excited about the clients choosing my design. But it was easy since the architect started a great painting that I had the rare opportunity to add just a few of my own brush strokes.
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