This staircase project was fabricated and installed during the construction of this glass enclosed vacation home on the Oregon coast. The staircase and guardrails have a combined weight of over 7,000 lbs. of steel alone. The exposed components are all 3/8″ thick hot-rolled steel plate, laser-cut to size with all welds concealed and edges honed, polished and hand filed.

Boora Architects designed this home. Flux Design collaborated on this project with Master Woodworks of Salem who fabricated and installed all of the wooden components. Together we compiled a detailed set of shop drawings to ensure that our components (fabricated in different shops) would mesh together perfectly when combined on site. Similarly, the installation of each component had to dovetail in planned stages with the work by MWW, the stone masons, and the finishing of both the wooden and steel components.

The mill scale patina on the faces of the hot-rolled plate was left unaltered and intact. Through our careful selection of stock, painstakingly careful handling and the exceptional finishing by Sheryl Andrist, of She-Metal, the industrial steel plate became a  finish material of the highest quality. The plates were gun-blued and clear coated leaving dark blue-black finished steel surfaces with subtle but rich variations in color and texture.

More images detailing the assembly, installation and concealed structures of the staircase and guardrails are archived on the current work blog.

Flux Design completed several other projects within this home, including the media room cabinets.

These are two fireplace screens of a similar design built for 2 different fireplaces in the same home. Each has its own custom log cradle with twisted heavy steel andirons that protrude through notches in the screens. It is a subtle interaction that is nicely highlighted when the fire is lit.

The steel is gun-blued and waxed.

This is a 14′ long steel frame to support a stained glass ceiling and pendant lights. It is situated over the dining table in a Portland home. There are skylights above that bring natural light down through the stained glass and electric lights recessed above the glass for nighttime illumination.

This library was built to display an extensive collection of books in a Portland home designed by Tom Kundig. The steel shelving covers the entirety of a 100′ long wall. The vertical dividers are attached to the concrete wall and float above the concrete bench. The shelves rest on ledgers and can be rearranged to accommodate larger books and artwork.

Images of this project and the residence are featured in the recently published Tom Kundig: Houses 2 c. 2011 Princeton Architectural Press.

This handle and latch was made for the wine cellar door. It is a 200 year old oak door acquired in New Orleans that lacked hardware.

This rolling fireplace screen is installed on the mantle of a family room fireplace. The fireplace is frequently used for cooking and this screen was designed to allow easy access to the fire without intruding on the living space or damaging the cork floors. The screen balances directly underneath the track and rolls smoothly without any additional guides.

The woven wire screen is a beautiful industrial product that works wonderfully as fireplace screen. The frames display discrete hand-forged detailing and hammered brass rivets. The wheels were fabricated specially to add an ornamental touch. All the steel is treated with a gun-blue oxide and clear coated.

These two screens were designed and fabricated for the same home as the rolling screen and bear similar detailing, however the designs are slightly more refined to compliment the rooms they occupy.

The frames are hand-forged and connected with brass rivets. The steel is gun-blued and clear coated.

Steel plate surrounds and adjustable steel shelves were built into this recess of the family room. The formed shelves are reasonably lightweight but will bear a great deal of weight without deflection. The hot-rolled steel plate was clear coated for preservation and to highlight the color variations within the steel.