railing changes
After: Thelen opened up the staircase to the basement and designed a minimalist wrought iron railing. There is half-inch plexiglass on the railing for safety. “The homeowners had a modern vision for the house and wanted to invite the outside in,” he says. “The way to achieve that was by using natural materials.” Throughout the house, including on the stairs, he installed new distressed white oak wide-plank flooring that is hand-honed, rift-sawn and quartered. “The floors have knots and a natural finish. They have a lot of character,” he says.
If guardrails are required for your open-concept living area, such as by a staircase, use glass to enhance the room’s wide-open feel. “Glass opens up the space and makes it feel much larger than it is — and it gives it some pizazz and a modern look,” Cohen says. The base-rail system seen here surrounds a stair opening leading to a kitchen and living room. “You can do triple-ply glass to avoid a top rail,” Jacobs says. “The truly frameless is where you would want to use laminated glass. Laminated glass railing consists of two quarter-inch-wide tempered glass panels with a layer of laminate in the middle, just like a car windshield.
Lighten Up Interior Balconies Carry glass railing from your staircase to your landings and interior balconies to extend the open, airy effect. Instead of being dark and separated, these areas will receive a flood of light from any adjacent windows. And anyone upstairs can enjoy uninterrupted views to the outdoors, even from the middle of the house. The glass railing on the interior balcony seen here is mounted on talon spigots, powder-coated white to match the home’s interior finishes. A slim stainless steel top rail defines the edge without overpowering the look. You can powder-coat stainless steel top rails to add flair — go playful with hunter green, bold with bronze or modern with black, among other choices. Choose a wood top rail for organic visual warmth
open stairs to family room
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