The art of the staircase – 10 examples for inspiration

Dar

For M/Y Dar we were tasked with creating a unique bas-relief piece based upon themes of nature and aquatic life. Working with interior designers Nuvolari Lenard we came up with a composition consisting of individually designed tropical fish that have been hand carved and sits on a backdrop of specialist plaster, creating depth and movement. M/Y Dar was built by Oceanco.

Here Comes The Sun

We worked closely with designers at Winch Design to create this organic bas-relief finish for M/Y Here Comes the Sun. Inspired by the superyacht owner’s vineyard, a complex series of masters needed to be carved in a continuous design, without an obvious repeat, and with unique stair walls. The result was an intricately carved pattern with a stone-like finish that complements the yacht’s overall warm décor, cream fabrics and gold-toned lighting. Here Comes the Sun was built by Amels.

Phoenix II

Lürssen built M/Y Phoenix II lives and breathes Art Deco in its overall design. For this project we worked with Winch Design to adapt a design classic by American illustrator Dean Cornwell and recreate the concept for a vertical space. We used elements of hand painting, gilding and lacquering (both in studio and then finished onsite) in acrylics and metal leaf, finished with a hand-applied lacquer, were used to create the ultimate statement piece by the central staircase.

Kismet

Inspired by Egyptian heritage, the design was to include various symbols and elements to tell a story that moved from the lower to the upper decks. The result is a complex bas-relief, cast in liquid metal bronze finish to complement the other materials used in this interior such as black marble, solid honey onyx, and rare mahogany timber. M/Y Kismet was built by Lürssen with interior design by Reymond Langton Design.

Elandess

We worked closely with designer Peder Eidsgaard of Harrison Eidsgaard to produce something creatively forward-thinking for the owner of M/Y Elandess, built by Abeking & Rasmussen. We created a distinctively, unique finish comprising of organically shaped pieces of mosaic-patterned white mother-of-pearl inlaid into a lightly textured polished stone effect. Light from the pool above flickers down this three-levelled staircase giving our specialist polished plaster finish some extra shimmer.

Excellence V

We created these metal finish hand carved panels to surround the central staircase that circulates the five-level lift onboard M/Y Excellence V, built by Abeking & Rasmussen. We worked with interior designer Reymond Langton Design to create a piece that represents some of the client’s passions, which embodies automotive and deco styles.

Manresa Road

For this interior space designed by Rene Dekker Design / SHH, we were challenged to bring nature inside with a large feature-piece surrounding central staircase covering three floors. Most of the artwork was hand-carved at DKT Studio from bas-relief olive tree trunk with modular design leaf pattern casts arranged on a polished plaster background. The parts were then assembled and finished on site, to guarantee a seamless finish.

Ije

Hand carved organic textures on curved panels, which join seamlessly and provide a continuous feel as you go up and down the stairs over the yacht’s four decks. Each stroke of this highly textured finish was created at DKT’s London studio by expert carvers. The graceful spiral of open steps with stainless steel details appears to float around the lift. Created alongside Bill Cleyndert, the result comes with a hand-carved plaster finish in a wave pattern, with a custom rope detail and brilliant lighting. M/Y Ije was built by Benetti with interior design from RWD.

Irisha

We are proud to have helped build the wow-factor for the Heesen yacht M/Y Irisha. Covering three decks of the yacht, the open oval staircase is complemented by our textured decorative specialist plaster panels with linear and semi-circular motifs extending to the ceiling. According to Heesen, besides the impressive use of exterior glass, this was the most challenging feature of the build. The aluminium structure is masked by a polished, hand-plaster technique created by our team and topped in tempered glass structural balustrades and a leather handrail. Interior design for M/Y Irisha was done by Harrison Eidsgaard.

Honey Money

Trompe l'Oeil can be a particularly effective technique when dealing with smaller interior spaces such as areas around a staircase onboard a yacht. We designed and create this bespoke mural featuring the view of Istanbul and the Bosphorus that gives the impression of looking outside the window. This hand painted mural with trompe l’oeil effect on canvas was created in our London studio and finished on-site. M/Y Honey Money was built by Heesen with interior design from Donald Starkey.