Contemporary staircase designed by Tamir Addadi, a contemporary staircase to replace an awkward ladder that previously was used to provide access to the loft space on the top floor of a Victorian house in London. A spiral staircase would have an open tread design so at least you could plant your foot on a narrow tread. With this design, the vertical panels prevent your foot from stepping up with nothing more than the tips of your toes.

One result of widening the opening to the loft was an increase in the amount of natural light coming in from the loft’s skylight into the originally quite dark landing of the lower floor. The narrowness of the stairs and the fact that they are slightly removed from the wall contribute to this effect, as they let some light in all around them. Improving the flow of light was also another way of strengthening the connection between the floors and making it more inviting to use the staircase and climb up into the loft.