The Clarendon Hills radius.
A curved foyer stair in ebonized oak, set against a grid-paneled curved wall that follows the stair turn-for-turn.
Two radius stairs in one gallery means two answers to the same question. Where the Oak Brook curve is grand and warm, this Clarendon Hills home is taut and dark — a single sweeping flight that turns through a curved paneled wall and resolves at a leaded-glass front door.
The whole entry is curved. The wall behind the stair follows the radius from the foyer floor up through the second-story landing, finished in tight grid-pattern panels that read as a continuous backdrop rather than as individual sheets. The stair traces that curve, the rail traces the stair, and the eye is carried upward in a single continuous gesture. Stand at the front door and look back and the architecture pulls you into the house.
The wood is ebonized red oak — dark, almost black, with the grain still readable up close. The treads are full step nosing, no carpet runner; the wood does the work. The newel at the base is heavy turned oak, sitting on a thick rectangular footprint, with a tall taper and a flared cap. It's the only fully sculptural element in the run, anchoring the sweep where it lifts off the foyer floor.
The balusters are slim iron with twist rod and small knuckle midpoints — slim enough at this pitch to read as shadow lines rather than as objects. From the foyer they almost disappear; from up close they reveal hand-forged texture. The basement run continues the same vocabulary, white risers with dark stained treads, the turn flowing through a smaller curve below grade. Three flights, one continuous gesture from cellar to upper hall.
The eye is carried upward in a single continuous gesture.
Basement run — the same curve continuing below grade, white-painted curved wainscot.
Mid-stair from the foyer floor — the heavy turned newel anchoring the lift-off.
Upper landing — looking back down the well, paneled curved wall framing the descent.
Tell us about the stair your house deserves.
The Clarendon Hills radius.
A curved foyer stair in ebonized oak, set against a grid-paneled curved wall that follows the stair turn-for-turn.
Two radius stairs in one gallery means two answers to the same question. Where the Oak Brook curve is grand and warm, this Clarendon Hills home is taut and dark — a single sweeping flight that turns through a curved paneled wall and resolves at a leaded-glass front door.
The whole entry is curved. The wall behind the stair follows the radius from the foyer floor up through the second-story landing, finished in tight grid-pattern panels that read as a continuous backdrop rather than as individual sheets. The stair traces that curve, the rail traces the stair, and the eye is carried upward in a single continuous gesture. Stand at the front door and look back and the architecture pulls you into the house.
The wood is ebonized red oak — dark, almost black, with the grain still readable up close. The treads are full step nosing, no carpet runner; the wood does the work. The newel at the base is heavy turned oak, sitting on a thick rectangular footprint, with a tall taper and a flared cap. It's the only fully sculptural element in the run, anchoring the sweep where it lifts off the foyer floor.
The balusters are slim iron with twist rod and small knuckle midpoints — slim enough at this pitch to read as shadow lines rather than as objects. From the foyer they almost disappear; from up close they reveal hand-forged texture. The basement run continues the same vocabulary, white risers with dark stained treads, the turn flowing through a smaller curve below grade. Three flights, one continuous gesture from cellar to upper hall.
The eye is carried upward in a single continuous gesture.
Basement run — the same curve continuing below grade, white-painted curved wainscot.
Mid-stair from the foyer floor — the heavy turned newel anchoring the lift-off.
Upper landing — looking back down the well, paneled curved wall framing the descent.