Just a few months after being featured on Grand Designs, the team at First Step Designs is proud to announce that we’ve been shortlisted for ‘Best Stairs’ at the 2024 Build It Awards. This annual event recognises and celebrates the UK's leading innovators and manufacturers in the custom and self-build home industry.
Securing a discerning client
While guiding our clients through their staircase options is a rewarding part of the design process, clients like Mr. Grant, who know exactly what they want and won't settle for anything but the best, occasionally approach us.
Mr. Grant had visited several competing companies before finding us; however, none of them managed to fully capture his vision for his new home’s staircase. On the other hand, First Step Designs provided not only a same-day quote and accurate 3D renderings of the exact stairs the Grant family wanted, but we also managed to impress them with our unique central spine staircase structure and our ability to liaise with other contractors on their behalf for a hassle-free installation.
Before long, we knew we had a client, and Mr. Grant knew he was working with professionals.
A (hopefully) award-winning staircase
The Grants envisioned an open-plan, central spine staircase, set against a feature wall with a large concrete step at its base, doubling as an art installation. While we designed the staircase as the focal point, the open structure and transparent balustrades seamlessly blend into the overall aesthetic, with carefully chosen decor filling the space above and below the stairs. We decided to finish the steps and railing with the same European White Oak used throughout the home, ensuring a cohesive look.
Other design features of this award-nominated staircase include a custom laser-cut central spine structure with no visible welds, powder-coated to a super matte Anthracite grey finish; 112mm European white oak treads finished with anti-slip lacquer; solid bar spindles machined to sit 100mm deep within the structure for chemical fixing; an elegant, curved feature handrail as an opening detail to the staircase; and a micro concrete full feature tread designed to function as an art gallery.
What this nomination means to us
We get that saying it's an honour just to be nominated is a bit cliche, but we can’t help but feel proud of how much we’ve achieved in a relatively short space of time. It’s both humbling and exciting for a relatively young company—we’ll be turning 10 next year—such as First Step Designs to receive this kind of recognition, especially when considering that we’re up against giants in our industry who’ve been designing and building staircases for decades.
Despite still being weeks away from the Build It Awards 2024 prize-giving ceremony, our entire team, from designers to installers and everyone in between, is practically buzzing with excitement and anticipation.
If you’ve read this far, we thank you for your support and stand ready to help you design, build, and install your very own (hopefully) award-winning staircase.
To be clear, we didn't embark on this project with the explicit intention of being nominated for a design award. From day one, this was simply another project for a team of skilled and dedicated designers and fabricators—a team of individuals dedicated to making the very best staircases they can for every client. We’re confident that clients like Mr Grant and other industry professionals will continue to recognise the quality of our work as we strive to learn, innovate, and build stairs that demand attention.
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