Tuesday 8 February 2022

Flower shop stairs

... around the corner and going up.

While working on the stairs for the flower shop, I did ask myself why I didn't just plan for a straight flight of stairs...  or even better a fake door with an imaginary stairwell behind it ???

The answer is; I had a picture in my head.. a hint steps at the back of the room. 


I wanted steps or stairs to help create a bit of structural interest to the otherwise very square box that will be the shop. This would also allow for a small partition to form a bit of a work and storage space for the florist under and behind the stairs at the back of the shop.

I had only build one set of stairs before, those for the furniture store next door. These stairs are similar, only this time there will be no landing instead the steps 'turn' around the corner.  

 


As with the previous stairs, I started by creating a 'model' on the computer - pretty much like stacking boxes to replicate the steps and risers, making sure the finished height matches the height of the wall. 
To work out the three steps that turn the corner, I simply divided the 'landing' from the previous stairs into three wedges and crossed my fingers it would work out.

Once the dimensions were worked out, I printed them off and then stuck the paper onto card stock and cut them out (a little like you would put a paper pattern onto fabric when sewing). This saves trying to measure and cut everything square - which I am absolutely not very good at. 

Once the side pieces were cut out, I cut the pieces for the risers and it all went together surprisingly smoothly. 

Since these stairs will be fully enclosed by walls, there is no need for a handrail, nor did I need to worry about keeping the sides clean and tidy. I undercoated the risers with black gesso - I like using black, it gives a different 'worn' depth to the top colour.

I then cut the steps from 3mm balsa, sanded the front edges to round them off, then painted them with an oak stain before sanding each step again to give the worn patches in the middle.


After testing the stairs for size and fit in the room, I began building the partition walls around them and suddenly realised I would have to decide on a paint colour for the walls in the stairwell even though it will never be seen once the stairs are in place. 
As you can see the top riser goes above the wall to allow for the first floor.


Once the stair and partition structure is in place, the storage space under the stairs is really tight as you can see below so I haven't glued  in place yet. I will wait and do that after I have had fun decorating the back.


I started by cladding the back of the partition wall under the stairs with narrow strips of wood and painted this wall a warm clotted cream before adding the beige trim and skirting.


I then added a short wall piece, cladded and painted the same way to act as the back of the shelving. Once the shelves were in place, it left just enough room for a little row of hooks to hold a few items out of view from the shop floor. The little brush and dust pan are by 

María José

 miniatures
 and are just so beautifully made. 
This is were I left off a few months ago... 


...and I think it will be nice - and fun - to get back into this project by decorating this tiny space. After all, it is only small and there is no way I will be able to get to it easily once it is in place. 

We have a vineyard, are heading into harvest but at the same time are suddenly having to get property packed up and ready for sale, so as you can imagine I have a lot going on and will have very limited mini time (and energy) in the next few months. Playing with this little space might just turn out to be a nice and manageable distraction from what is going on around me. 

Take care of yourselves and your loved ones.
Anna X

10 comments:

  1. Hi Anna,

    I love the staircase so far. It creates an interesting nook in the shop with a lot of possibilities. Using a black undercoat instead of white will creat interesting results indeed. I look forward to seeing this element of the flowershop when finished.

    A vineyard, gosh! Good luck with the harvest. I hope that 2022 is a good year for grapes and wine Down Under! And good luck with the other things tou will have to do the coming months. I hope you will find some respite in occasional mini-time.

    Huibrecht

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    1. Hi Huibrecht,
      Yes, the vineyard keeps us busy, especially this time of year - so mini time is only for when it is too hot to be outside.

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  2. Stairs have never been my favorite project but you're right about them adding that necessary architectural feature especially in a dollhouse.
    Your dog-legged stairs looks MARVELLOUS and are a far more difficult flight to have accomplished, than a straight run- WELL DONE!

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    1. Thank you Elizabeth for your kind words, it means a lot! I am quite satisfied with how they turned out and I can already imagine the light coming down from the window upstairs..

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  3. Hi Anna. Your stairs turned out perfectly and very realistic. Love the little cupbord space tucked under there too. You’re right. It adds a lot of interest to a room so worth doing. Best wishes for a hassle free harvest and getting the property ready for sale. Take care.

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    1. Thanks Shannon. I want to 'decorate' the shelves but feel a little stuck as to where to start. I guess I just have to 'dive in' and see where it takes me, right?

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  4. Hi Anna! You have done a fantastic job with your stairs! Like you, I have been making some stairs recently (not yet on my blog!) but mine are spiral stairs. I have the same rough approach as yours, stacking the "blocks" upon each other just enough off-set to leave a step and an attaching place. I draw the spiral layout on paper and make each block the shape of two sections... one is the step and the other the part that supports the next step. And the reason for all this work is the same.... the desire to see the stairs disappear around that corner! I love the look you have achieved with yours! Really beautiful, simple and so realistic! Bravo!

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    1. Thank you so much Betsy. Spiral stairs is a whole other ballgame, I am sure. Not something I would dream of attempting anytime soon. I look forward to seeing yours.

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  5. Dear Anna,

    I do not know in with part of australia you live, but I hope you and your family are not affected by the recent flooding. take care.

    Huibrecht

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  6. Dear Huibrecht,
    Thank you so much for your concern. We are in the opposite end of Australia, in Adelaide on the southern coast so a very long way from the floods. It is devastating to see the destruction.
    Anna

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