“It took us 11 years, but we sure love our new home.”
Tim and Karen Brust took their time to get their new home just exactly right. Even though they are lifelong residents of northwest Indiana, they share a love for the California/Arizona contemporary style of architecture. They dreamed of an open-floor-plan home with tons of windows and an eye-catching floating stairway as an interior focal point. The couple also wanted a flat roof, a pool, and a rooftop deck. They already owned 16 acres on a site that abuts an arboretum with thousands of trees that support wild turkeys and white-tailed deer.
Says Tim, “It took us longer than we thought, but today, our home is perfect for our lifestyle and exactly what we wanted.”
It wasn’t a short or an easy journey.
They were in no hurry to build and spent several years defining their vision before talking with architects or builders. A floating stairway and concrete countertops were must-haves. They wanted a large home office with space for the two of them and their three cats. To add to the atypical nature of the home, they decided they were most comfortable with a second-floor master suite and office to take advantage of the views in every direction.
“We started by looking at magazines such as Architectural Digest and Dwell, and from there we progressed to internet searches,” says Karen. “We also became very familiar with the pause button on the TV remote when we were watching home improvement shows.” But eventually, the couple developed the ideas and requirements that would reflect their own unique style.
They particularly wanted a floating stairway similar to what they had seen in magazines. But they weren’t comfortable with the processes and the solutions they found locally and broadened their search.
“We would have had to have the structural elements fabricated by one company, then the wood treads by another. I envisioned a finger-pointing game if anything went wrong. Overall, we took a lot of things into our own hands. And we found Viewrail FLIGHT floating stairs by word of mouth,” relates Tim.
“Once we learned that Viewrail would be manufacturing everything from the structural stringer to the treads and the railing, we were sold. We appreciated the concept of the entire stairway package with everything together in a single delivery from a single source,” he adds.
The Brusts selected 48” wide, thick Ash treads stained in Jav-88. The mild steel stringer, aluminum posts, glass clips, and aluminum handrail are all powder coated in Speedboat Silver. The silver recedes visually to highlight the views while the medium-dark treads make a bold and substantial statement.
The front and back sides of the home are mostly glass. From the kitchen, the main view through the windows is the two-acre pond they added. Turn to your left, and you look through the floating stairs to the outdoor pool area.
“We’re glad we pivoted the angle of the house a few degrees because we have a great view of sunrise and sunset. And although the concrete countertops took plenty of extra work, we’re quite pleased with what we found,” says Karen.
“The floating stairs are really a focal point. All the components assembled and installed easily. Everything turned out just the way we hoped it would. In every direction we have glass, giving us views of the woods and our deer and turkey friends from the entire house, including the stairway, ” Tim adds.
“We get a lot of compliments from everybody who comes over. From the time you step in the front door, you can look straight through the stairs. It’s the focal point from both inside and outside the home. Overall, the floating stairs make our 3,200 square-foot home look and live like a 5,000 square feet home because of the open design and the unobstructed views.”
About Viewrail
Viewrail, based in Goshen IN, is the leading manufacturer of modern stairs and railing in the U.S. Viewrail manufactures floating stair systems along with premium glass, rod, and cable railing. All components are manufactured in-house in one of seven specialized manufacturing facilities.
