The Plaster Staircase Is Having a Moment

Swooping, soft, sculptural. The plaster staircase (or plaster-like staircase) is the latest decorating fad to envelop the homes of the “warm modernism” set. The next step after slathering the walls in plaster or limewash? Perhaps. The daring decorating move, popularized by Belgian plaster pioneers such as Axel Vervoordt and Vincent Van Duysen, has permeated interiors across the globe—and we think it’s here to stay.

You’ll recall that Kim Kardashian and Kanye West’s plaster staircase in Calabasas, California, (executed by AD100 Hall of Famer Vervoordt, no less) graced AD’s March 2020 cover. Did theirs set the ball—or rather, spiral—in motion? We have seen similar examples proliferating ever since. 

Architect Chet Callahan installed one in his own L.A. home with a colorful twist by artist Adrian Kay Wong. AD100 designer Giancarlo Valle transformed a blah staircase in New York City into a spiraling masterpiece with layers of sculpted cement. Similarly, Beata Heuman updated an awkward stairway in London into something she describes as “a swoop: something dynamic and circular and a lot more welcoming.”