Leonard Street Apartment
New York, NY

Helical Glass & Blackened Stainless Steel Staircase

Jaroff Design, combining our expertise in custom architectural glass and metal,  conceived this striking glass stair in conjunction with the project architect who wanted a complex, twisting staircase as the dramatic connector between the two-floor duplex. Elaborating from a general sketch, we engineered a spiral glass stair with a very minimal support structure and stringer that unwinds as it descends. In order to meet budgetary, structural and aesthetic needs, we developed a new pallet of colors for the stainless steel and custom glass components. Using a blackening patina on the stainless steel instead of the originally requested dark bronze kept the project from going far over budget and necessitating additional support that would have ruined the elegant simplicity of the final design. Heightening this coloration, we suggested a smoke-laminated glass for the railings, creating a unity of color and form.

For the past thirty-eight plus years, Jaroff Design, under the management of founder Joseph Jaroff, has led the design, fabrication, installation and coordination of custom architectural glass and metal for the construction, architecture, interior design and art communities.

Joe received a BFA in Metalwork and Sculpture from RIT’s prestigious School for American Craft and studied Art History at Harvard University. During the time he was a student, Joe received several grants for public art projects including those from the National Endowment for the Arts and New York State Council for the Arts.

After graduating, Joe moved to New York City to pursue an art career, supplementing his income with architectural metal and glass design and fabrication work for contractors and commissioned projects. This early work led Joe to the realization that he could fill an unrecognized need within the building and arts community through blending his skill sets of designer, fabricator, coordinator and project orchestrator.

Jaroff Design has developed and realized design solutions for projects by architects such as Tony Chi, Herzog & De Meuron, Richard Gluckmann, Peter Marino, Toshiko Mori, Polshek Partnership Architects, Ennead Architects, S.O.M., Phillipe Stark, Adam Tihany, Annabelle Selldorf, Andrew Berman and The Rockwell Group among many others.

Fashion Clients include showrooms and flagship locations for Armani, Issey Miyake, Alexander McQueen, Ralph Lauren, Donna Karan, Stella McCartney, Barneys, Louis Vuitton, Van Cleef & Arpels, YSL and Chanel.

Fine dining clientele have seen JD work at Asiate, Le Cirque, The Sea Grill, 11 Madison Avenue, Bruno’s Wine Club and the Hudson Hotel Bar. Cultural clients include Jazz at Lincoln Center, MOMA PS1 and New York City Center.