Do steps need handrails?

Domestic garden steps generally do not require them, but for more than four risers or where there is a drop we usually recommend one.

Can steps be lit without visible fittings?

Yes — recessed side lights or a concealed strip under the nosing.

Are curved steps possible in porcelain?

Yes, with cut treads, though it is meaningfully more labour than a straight flight.

Design Inspiration

Steps and Levels

Cumbrian gardens are rarely flat. Level change is the opportunity most schemes waste and the best schemes are built around.

6 min read · 16 February 2026

Proportion

Outdoor steps should be shallower and deeper than indoor ones: 150mm risers with treads of at least 350mm. Generous treads slow people down and make a garden feel considered.

Materials

Matching the terrace with a bullnose or 20mm porcelain tread gives the cleanest result. A contrasting tread — darker than the floor — adds definition and reads well at night.

Floating steps

A shadow gap beneath each tread, with a warm strip light concealed inside, makes a flight appear to float. It is a small cost on top of the structure and the most photographed detail we build.

Retaining and terracing

Where a slope is significant, two shallow terraces almost always beat one tall retaining wall — better proportion, better planting, and usually less structural cost.

Common questions

Ready to talk it through in person?

We will walk your garden, take levels and talk honestly about what will work — no pressure, no sales pitch.

Book Your Complimentary Design Visit View my collection

Prefer to browse first?Request our complimentary brochure