Barkitecture 2012

Luxe Magazine's Barkitecture is only three days away... and Seattle Stair & Design is busy with the finishing touches of our collaborative work, The Furry Tail Tower.

We have teamed up with some of Seattle's finest designers, builders, and architects to create this iconic storybook style piece and are enthused to reveal the lush landscape (courtesy of the brilliant Dale Nussbaum of Nussbaum Group).

We invite you to place your bid now or at the Barkitecture event on Thursday, May 24th at the Seattle Design Center. RSVP here to guarantee your spot.

Barkitecture Featuring Seattle Stair & Design

Seattle Stair & Design is joining Seattle’s best architects, builders, interior designers and landscape professionals to participate in Luxe Magazine's Barkitecture Event at the Seattle Design Center.

The event features a display and auction of ten incredible dog houses created and constructed by competing teams, as well as a dog costume show, hors d' oeuvres, drinks, and more.

Our own David Shuler has served as project manager for Team AOME, working alongside the brilliant Mark Elster of AOME Architects, Peter Saladino of Charter Construction, Carl Williams of Carl Williams Interiors, Dale Nussbaum of Nussbaum Group, Jennifer Hayden of Pental Granite & Marble, and Dean Clausen of Realogics Sootheby's Realty.

Over the past month, this dynamic group has created a fantastical home that could belong to your precious pup. Iconic storybook architecture collides with whimsy and imagination- think flying buttresses connecting to tennis ball dispensing turrets- in the impressive Furry Tail Tower.

We invite you to join us for the evening or place your bid in advance.

RSVP today at: http://bit.ly/KpzHtb

Stay tuned for photos and more information about this spectacular cause!

Mary Anne Carter
Assistant Director of Marketing

Seabrook Revisted

Photos: David Shuler of Seattle Stair & Design

Last August, we at Seattle Stair & Design shared our affinity for this expansive staircase we found cascading down the dunes of Seabrook, WA. We revisited the staircase last month and were again taken by its majesty. While its rough form is not unlike other beach staircases we have seen, the size, scale, and durability of the structure are utterly impressive.

Seattle Stair & Design Featured on MSN

Seattle Stair & Design is thrilled to have had two of our staircases featured in MSN Real Estate's slideshow, "Now That's A Staircase, 11 Eye-Popping Designs," last weekend.  

The slideshow illustrates a variety of inventive staircases from around the world including our Hawaiian-Themed staircase, crafted from sheets of acrylic and resin with grass fibers curved with heat, and our Disappearing Act staircase, built with treads created to appear as if they are floating, finished with a steel handrail wrapped in leather. 

In addition to a glimpse at our portfolio, the article provided insight into the design process and spirit that fuels Seattle Stair & Design through interviews with Shawn Christman and David Shuler of Seattle Stair & Design. 

This slideshow, coupled with Seattle Stair & Design's 5th consecutive win at the National SMA StairCraft Awards this month and other recent press, is highly flattering to all involved at Seattle Stair & Design. 

Mary Anne Carter

Assistant Director of Marketing 

Seattle Stair & Design Wins National Award

Seattle Stair & Design is pleased to announce that we have been awarded “Best Straight Stair” at the 2012 Stairway Manufacturers’ Association (SMA) StairCraft Awards.

This recognition is particularly exciting for the staff and craftsmen at Seattle Stair & Design, as it is our fifth-consecutive award at the national, peer-judged Stair and Stair Railing design competition.

The chosen staircase, which was selected and judged for its “aesthetics, stair safety, quality, workmanship, and technical challenge,” is a Brazilian cherry hardwood structure with anigre highlights embellished with forged iron—jewelry in a form that is both craftsman and contemporary.

For a detailed view of the design and construction process of the staircase from conception to completion, please view our Case Study Video.

Mary Anne Carter
Assistant Director of Marketing

Seattle Stair & Design Heads to National SMA Conference

Seattle Stair & Design’s Shawn Christman will join fellow stair builders at the National Stairway Manufacturers’ Association’s Conference in Reno this weekend.

Expanding on the SMA’s mission to foster the “growth and prosperity” of the stair building industry and craft, the annual conference provides educational seminars, opportunities for networking, and a peer based design competition.

The design competition, in tandem with the SMA’s legacy of preserving the aesthetic of the stair through building code reform, has been a large draw to the conference since its conception.

“When Seattle Stair & Design joined the SMA, we thought we may have a chance at the design competition,” explains Christman. “We are currently four-for-four. No one else has won four in a row—so I suppose we were correct in our hunch.”

Regardless of this year’s design competition outcome, Christman looks forward to the opportunity to “touch base stair builders I have met across the country” and indulge in his craft.

For more information on Seattle Stair & Design’s involvement in the SMA, please visit the following blog posts and press:

http://seattlestair.blogspot.com/2009/06/winners-of-another-national-award.html

http://seattlestair.com/live/collection/news

Mary Anne Carter
Assistant Director of Marketing

Seattle Stair & Design in The New York Times

Last week, Seattle Stair & Design's work graced the pages of The New York Times- in conjunction with the article “In New Office Designs, Room to Roam and to Think.”

The article and corresponding multimedia slideshow provide a glimpse inside The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Headquarters, which is outfitted with thousands of feet of striking curved wooden handrails and paneling custom crafted by Seattle Stair & Design, as well as a reclaimed solid ash stool designed by Meyer Wells and turned on the lathe by Seattle Stair & Design.

Photo: Joshua Trujillo for Seattle PI

Photo: Stuart Isett for the New York Times

The spacious mezzanine of The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation features a suspended staircase outfitted with 2,000 feet of curved wooden handrails and 1,000 feet of curved paneling custom built by Seattle Stair & Design.

Photo: Stuart Isett for the New York Times

The “diving board” style hall leads to a panoramic corridor sparsely furnished with two chairs and a reclaimed solid ash stool designed by Meyer Wells and turned on the lathe by Seattle Stair & Design.

The tandem of utility and radiance captured in the staircases and stool permeates the essence of the entire space, which is defined in the article as a forerunner in the staggering trend of businesses abandoning the traditional work environment.

Indulging their employees in boundless ceilings, sweeping panes of glass, and the freedom to migrate, The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has recognized the different “modes” of their employees and created a variety of spaces that cultivate creativity and respect personal preference.

For more coverage of our involvement with the construction of the staircases in the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation headquarters, please see the additional blogposts and articles.

http://seattlestair.blogspot.com/2011/06/staircase-railing-of-new-seattle.html

http://www.seattlebusinessmag.com/article/stair-master

Mary Anne Carter
Assistant Director of Marketing