Remodeling? Step Up Your Staircase

A custom rail transforms the space while making use of their existing stair.

Although remodeling your home is rarely described as "predictable," the initial decision making process is fairly standard. There are three key interests that drive homeowners to remodel: increased practicality, increased aesthetic quality, and increased value. Consciously or otherwise, it is generally the projects that meet at least two of these interests that drive the budget.

Granite countertops, stainless steel appliances, and walk in showers are frequent sellers, as they facilitate day-to-day activities while lending a sense of luxury and quality. As a result, many begin and end their remodel with the kitchen and bath.

For the most part, this trend is rational. These spaces are visible, used daily by the homeowner, and occasionally by guests. Your revamped powder room could be the centerpiece of your next dinner party, and your new refrigerator will be able to hold twice the leftovers the next day.

The problem with this approach is its polarity. While investing in the kitchen and bath lends value to your home, its value is contained within those individual rooms and only reaches its full potential on special occasions—the aforementioned dinner party scenario, for example.

Consider instead remodeling a space that lends both immediate and lasting value to your home—a space that fulfills all three interests of aesthetics, function and value with the added gift of cohesion.

Consider a space that does not lie in wait for a dinner party to cast its debut, but rather interacts with both the guest and dweller on a daily basis.

Consider the entryway.

The entryway takes charge of the first impression. It is there that every guest is greeted, whether or not they have an invitation to view the rest of the home. With the proper components, it has the potential to convey more than a style, but a sensation. After all, it serves as a literal transition from the chaos of the exterior world to the controlled, safe, interior world.

In many homes, the chief component of the entryway is the staircase. Equal parts form and function, the staircase uniquely reconciles the realms of art, architecture and physics. Its visual splendor is complemented by its practicality, ranking high on the list of wise remodeling investments.

Why, then, isn’t a custom staircase the most common remodeling request?

Most often, it comes down to a stereotype that staircases are both expensive and inconvenient.

But like any other accessory, appliance, or home furnishing, there are options.

Cost, material, and style should be dependent on the needs of the clients rather than those of the stair builder. At Seattle Stair & Design, we strive to facilitate not only your vision but your budget as well. Our passion for staircases overrides our interest in any particular style or product—resulting in a diverse portfolio of staircases and stair parts, equal only in quality.

In the past year, we have had the privilege of transforming the homes of dozens of clients. Our work has ranged from paneled soffits that challenge geometry and hand-forged iron balusters inlayed with stained glass to simple remodels that transform a staircase with just a few new stair parts.

Each of these projects—regardless of scale—is valuable to us. Have you discovered the value of your stairway?

Mary Anne Carter
Assistant Director of Marketing