Yoga Truck

Yoga Truck

Driving off the freeway ramp, I was about to turn into my place of work, and there across the street was a scene playing tricks on my eyes. It was a semi-truck that had partially flipped – actually had twisted - while turning the corner. Only the back of the semi fell to the side, while the cab was still upright, leaving a dynamic twisting effect in the body of the metal trailer that was reminiscent of a spiral stair! The scene was very calm and there were no onlookers at that time besides the driver and police, so in a way it felt like – as one friend coined it – like a truck in a yoga posture! Still, peaceful, and waiting until the next pose. And for us at Seattle Stair, it was hard to miss the similarity of a spiral stair and the look of the twisting of the metal trailer. Being directly across the street from Seattle Stair, ironically it was fitting. Seeing the Yoga Truck was a little piece of the unexpected in a usually predictable commute to work.

* As a side note, I want to mention that we all felt for the driver of the truck and his company and are truly grateful that no one was hurt by this unfortunate incident.

Phoebe Schraer
executive coordinator

BEAUTIFUL TAHOE

BEAUTIFUL TAHOE

I have a lot of connections to Lake Tahoe.
• Framing houses there—Summer of ‘74
• Skiing with my dad—Winter of ‘76 (Squaw Valley, Heavenly Valley, Kirkwood)
• Honeymoon with Marilyn—Summer of ‘79 (still married)
• Last place I saw my dad—Late 90’s
• Buried my dad—1999

So it was with some emotion that I returned there for the first time in many years. I flew into Tahoe Valley Airport with my flight instructor on a beautiful fall day in early October. I was there to share our great story about custom stairs with area architects.

As we flew out the next morning and passed over the town of Truckee, CA it reminded me of rafting the Truckee River with my buddies at the unenlightened age of 20. Unenlightened indeed….and untrained, unguided, unhelmeted and unsafe. Only two guys overboard and we all lived to tell the story. It’s amazing we didn’t get swept out to the Pacific Ocean in the heavy spring runoff.

I will always look back fondly on the summer I spent there framing custom homes. It was a foundational building block for what I do now in custom stair design. Check out the aerial photo…….the houses I built were all in Tahoe Keys, visible on the left side of the image. Thank you Ron Triano, wherever you are.

My peak experience this trip? Dinner at Nephele’s on Ski Run Boulevard. www.nepheles.com/   I WILL be going back there again!  As soon as I land my first stair project in Tahoe.

Shawn F. Christman
President
Seattle Stair and Design

Jewelry for the Home

Jewelry Designer Turned Railing Designer


I am thrilled with this new stair project on Lake Sammamish. Coming from a jewelry design background, the process of designing a railing is turning out to be similar to that of designing a ring or other special piece of jewelry. The goal is to come up with a concept that adds to and enhances (as jewelry enhances the wearer) making a statement that is an expression of the home owner, accentuates the beauty that is already there, and is pleasant to look at. When I was designing jewelry I listened to what my client wanted while taking cues from her taste, her lifestyle, and what brought her happiness. For the rail design, I follow the same protocol as well as looking at her furniture taste for inspiration and listening to her desire to accent the lake that is just outside the windows behind the stair. I am incorporating ‘petals’ of glass within the design elements that are the color of the lake, and highlight certain aspects of the overall design. They are like the jewels of the rail design, similar to diamonds or sapphires in a piece of jewelry.
Phoebe Schraer
Executive Coordinator