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

Metalsmithed Spiral Tread Supports

Metalsmithed Spiral Stair Tread Supports

I am excited to share with you the magic that is happening in the building of this spiral. We are using a unique metal tread support system that is our design. This is something we’ve been waiting for the opportunity to do, and as we had hoped - the outcome is more sculptural than typical. The tread supports looked like a spine from a prehistoric being before they were erected and bolted to the center column. As is shown in the pictures, you can see Christian putting the treads on the supports for the first time. He is testing that they are level and that all the stairs are lining up correctly. He must also ensure the spiral lets you out in the right spot on the upper balcony. To build a spiral, not only must you have a vision, but you also need to remember your geometry and algebra before the magic can really happen. I love the look of the stair right now, before we add the railing. This is a sculpture in and of itself, and the rail will bring a completely different yet equally striking effect!

Phoebe Schraer

Executive Coordinator

Stairways - From France to Seattle

From France to Seattle

One Year with the Compagnons…

I am a new employee of Seattle Stair and how I wound up here has been an amazing journey, which when I began, I always hoped that I would be working with such skilled, passionate and interesting people as I have found here.

In August of 2011, I was chosen as the first American to take part in an international fellowship exchange program at the Coubertin Foundation in Saint-Rémy-les-Chevreuse, France with the Compagnons du Devoir.  My 11 months there were filled with workshop training, art, computer drafting, architectural history, mathematics and cultural events and trips.  I learned as much about a wonderful country and culture as I did about my work.

Shawn, who was has been bringing in French Compagnons for several years to work and live in Seattle, has graciously given me the opportunity to become part of the team here and I am loving every day, as I continue to learn and develop into a talented craftsman.

Nicolas Esposito - Craftsman

http://www.coubertin.fr/

http://www.afcoubertin.org/11.html

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

Finding Meaning in a Dusty Shop

Summer has waned and now crisp autumn mornings accompany my awakening self to work. Each year this transition invariably draws me into reflection upon my current blessings. Presently, I find myself part of a passionate group of creative collaborators, encouraged to seek the epitome of quality, and supported in my endeavors by kind, intelligent mentors. It is an honor to be daily met by persons of integrity and witness their attention to craft, perseverance, and infectious joie de vivre. In this stair shop we are playing out an old story, part of a pre-historic movement, seeking beauty through manual creation and thereby providing the tangible reality so sought after by our imaginative brothers and sisters. Placing our weight behind the plane or guiding the chisel through tough end grain with practiced precision brings each of us closer to life. How fortunate we are to suffer these dusty days of triumph.

Michael Lane -Craftsman

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

Lighthouses: Compressing Spiral Stairs

I've always been fascinated by lighthouses, have gone out of my way in my airplane to overfly one at too low an altitude and have toured several in my travels. When PBS has a lighthouse special, I always watch it. Obviously part of the fascination comes from the amazing circular stairs inside. They are intriguing from the standpoint that many of them are a compressing spiral, meaning since the tower is often tapered, they get tighter as the spiral climbs toward the lens. I have photographed this architectural feature somewhat extensively because I found it challenging from a design standpoint. I have plans and drawings for such a stair. One "bucket list" ambition I have is to build a climbing/tapering/lighthouse style staircase for someone's home or office before I'm too old to master its complexity. –Shawn Christman, Seattle Stair

If you haven't visited the Heceta Head lighthouse in Oregon, I highly recommend it. Google this lighthouse, purported to be the most-photographed one in the US, and you'll find some gorgeous professional photography of the interior stairs.

photo from Planet Eugene.com