When one of my dearest friends told me she was getting married this past fall, I knew I wanted to give her something special – not just a typical registry gift. Working with the awesome craftsmen at Seattle Stair inspired me to design a gift that could be made at our shop. The final product was a set of unique candlesticks that were turned on the lathe by our wood turner Nic Bitting. They are a combination of 4 different woods in a light-to-dark pattern (maple, cherry, sapele and black walnut). The design was inspired by my friend’s own prolific artisanship.  
She was so pleased with this gift and I had so much fun in the process, that when another dear friend was married this past week, I decided to design another set of candlesticks. These have a very different feel – inspired by Art Deco and classical detailing. They are meant to be pulled out for holiday occasions when a long table is set with many people. The materials used for the second set are black walnut with maple in the center, creating a striking detail that emphasizes the lines at the top and base.

Stepping “Lightly” on Steel

Working at Seattle Stair and Design has forever changed the way I see stairs.  I love the concept of using light as a design element. Geoffrey Holton, an architect and friend of mine from Berkeley, CA did just this in his latest remodel. It is a commercial building in southwest Berkeley that has been divided into various office, art and retail spaces. As I walked up the stairs to the 2^nd level offices, I was taken by the awesome patterns of light coming through the treads from the upper flight of stairs. He chose to use a painted grate material on the treads to contrast with the naturally rusting steel risers. Walking up and down under this metal stair is an experience of light, shape and creativity.  

Downtown Condominium Remodel

Today we completed this contemporary railing installation with specialty brackets at a downtown condominium. Key technical aspects were numerous perfectly mitered joints, the unique brackets and their tricky hardware, plus the need for a complete new support system inside the walls to hold up the rails properly. We communicated with the PM and coordinated with the site super as a team on these issues and many more. While we always strive try to be as efficient and clean as possible on the job site, the final goal is an awesome stair or railing system. I continually feel a sense of pride in the team at Seattle Stair & Design.

Phoebe Schraer
Executive Coordinator/Sales & Design Specialist

Custom Wood Turning... in 10 Seconds or Less

Our woodturner is often fed eclectic turning projects. After all, Seattle Stair is the only shop in the area with the capability to turn large scale custom items.  In the past, we have turned everything from tugboat masts to 10-foot "knowledge whorls." This week, our woodturner has had the task of turning nearly a dozen domed cylinders for an art installation.

I caught him in action and created a short video that illustrates the turning project in less than ten seconds.

Check it out here:  http://instagram.com/p/cNKusDh6CG/?igref=ogexp

Mary Anne Carter
Assistant Director of Marketing

From Campy to Classy: The Modern Hotel in Boise

 A recent road trip from Albuquerque to Seattle offered an unrivaled array of eye candy: plunging canyons, wind carved rock formations, star crusted skies, and the occasional modern marvel.  Topping the list of manmade spectacles was The Modern Hotel in Boise, a rehabbed Travel Lodge better suited for craft cocktails than a continental breakfast. 

Fresh white paint and contemporary furnishings lend purity to the traditionally seedy space, while innovative design details give character. The courtyard is dotted with fire pits salvaged from a defunct swimming pool, the balcony is emblazoned with sculptural steel cutouts, and the exterior staircase flaunts an angular wood and metal enclosure. 

The juxtaposition of linear and campy; refined and tired; clean and novel is not inherently good. Yet with proper balance of whitespace and design details, The Modern Hotel manages to defy expectation. This success is more than a visual spectacle- it is a lesson for any home renovation process.  

Any space (even a Travel Lodge) bears the potential to be transformed without a total overhaul. By simply toning down less favorable design elements and investing your resources in a few strong details, you can reconcile and redefine your space. 

Mary Anne Carter

Assistant Director of Marketing

Seattle Stair Featured in The Wall Street Journal

Seattle Stair & Design was featured in The Wall Street Journal on Friday, July 5th as part of an article highlighting the use of exotic wood in home decor. "Exotic Woods for High-End Homes" showcased an American red gum and wenge stair we built for a client in Maui, Hawaii several years ago.

The article reads:

"With rich hues and elaborate grain patterns, exotic woods are growing in home décor. Many rare woods come from tropical climates, where trees can produce more-durable wood products, manufacturers say. Tropical trees also grow taller, with few branches, so the wood has fewer knots and other defects.

Most exotic woods are cultivated in tropical zones straddling the equator, including Central Africa and Latin America. Environmental and human-rights issues related to the exotic-wood trade have led to a certification program, so consumers can check with suppliers regarding the sourcing of their wood. Here is a sampling of responsibly sourced exotic-wood products:

RARE STAIRS

Seattle Stair & Design custom-staircase crafters use exotic wood in a small but growing number of their designs. The staircases are built in the company's 10,000-square-foot Seattle studio and shipped, often fully assembled, to their destinations. This staircase for a home in Maui was built of solid American red gum wood with exotic wenge wood handrails. Wenge is a dark wood that is native to central Africa and used as an alternative to ebony. The cost for a Seattle Stair & Design staircase ranges from $30,000 to $120,000 depending on the size, complexity and materials used.

Cost: $100,000 for the red gum wood staircase, including installation."

We thank The Wall Street Journal for the opportunity to be featured and encourage you to read the full article here.

Mary Anne Carter
Assistant Director of Marketing

Future Beauty: 30 Years of Japanese Fashion

Photo Credit: Seattle Art Museum

Photo Credit: Seattle Art Museum

I had the privilege of attending the opening reception for Seattle Art Museum's current exhibit, Future Beauty: 30 Years of Japanese Fashion and I highly recommend it to design enthusiasts of all trades. 

The exceptionally curated exhibit showcased nearly 100 gowns, runway footage, and artwork derived from the principles of fashion.  It imparted far more than a retrospective of trends, but rather a very concise understanding of fashion as it relates to other design disciplines.

The influence of Japanese Fashion on shape was particularly evident: the clothing challenged proportions, engaged fluidity, and mastered form from multiple vantage points.  Many garments were designed with such attention to shape that they could be cleanly collapsed into flat, rectangular, phonebook-sized masses when they are not being worn.  Others fall gracefully into dynamic geometric shapes.

This acute level of detail and craftsmanship parallels our own design process at Seattle Stair.  Designing a garment that can be easily worn yet still falls crisply into a hexagon is not unlike crafting a staircase that is fully constructed in our shop and then taken in two pieces to site for installation.

The opportunity to view this likeness in a discipline so converse to ours was both unifying and stimulating. Waste no time—and pay Future Beauty: 30 Years of Japanese Fashion a visit for a high dose of inspiration and innovation.

For more information on the exhibit, check out TheSeattle Times review and The Seattle Art Museum's website.

Mary Anne Carter

Assistant Director of Marketing