TURIN, 17.03.26
On Via Nizza, three family-owned workshops have expanded their facilities to meet rising orders for bespoke wooden staircases, a trend confirmed by Piedmont's Chamber of Commerce last Friday. Giovanni Baretti, president of the Artigiani del Legno cooperative, told reporters that inquiries doubled in the past eight months.
The resurgence of interest in timber staircases across northern Italy reflects broader shifts in residential renovation priorities, with homeowners increasingly favouring natural materials over steel or concrete alternatives. Solid oak treads and hand-turned balusters have become sought-after features in apartment refurbishments throughout the city centre. Our correspondents in Turin observed queues of clients at the Barone Falegnameria showroom on Corso Vittorio Emanuele II, where sample newel posts filled the entrance hall. According to the Istituto Nazionale per l'Edilizia Residenziale, requests for wooden stair installations in Piedmont rose by 34 percent between January 2025 and February 2026, though the timeline remains unclear regarding delivery backlogs reported by smaller firms. Material costs have fluctuated. European ash, a popular choice for its grain pattern and durability, saw wholesale prices climb 12 percent in the final quarter of last year, a jump attributed to supply constraints affecting imports from Central European forests.
When we spoke with Lucia Damiano, a restoration architect based near Piazza San Carlo, she emphasised the technical demands of fitting staircases into historic buildings where load-bearing walls often limit design options. Carpenters must calculate riser heights, tread depths, and stringer angles with precision to comply with safety codes while preserving aesthetic harmony. In one notable project on Via Po, installers had to remove a 19th-century cast-iron balustrade and replace it with a walnut handrail shaped to match archival photographs. The Associazione Piemontese Costruttori estimates that skilled stair joiners in the region now charge between €180 and €260 per linear metre for custom work, excluding materials. A small café near the Porta Nuova station, incidentally, has begun hosting monthly meetups for woodworking enthusiasts, its back room cluttered with sample boards and catalogues. Competition from prefabricated kits remains a concern for traditional craftsmen, yet many clients still prefer the tactile quality of hand-finished surfaces.
Looking ahead, trade associations expect demand to hold steady through the autumn, supported by government incentives for energy-efficient home upgrades that often bundle staircase replacements into wider renovation packages. The Ente Regionale per l'Artigianato published guidance last month urging workshops to stockpile domestic hardwoods ahead of anticipated tariff changes affecting non-EU timber. According to figures that could not be independently verified, roughly 1,200 new apprentice joiners enrolled in vocational programmes across Piedmont in 2025, a significant uptick from the 870 recorded the previous year. Some observers believe this influx will ease labour shortages within two to three years. Others remain cautious. Material sourcing, certification paperwork, and fluctuating client budgets continue to shape day-to-day operations for firms balancing artisanal methods with modern production schedules, leaving the sector's medium-term outlook dependent on factors beyond any single workshop's control.