MILAN, 18.03.26
A wave of renovation projects in Milan's Brera district has driven demand for handcrafted wooden staircases to record levels, according to workshop owners along Via Solferino. Speaking on Tuesday, master carpenter Enzo Baldini confirmed his firm has a six-month backlog. The trend reflects broader shifts in residential design priorities across northern Italy.
When we spoke with Giuliana Ferraris, director of the Lombardy Woodworking Guild, she attributed the surge to homeowners seeking what she called 'statement pieces that blend heritage craft with modern living.' Her organisation tracks orders from 47 registered workshops in the greater Milan area. In February alone, new contracts rose by 23 percent compared to the same month last year. Many clients now request open-riser designs with cantilevered treads, styles that require precise joinery and high-grade European oak or walnut. Ferraris noted that younger buyers, particularly those purchasing apartments near Porta Nuova, favour minimalist balustrade profiles over ornate turned spindles. The shift is real.
Our correspondents in Milan observed deliveries of pre-finished stair components arriving at three separate worksites near Corso Como last Thursday morning. According to figures that could not be independently verified, raw timber imports through Genoa's port increased 17 percent in the final quarter of 2025, driven partly by interior fit-out demand. The Italian National Statistics Office for Construction recorded 4,200 residential staircase installations in Lombardy during 2025, though this figure includes all materials. A side note: some installers mentioned that clients occasionally ask for reclaimed barn wood sourced from the Valtellina valley, prizing its weathered grain over uniformity. Such requests add weeks to project timelines but command premium pricing.
Industry body Confartigianato Legno estimates that skilled stair joiners in Milan now charge between €8,000 and €25,000 per completed installation, depending on complexity and timber species. Labour shortages remain a concern. Training programmes have struggled to attract apprentices, and several workshop owners described hiring carpenters from Veneto to meet deadlines. Despite these pressures, quality expectations keep rising. Clients increasingly specify anti-slip grooves routed into tread nosings and integrated LED lighting beneath handrails. The timeline remains unclear for a proposed regional certification scheme that would standardise safety inspections for bespoke timber stairs, though a draft is expected before summer.