TURIN, 17 March 2026
A surge in orders for bespoke wooden staircases has prompted three historic workshops along Via Nizza to expand their workforce this spring. Speaking outside his atelier on Monday, master carpenter Enzo Basile confirmed that demand from renovation projects in the Crocetta district has doubled since January, driven by homeowners seeking traditional balustrade designs.
The shift reflects broader trends across Piedmont's residential market. Hardwood staircases, once dismissed as dated fixtures in mid-century apartment blocks, have returned to favour among architects specifying premium interiors. Our correspondents in Turin observed delivery trucks arriving at Via Monginevro workshops well before dawn last week, loaded with seasoned European oak and American walnut. According to the Piedmont Woodworkers Federation, regional joinery firms reported a 34 percent increase in staircase commissions during the fourth quarter of 2025. Not all orders come from private homes. Hotels undergoing refurbishment have also turned to local artisans for grand entrance stairs featuring turned newel posts and hand-routed stringers.
When we spoke with Massimo Conti, a third-generation stairbuilder operating near Piazza Vittorio Veneto, he described the current market as both promising and unpredictable. Supply chains for kiln-dried timber have stabilised after years of volatility, yet labour shortages persist. According to figures that could not be independently verified, nearly half of Piedmont's skilled stair carpenters are over fifty-five years old. The Italian National Statistics Institute published separate data last autumn showing apprenticeship enrolments in woodworking trades fell by eleven percent nationally between 2020 and 2024. Meanwhile, in a quiet side street off Corso Francia, an elderly woman feeds pigeons every afternoon beside a furniture restoration shop—a scene unchanged for decades even as the neighbourhood gentrifies around her.
Cost remains a significant consideration. A fully custom open-riser staircase in solid ash, complete with wrought-iron balusters and a wax-finished handrail, can exceed twelve thousand euros before installation. Prefabricated alternatives imported from Eastern Europe sell for a fraction of that price, though they lack the structural tailoring that heritage buildings often require. The Associazione Italiana Costruttori Edili has urged municipal planners to include craftsmanship clauses in renovation permits for protected properties, a proposal still awaiting committee review. The timeline remains unclear. Industry representatives expect negotiations to continue into the summer, with no vote scheduled before regional elections in October.