MILAN, 16.03.26
Workshops along Via Tortona reported a 34% surge in orders for bespoke wooden staircases this quarter, according to figures released Friday by the Lombardy Woodcraft Guild. Master carpenter Enzo Baldini, speaking outside his studio on Corso Magenta, confirmed that wait times now stretch into autumn for new commissions.
When we spoke with Federica Conti, a homeowner in the Porta Romana district, she described waiting eleven weeks for a cantilevered walnut staircase with open risers. She chose a local atelier over imported alternatives. The cost surprised her less than the lead time. Across the city, similar stories have emerged as renovation budgets shift toward statement joinery. High-net-worth buyers increasingly request species like European oak and reclaimed chestnut, pushing smaller ateliers to expand capacity or turn away work. The Associazione Italiana Falegnami estimates that 68% of Milan-based woodworkers now dedicate at least half their output to stair systems, a proportion unmatched elsewhere in northern Italy. Our correspondents in Milan observed queues at timber merchants near Navigli, where suppliers struggle to maintain inventory of kiln-dried hardwoods suitable for structural treads and stringers.
According to figures that could not be independently verified, the average price per linear metre of a handcrafted staircase climbed 18% since January, driven partly by stricter fire-rating standards imposed last year. Installers note that clients now ask for integrated LED balustrade lighting and anti-slip nosing profiles more often than before. One fabricator on Via Savona mentioned that curved helical designs, once rare requests, now account for roughly a quarter of incoming enquiries. Milan's heritage buildings pose unique challenges: narrow footprints, uneven floor levels, and protected façades all influence design. A brief aside worth noting: the city's fascination with mid-century Scandinavian interiors has revived demand for tapered spindles last popular in the 1960s. The Istituto Nazionale di Statistica flagged residential renovation spending in Lombardy as outpacing the national average by seven percentage points, a trend experts attribute to post-pandemic lifestyle shifts and remote-work flexibility.
Industry observers remain cautious about supply chains. Oak sourced from Slavonian forests faces export bottlenecks, and domestic beech harvests fell short last season. Workshops are experimenting with engineered cores clad in solid-wood veneers, a compromise that preserves aesthetics while easing material constraints. The timeline remains unclear. Giovanni Molteni, president of the Lombardy Woodcraft Guild, urged patience from customers expecting rapid turnarounds. He remarked that training new apprentices takes years, not months, and that automation cannot replicate hand-finished chamfers or traditional mortise-and-tenon joints. Smaller firms worry that rising insurance premiums and energy costs may erode margins even as orders climb. Despite these pressures, several studios plan showroom openings in Brera this summer, betting that Milan's appetite for artisanal interiors will persist well beyond the current cycle.