Master woodworker carves a niche in staircase design

Behold the staircase: every newel, every tread deserving of respect. It is a transportation mechanism, to be sure, but a stairway can also halt a visitor, delivering a first impression to those entering a home. A firm handshake with hand-turned balusters — when a stairway is good.

But when it is bad, say, when its design is bland, a staircase can sully a look in a ring-around-the-collar kind of way.

Which is when Shawn Christman and his craftsmanship, sculpted by schooling in centuries-old French techniques, can help.

Christman designs, builds and installs custom staircases, geometric marvels that spiral like a surf wave or sweep like a bridal train.

Once operating out of the back of his '68 Oldsmobile F-85 with $125 worth of equipment, Christman now presides over a seven-person shop in industrial Seattle.

His shop's latest project: a grand staircase destined for a Maui, Hawaii, beachfront home. Its cost: more than $100,000.

Affordable design

But Christman and crew also cater to design-minded yet cost-conscious homeowners, like Jennifer Spatz of Bellevue, who recently remodeled her split-level house.

"I wanted to make a statement," says Spatz, who ordered custom newel posts (the support beams at a landing that hold the handrail) from Christman's Seattle Stair and Design. The square oak posts, with an inlay of cherry and walnut, cost $2,000 each.

"It was worth it to me because the posts are what you see first," she says.

"A good staircase has beauty that makes you stop and look and take it in," says Christman from his studio, a former Seattle City Light warehouse on Fourth Avenue.

Assorted saws buzz in the background. Out front in the showroom, where classical music plays, a sign reads: The stairway to heaven starts with design.

From builder to designer

Christman's fascination with woodworking began in college when he worked in a local millwork shop. He loved the wood: its feel, look and properties. And he loved working with his hands, assembling arches and beams, doors and masts.

He was studying to be a high-school French teacher, which is what he did part time upon college graduation, along with keeping his part-time job at the shop.

But his destiny was forged when he realized that he'd spend more time studying blueprints than composing lesson plans.

So he quit teaching and then, he quit the millwork shop after a local contractor gave him his first stair-installation job.

By then, Christman was evolving from builder to designer, having seen a staircase that spiraled down to a Manhattan bar.

"Its line, its silhouette, its curve," he said. "It arrested me."

Geometric sculpture

To hone his craft, Christman once hired a master builder from Germany to help him interpret the schematics outlined in 100-year-old stair-building books.

He also has studied in France with Les Compagnons, a guild of elite builders whose members constructed legendary cathedrals in the 12th and 13th centuries.

"I call it geometrical sculpture," says Christman about his staircases, which range from classical to modern and have incorporated hand-forged iron, cables and hot-rolled steel with all types of wood.

The design options, Christman says, are limitless.

For do-it-yourselfers, Christman's shop offers a "stair lab," consulting services for projects using stock stair parts or his own custom designs. Custom parts start at $93 per foot.

"I used to think we just built and designed staircases," Christman says. "But now, what I think we do is we help people with that first impression, when you've invited someone over to your house for the first time.

"When that (front) door opens, it's like a curtain going up," he says. "There's a pregnant moment, and what I'm trying to do is create an effect.

"Warm and inviting. Quirky and weird. Stark and contemporary. Dramatic."

Florangela Davila: 206-464-2916 or fdavila@seattletimes.com

The Craft, an occasional feature in digs, profiles an artisan or craftsperson in the Puget Sound area. Send us ideas at homegarden@seattletimes.com.