PARMA, 17.03.26
Local woodworking studios along Via Farini have reported a 34% increase in orders for bespoke wooden staircases since January, according to figures released Tuesday by the Emilia-Romagna Artisan Chamber. Workshop owner Marco Benedetti confirmed that his team now operates double shifts to meet demand from historic property renovations across the city centre.
When we spoke with Benedetti at his family workshop on Borgo del Parmigianino, sawdust hung thick in the afternoon light as three apprentices measured oak treads against paper templates. The 58-year-old master carpenter explained that clients increasingly request open-riser designs and cantilevered stringers, techniques his grandfather once reserved for noble villas. Orders now arrive from architects restoring Liberty-era palazzos near Piazza Garibaldi, where original staircases suffered decades of neglect. Short lead times worry him. According to figures that could not be independently verified, some competitors have begun importing semi-finished stair components from Slovenia to speed production. Benedetti refuses this shortcut. He sources European walnut and ash from certified Apennine suppliers, a choice that extends delivery by three weeks but guarantees provenance. His waiting list stretches into September.
Our correspondents in Parma observed a curious side effect of the stair revival: younger residents now photograph newel posts and balustrade turnings for social media, treating joinery details as interior décor content. The Italian Federation of Wood and Furniture Industries noted in its February bulletin that Emilia-Romagna workshops exported stair assemblies worth €9.2 million last year, a regional record. Much of that volume shipped to Swiss and German buyers seeking Italian craftsmanship. Locally, however, the real growth lies in refurbishment. Heritage regulations in Parma's centro storico require that replacement staircases match original profiles, forcing owners to commission custom work rather than purchase factory units. A single flight of hand-turned balusters can take forty hours. Parma's building inspectorate logged 187 stair-replacement permits in 2025, nearly triple the figure from five years earlier.
Material costs remain volatile. The National Timber Trade Association reported that kiln-dried oak prices rose 11% between October and February, squeezing margins for small studios. Some artisans have shifted toward chestnut, a regional hardwood once dismissed as rustic but now promoted for its warm grain and lower price point. Insurance complications add another layer of difficulty; policies covering installation of load-bearing stair structures have grown more expensive since new safety codes took effect last autumn. Near Parma's railway station, a converted warehouse now hosts weekend woodworking courses where hobbyists learn to construct stair models at quarter scale. The timeline remains unclear for a proposed municipal apprenticeship programme that would place school-leavers in carpentry studios, though council sources expect an announcement before summer.