Staircase Specialists Shortlisted
Yorkshire-based staircase company Bisca, has been shortlisted in the ‘Best Joinery Product’ category for the Build It Awards 2021. Bisca’s entry features a bespoke staircase designed for a renovation project where sustainability was a priority, through reusing, recycling and repurposing materials wherever possible. The staircase project showcases the high level of staircase design and craftsmanship that goes into each and every staircase produced by Bisca’s specialist staircase team.
Reclaimed local materials sourced by the homeowner were the inspiration for this design of a new staircase – destined for a triple height entrance space in a stone and brick farmhouse in Hartlepool. Unusually, the starting point for the project were existing materials sourced by the homeowner, creating a new challenge for Bisca’s staircase design team.
Like Bisca, our client was a strong advocate of repurposing, using recycled materials and so this was an important part of the vision. 30 years ago the homeowner’s father was given a substantial quantity of Greenheart Timber – an extremely dense durable timber previously used in heavy duty marine and freshwater construction. Having acquired the timber, the homeowner needed a specialist company to incorporate it into a bespoke staircase design.
The staircase design had to provide honesty and integrity as well as show off the beauty of the timber. Bisca developed the design around the dimension of the harbour props, cutting and shaping the treads which were cantilevered from the wall. Each piece of timber was surveyed and hand-selected for its character, particularly the fissures and cracks which emphasised its previous role.
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Going from a marine to a domestic environment could mean that the cracks would open as the timber continued to dry out so Bisca designed bespoke butterfly keys, finished to match the spindles, that essentially tie the timber together to maintain the structural integrity for generations to come. The open treads allow views through the feature window to the countryside beyond and maximises the flow of natural light.
The balustrade of hand-forged steel uprights with a blackened finish is a nod to the agricultural heritage of the house. A sculptural oak newel post rises from the floor and transitions into the handrail, which runs the full length of the staircase and sweeps onto the first-floor landing.
Staircase Design Director Richard McLane commented:
This was an immensely satisfying project to work on, marrying the best in staircase design, engineering, sustainability and craftsmanship. Our design team were inspired by the client’s vision for reusing and recycling, a mindset aligned with our ethos at Bisca. The end result speaks for itself – a beautiful staircase made in sustainable materials which looks perfectly at home in its environment.
Each Bisca staircase is individually designed and built entirely in the company’s own workshop in Yorkshire. Every staircase is the handiwork of a dedicated team of multi-skilled craftspeople who work across a whole range of disciplines, including metalwork, cabinetmaking, blacksmithing, stitching and polishing – centuries old skills are married with modern technology to create truly unique staircases.
