Bespoke staircases, made by hand
Bespoke staircases London, made by hand for period and listed homes. Conservation‑grade design, repair and renovation in oak, pine and ash. Speak to our team.
For more than thirty‑five years we have designed, built and restored bespoke staircases in London for the city's finest period and contemporary homes. Every staircase we make is drawn from scratch to suit the proportions of the room it sits in, the architecture of the building around it and the way the people who live there will use it. Nothing leaves us as a stock part. Each tread, string, newel and baluster is shaped and finished by hand in London by joiners who have spent their working lives on this single craft.
Our work runs from sympathetic repairs to elegant Georgian and Victorian houses through to entirely new geometric and cut‑string staircases specified by architects and interior designers. Whether you are restoring a tired flight in a listed townhouse or commissioning a sweeping new centrepiece for a renovation, we bring the same conservation‑grade attention to detail, the same respect for period character and the same insistence on doing the work properly.
Why staircase renovation matters
A staircase is one of the hardest‑working elements in any home and, in a period property, one of the most defining. It is touched, climbed and leaned on thousands of times a year, and over decades that wear shows. Treads dip and creak, nosings wear thin, balusters work loose and original finishes cloud and split. Left unattended, what begins as a cosmetic problem becomes a structural and safety one. A flight that flexes underfoot, a handrail that no longer holds firm or a tread that has split along the grain is a genuine hazard, particularly in homes with children or elderly residents.
Renovation addresses both halves of the problem at once. By tightening joints, replacing failed components and re‑securing strings to the wall and floor, we restore the structural integrity of the staircase so that it feels solid and safe again. At the same time we bring back its appearance, removing scratches, easing out dents, repairing damaged sections in matching timber and re‑finishing the whole flight so the grain and colour read as they were intended to. Done well, the result is a staircase that performs as if it were new while keeping every bit of its original character.
There is a strong case for renovation over replacement in older buildings. The timber used in Georgian and Victorian staircases was often slow‑grown and dense in a way that is hard to source today, and the joinery details, from hand‑cut fretwork to turned newels, carry the signature of the period. Stripping all of that out and starting again rarely improves a period home and frequently devalues it. Careful renovation protects the fabric of the building, preserves its history and is almost always the more sustainable choice. Where a staircase is genuinely beyond saving, we rebuild it to match, so the new work sits seamlessly within the old.
Why choose us for staircase work in London
We have made and restored staircases across London for more than thirty‑five years, working in homes, schools and commercial buildings throughout the capital. That longevity matters because staircase joinery is unforgiving. The geometry has to be exact, the rise and going consistent, the connections strong and the finish flawless, and there is no hiding a poorly made flight in the middle of a hall. Our reputation has been built one staircase at a time, on work that holds up and clients who recommend us.
What sets us apart is the depth of our period knowledge. In a period home, a modern staircase dressed in glass and stainless steel almost always looks out of place. Instead, we read the architecture of the house and draw the period‑specific details back into the design. We look at the original mouldings, the fretwork, the veranda posts and the turning profiles already present in the property, and we replicate those elements on the staircase so it belongs to the building. This is conservation‑grade thinking, and it is the same approach we bring to listed and period properties where sensitivity to the original fabric is essential.
Everything is made by hand in London by craftsmen who do nothing else. We are regularly specified by architects and interior designers precisely because we can be trusted to interpret a drawing faithfully and to solve the awkward details that come up on site. From the first measured survey through to the final coat of finish, the same team carries the project, so the quality is consistent and the responsibility never gets passed around. We offer full service in London and the South East, and supply only across the rest of the UK.
Materials and design
The right timber is the foundation of a good staircase, and we choose it to suit both the use and the look you are after. We work principally in solid hardwoods and quality softwoods, each with its own character. Pine, slow‑grown in Scandinavia, takes stain and paint beautifully and is ideal where the staircase will be coloured or finished to match existing joinery. Southern yellow pine offers far more distinctive grain together with exceptional strength and high resistance to wear, which makes it well suited to busy family homes.
For hardwood flights we favour American white oak, prized for its substantial durability and the depth of its grain, and American white ash, which finishes to a high polish and brings a lighter, more contemporary tone. Each species ages differently and carries finishes in its own way, and part of our job at the design stage is to match the timber to the room, the light and the wear it will see. We can also work in other hardwoods to order where a project calls for something specific.
Design is where a bespoke staircase earns its name. We begin with a measured survey and a conversation about how you want the staircase to look and feel, then develop a design that resolves the practical demands of building regulations and everyday use with the character of the building. Balustrades can be turned or square, plain or carved, in timber throughout or combined with bespoke metal spindles forged to our drawings for a more individual design. Newels, handrails and string profiles are detailed to suit the period, and continuous flowing handrails, cut strings, winders and curved flights are all within our scope. Nothing is off the shelf. Every element is drawn, made and finished specifically for your home.
Our process
Every commission begins with a detailed site survey. We take precise measurements of the opening, the floor‑to‑floor height and the surrounding architecture, and we study the existing joinery for the details that will inform the design. This is also when we discuss your priorities, whether that is faithful restoration, a sympathetic upgrade or an ambitious new feature staircase, and agree the timber, the balustrade style and the finish.
From the survey we produce drawings and, where it helps, samples of timber and finish so you can see and feel exactly what you are committing to before any timber is cut. Once the design is approved, the staircase is made by hand in London. Components are cut, shaped, turned and dry‑assembled so that every joint is checked and every line is true before the flight is finished. Working this way means the staircase is right before it ever reaches your home.
Installation is carried out by our own fitters, who assemble the staircase on site, secure it to the structure and make the final adjustments that only become apparent once it is in position. We work cleanly and with respect for the rest of the house, particularly in occupied and listed buildings. Where renovation is the brief, the same care applies. We repair, re‑secure and re‑finish in place wherever possible, replacing only what genuinely needs replacing and matching new work seamlessly to old. The result is a staircase, whether newly built or carefully restored, that is made to last for generations.
Common questions
Do you make staircases for listed and period properties?
Yes. A great deal of our work is in listed and period homes across London. We design and build to conservation‑grade standards, reading the original architecture and replicating period‑specific details such as mouldings, fretwork and turned profiles so the staircase belongs to the building rather than fighting against it.
Should I repair my existing staircase or replace it?
In older buildings, careful renovation is usually the better option. The original timber and joinery are often hard to reproduce and form part of the character and value of the home. We repair, re‑secure and re‑finish wherever the staircase can be saved, and only rebuild when it is genuinely beyond repair, in which case we match the new work to the old.
Which timbers do you use for bespoke staircases?
We work principally in Scandinavian slow‑grown pine, southern yellow pine, American white oak and American white ash, and can source other hardwoods to order. We help you choose the right species at the design stage based on how the staircase will be used, the look you want and the finish it needs to carry.
Can you combine timber and metal in a staircase design?
Yes. Alongside turned and square timber balusters we can incorporate bespoke metal spindles made to our drawings, which suits more individual and contemporary designs while still sitting comfortably within a period home when detailed sympathetically.
Where do you work?
We offer full service, including survey, design, manufacture and installation, across London and the South East. For the rest of the UK we offer supply only of our bespoke staircases and components.
Request a survey
Request a survey for your project, from a single commission to a whole scheme.
Request a surveyA studio of The Barnsbury Group
Barnsbury Joinery is the flagship studio of The Barnsbury Group, a second‑generation heritage joinery house. Established in London in 1987, it makes bespoke joinery by hand and carries the parent voice for the family of studios.
