Simon's wooden stairways to heaven

CHARM, ENTHUSIASM: Simon Hassett, covered in sawdust and happy in his work.

Kya deLongchamps meets craftsman Simon Hassett who has a long list of clients, including Jeremy Irons

It's impossible to resist the charm and enthusiasm of Simon Hassett, the man, art and science behind a unique portfolio of geometric staircases.

"People don't seem to realise that the stairs are the most important corridor in their house," he says. "A great staircase is a solid investment that adds enormously to the everyday enjoyment of the home."

Stairs are a special piece of architecture. We look at them from every angle, from above and below, taking a dynamic trip from public to private spaces. Young children seem to recognise the special nature of the stairs, marking imaginary worlds on every star climbing step.

Simon explains his particular area of interest: "I'm drawn among other things to the geometry of a curved staircase. The flowing quality of the design is practical and beautiful, plus a curved staircase will always be challenging to get right aesthetically and technically.

"The curved staircases I make are modern pieces, and very well suited to large contemporary homes."

Simon's own story holds interesting twists and turns, experiences and passions that clearly inform his work today. A native of Strawberry Hill in Cork city, he left school at the height of the recession in the early 1980s.

His attention was taken by a single edition of the highly celebrated series 'Hands' on RTE, featuring the work and lifestyle surrounding currach building. Inspired, he took a life-altering journey from the suburbs of the city to the relative wilds of Co Kerry to discover more about the ancient skills of designing and crafting traditional boats.

A weekend trip turned into a four-year odyssey to West Cork, the countryside giving Simon the physical and spiritual room to develop as a craftsman, artist and individual. Settling in Schull, he soon discovered that building boats was one thing, selling them quite another. After a few years, financial constraints forced Simon along with thousands of others from Ireland into the building trade in the UK. Another recession in the construction industry in the late 1980s allowed Simon the option to return to the creative liberty of working for himself in West Cork.

The tight, exacting joinery of boat building married well into the skills of furniture making, and Simon's workshop quickly established a reputation for bespoke furnishings, and more recently the highly specialised area of geometrical staircases.

Simon has delivered some remarkable staircases and hand-crafted joinery to a number of high-profile clients. Actor, Jeremy Irons had some unusual spaces to consider in his renovation of Kilcoe Castle in Ballydehob. The relationship between Simon and the client, including his work with Irons, is a crucial rung to a successful stair. "Jeremy enjoyed working from my three-dimensional sketches and we collaborated on the design of the stairs," he says. The result is an understated winding stairs with thick floating steps of native elm set on upright steel posts. He also supplied Kilcoe with a highly unusual settle- dresser that drops down to provide a refectory style dining table.

Solicitor Patrick McCarthy used Simon's talents in his loving restoration of Baltimore Castle. "I imported some long lengths of French oak," says Simon, "which are very similar to the indigenous variety. This type of wild oak has a superb rustic figuring and even cracks. Its dark colour has a real country feel."

The results speak for themselves. The glowing, amber coloured stairs in Baltimore was oiled when completed and has a low sheen.

"Every design starts with a conversation. We look at samples of different woods from components finished as they would appear on a fitted staircase," he says. "My job in the relationship is to design a very individual stair from the right components and of the right proportions for the space. A one-to-one conversation with the clients is ideal, but we might also work from a loose line drawing supplied by the architect."

The whole process from the consultations to the delivery of the staircase to site takes around eight to 12 weeks.

Simon's most valued praise was the frank comment from a fellow worker on site. "He was a tradesman working upstairs in the house and he had to use the stairs several times a day. He told me it was like floating from floor to floor. That's the wonderful thing about curved staircases. Because the angle of each step is the same, they have a fluency and comfort for the user."

Simon Hassett's remarkable work does not come cheap, and a staircase baring the level of design and detailing typified by his work will cost at least the price of a medium quality new car.

"Many joiners will start a staircase from a pre-ordained budget. Money is the first topic. Working to a budget is obviously important, but if a very low price comes before design, you are off to a very bad start in delivering a handmade staircase."

Simon argues for the place the stairs should take in the overall design and budget of a new or renovated home. "In a high-end build couples are willing to spend sums as high as € 30,000 for double ceramic sinks and milk painted Shaker doors for the kitchen," says Simon. "The same clients then expect a joiner to deliver a handsome, appropriate staircase for a contemporary house of 3,000 square feet plus for € 5,000. I am certainly the wrong person to ask for that kind of product as my staircases demand about five times as much work to design, make, fit and finish. I make every effort to put a lasting artistry into my work."

"This is not just about function. You move through a staircase, so it's all about the senses."

This article first appeared in the Irish Examiner on 25.02.2006.
© Irish Examiner. Reproduced here with permission.