HISTORY

In 1978, Seattle Stair & Design was established out of the back of a station wagon with a toolbox and a vision of crafting superior staircases in the Puget Sound region. At that time, services provided included custom staircases, custom and stock stair parts, and custom millwork.

For the next several decades and with a growing focus on design, Seattle Stair & Design provided hundreds of shop-built residential stairways in the Pacific Northwest, as well as in Japan, Alaska and Hawaii. Many of these projects were commissioned by high profile celebrities and business executives. Select commercial projects included staircases for the headquarters of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Barney's New York, and Bellevue Hyatt.

In 2001, Seattle Stair & Design established a relationship in Paris with the Les Compagnons du Devoir (The Brotherhood of Duty), the elite guild of woodworkers who built the great cathedrals and chateaux of France. In the following years, Seattle Stair & Design became the first North American stair maker approved to train these elite apprentices and masters. Over the course of a decade, Seattle Stair & Design hosted eight different Compagnons, for a year at a time, as they trained toward the mastery of their craft.

In 2013, the company was purchased by two Chicago natives, Matt and Dave Dekker. At the time, Matt was a general contractor working on high-rises in downtown Chicago and Dave, his father, was a retired CFO looking for an investment that could benefit from his financial expertise. Together, they had a vision for Seattle Stair & Design that surpassed its 40-year history.

Through the strategic acquisition of Thatcher Woodworks and other efforts, the company has built its capabilities to offer complete interior solutions, including custom cabinetry, millwork, furniture, and metal fabrication as well its national award-winning monumental stairs. In the last few years, Gauge Design Group has more than tripled in size with its ever-growing team of highly skilled craftsman and its newly expanded 15,000 sq./ft. manufacturing facility in the thriving neighborhood of SODO.