— Est. Yorkshire · MMXI
№ 001 / Ouverture

Stairs
forged
by hand,
finished in timber.

Bespoke Metalwork & Joinery

One-of-a-kind staircases built for private residences — blackened steel, hand-patinated bronze, and quarter-sawn oak, joined in a workshop where every rivet is set by eye.

14 yrsAtelier Experience
96Completed Commissions
26 wksTypical Lead Time
One-of-oneEvery Stair, Unique
01 / Configurator

Design your
staircase.

A live, three-dimensional sketch. Adjust shape, metal, timber and detailing — your quote updates in real time. When you're ready, we refine it together in the atelier.

Preview Straight Blackened Steel · Oak
Specification 14 steps 190mm rise · 260mm run
Estimate from £42,800
02 / Portfolio

Recent commissions.

A small selection of staircases completed over the past three years. Full case studies and private-residence galleries available on request.

Helical · Bronze № 082
The Holland Park
Spiral
London W11
2025
Floating · Blackened Steel № 079
Cantilever at Edgcote
Oxfordshire
2025
L-Shape · Oak & Brass № 075
Maison du Lac
Annecy, FR
2024
Spiral · Iron № 071
The Granary
Somerset
2024
U-Shape · Patinated Bronze № 069
Belgrave Mews House
London SW1
2024
Straight · Walnut & Steel № 062
The Mill House
Wiltshire
2023
Curved · Brass № 058
Villa Serra
Lake Como, IT
2023
03 / The Atelier

A small workshop, held to an exacting standard.

Founded in 2011 by master metalworker Tomas Ardern. Every staircase is drawn, forged, cut and finished under one roof — no subcontracting, no compromises.

We are a metalworking atelier first — ironmongers, welders, patinators — who learned joinery because our clients kept asking for it.

The workshop sits in a converted Victorian mill in West Yorkshire. Seven craftspeople. No production line. A staircase begins with a morning conversation, a sheet of tracing paper, and a walk around the site. It ends sixteen to twenty-six weeks later, installed in your home, annealed and polished by the same hands that drew it.

We favour blackened mild steel, hand-patinated bronze, and traditional wrought iron. For timber we work almost exclusively in quarter-sawn European oak, English walnut and ash, kiln-dried on premises for a minimum of eighteen months.

7Craftspeople
1 roofForge, kiln, finishing
18 mo.Min. timber drying
0Subcontracted work
F · L
Tomas Ardern
in the forge
Plate № iii
Hebden Bridge
Autumn 2024
04 / Clients

In their own words.

A staircase is a piece of architecture lived with every day. We're grateful when our clients take the time to tell us how it holds up.

Tomas spent a full afternoon walking the house before lifting a pencil. The result is a stair that feels inevitable — as though it had always been here.
Charlotte & Henry Wynn-Carrington Private residence · Chelsea
We spec Ferrolignum for every heritage project we touch. Their ironwork has a weight and patina nobody else seems able to match.
Marcus de Vries de Vries Studio Architects · London
Four years on, the bronze handrail has taken on a warmth I didn't think was possible. It is, without question, the finest thing in the house.
Dr. Anneke Roth Country house · Perthshire
05 / Particulars

Frequently asked.

For anything not covered below, write to us directly. We read every enquiry personally.

i.What does a commission cost?

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Commissions begin at approximately £32,000 for a straight steel-and-timber stair under three metres rise. Helical, floating and cantilevered works typically sit between £65,000 and £220,000, depending on span, materials, and balustrade. The configurator gives a representative estimate; a formal quotation follows site survey.

ii.How long does it take?

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From signed commission to installation, sixteen to twenty-six weeks is typical. Curved and cantilevered stairs tend toward the longer end. We only take on eight to ten commissions per year to protect the standard.

iii.Do you travel for installations?

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Yes. London is our home ground — the bulk of our residential work is within the M25 — but we also undertake international commissions and have a dedicated marine division for superyacht interiors. Travel, logistics and in-situ commissioning are included within the commission.

iv.Can you work to an architect's drawings?

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Always. A significant share of our work is for architects and interior designers, and we're accustomed to working within an existing drawing set. We provide shop drawings and structural calculations on request.

v.What about Part K and Building Regs?

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Every staircase is engineered to, and certified against, the prevailing Approved Document K. Structural calculations and certificates are provided as part of the handover package.

vi.Is there a guarantee?

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Twenty-five years on metalwork, ten on joinery — structurally and cosmetically. Patinated finishes are designed to continue developing and are not treated as defects.
06 / Enquire

Begin a conversation.

Tell us a little about the project — the house, the space the stair will occupy, and what you have in mind. Tomas will reply personally within two working days.

Atelier The Old Mill, Hebden Bridge
West Yorkshire HX7
Telephone +44 (0)1422 48 48 48
Correspondence studio@ferrolignum.com
Visits By appointment only