Taking Homes to the Next Level
For more than 30 years, the team at Saienni Stairs has been beautifying homes with custom stairs and railings of exquisite quality and craftsmanship.
by Matt Cosentino

Michael Saienni started Saienni Stairs out of his one-car garage more than 30 years ago. The Delaware-based enterprise has since become one of the East Coast’s sought-after designers and builders of beautiful, high-quality stairs and railings for new and existing homes.
 
“I had been doing custom cabinet work and millwork installation for a local home builder, but wanted a bigger challenge,” he recalls. “I was watching a person on one of the job sites doing stair work, and I got intrigued. I have a drawing background, and anything I can draw I can build, so I transitioned to doing custom stair work. The rest is history.”
 
Since opening its doors in 1988, Saienni Stairs has established a stronghold in the industry, with custom stairways as its niche specialty. (Examples of the company’s work can be seen in the expansive gallery on the company’s website, saiennistairs.com.) Although Saienni Stairs has been hired for projects in a dozen states, its focuses mainly on the area between Virginia and New York.
 
Through strong relationships with builders, architects, and interior decorators, the Saienni team often provides custom stairs for new construction or in homes that are being completely remodeled. Homeowners can also enlist their services to transform their foyer. Saienni says his company will handle every phase of the renovation, from removal of the existing stairs to reconstruction, to rerouting the HVAC and electrical, to the finishing touches of new drywall, paint, and trim.
 
The company offers a wide range of styles, from traditional to contemporary, and designs may feature spiral stairs or double-flared stairs. Unique flourishes include wreathed fittings, custom newels, or balusters. Saienni Stairs previously worked only with wood but has since expanded its selection; metal and glass are particularly in demand for their ability to deliver a clean, modern look.
 
Saienni Stairs also does out-of-the-ordinary outdoor stairs leading to an open front porch or back deck; one recent project at a shore home had the firm complete spiral stairs down to the beach. Whether inside or out, most clients have high-end homes; Saienni Stairs even has a contingent of celebrity clients.
 
“To be involved with some of these houses makes you say, ‘Wow,’” Saienni says. “I try to keep a low profile about it, but I have to admit it’s exciting to be involved with.”
 
More than three decades after he decided to branch out on his own, Saienni still has the same love for his work. His client-first approach remains the same, too.
 
“We stand behind the product and we do what we say,” he says. “The feedback we hear the most is that we’re the best show in town. The past few years haven’t been easy, but for 30-plus years we’ve stuck to the same game plan of doing what we say and providing a quality product, and that’s what we’re going to continue to do.”
 
Saienni Stairs
(302) 292-2699
saiennistairs.com
 
120 Sandy Drive, Suite E 
Newark, DE 19713
 
20616 Coastal Hwy. 
Rehoboth Beach, DE 19971
 
Photograph courtesy of Saienni Stairs
 
Published (and copyrighted) in Suburban Life magazine, February 2022.