Forged Interior Railing with Mosaic Inlay

Here’s another project in our favorite category, mosaic and steel collaborations. This client reached out to us about replacing the existing railing in their home. They wanted something more artistic and individual.

To fit their needs, Kyle designed custom hand-forged steel railing with mosaic panels incorporated into the design. For the mosaics, the client requested asymmetric designs in white and black.

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The railing for this home included three sections:

• two panels on either side of the lower portion of the stairs

• a bannister on the wall for the upper part

• and a balcony along the top edge.

As Kyle and his team created the railing, Johannah worked on making the mosaics on mesh panels. Once all the parts were completed, Johannah glued the mosaics into the railing then grouted them.

Below you can see all three sections of the railing installed in the client’s home. We’ve included some close-up shots of some of our favorite details.

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Fireplace Surround and Mantle

We’ve shared some of our fireplace tools here as well as a variety of custom fire place screens we’ve created over the years. For this next project, we got to go a bit bigger in the world of fireplace accessories.

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Kyle and his crew created this custom fireplace surround and mantle in forged and fabricated steel with a rust patina finish. While rust is usually the enemy of steel, when applied and sealed correctly, a rust finish offers a beautiful warmth and richness. The mantle brackets support an oak mantle that coordinates with the other wood in the client’s home.

(By the way, if you like the mantle brackets, you can find a similar set in our Lucia Metal Studios Etsy shop.)

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Mosaic Inlay Furniture

The work we bring to shows or display in our studio gallery is of course for sale as original pieces. In addition, that work often serves to inspire custom projects from our clients. Here are a few more recent pieces of collaborative custom furniture influenced by our dining room table collaboration, as well as Kyle’s forged bench with cherry seat.

First up is a pair of small custom side tables with forged steel bases and mosaic inlay in tabletops provided by the client.

Next we have a coordinating bench and coat rack. For this set, the client sent photos of the entry area to serve as color and texture inspiration. The gold in these mosaics is drawn from a large gold tapestry hanging nearby in their home. The bench base and hooks are forged steel and the wood in both pieces is walnut.

Finally a set of three maple tables made by our good friend and frequent collaborator Christina Boy Design with custom mosaic inlay by Johannah. This set was created as part of our co-exhibit as guest artists of the month at Crozet Artisan Depot a few years ago. The tables are crafted in three different heights and sizes: end table, side table, and coffee table.