Forged Bronze Cross with Lilies

Some our readers may remember Kyle and his team created a double-leaf tree gate for a local church a few years ago. They reached out to us again when they were ready for the next phase of their courtyard redesign. This part of the project included the creation of a decorative bronze cross.

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Forging the lilies was the most intricate part of this project. In the last photo above, you can see some of the process. Kyle starts with a billet of bronze, then forges that out into a sheet. From there he forges the flower itself.

Below you can see photos of the finished cross and lilies. The first two photos are at our old studios in Richmond. The last one shows the piece installed in the church’s courtyard garden.

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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