The Railing System

What is there to know about a railing system? 

I love interior architectural details and mill work.  Over the last 100 years, we have let these details slip out of the mainstream process of interiors finishing, and it's a sure tragedy.  It's almost like we've made ourselves believe that these simple and inexpensive details are only for the upper class, and are too expensive for everyone- but it's generally untrue. 

Stairs are such a defining and beautiful element in our built environments, and along with the stairs, there is always a railing system- something that should be a beautiful feature in every space, and not a utilitarian afterthought. 

As a rule of thumb.....wrought iron should be used outside....

They are built for the weather.  They shouldn't be combined with wood, except on the rare occasion that it actually works with the style.  Railing systems should always coordinate with the exterior style of the building. 

This is an Italian Exterior, and the next image is a much simpler Spanish style exterior.  Both have totally different railings that mesh with their exterior styles.

 A traditional colonial apartment building works with this straight-lined wrought iron railing on the exterior.

 A simple exterior with little or no defining style is nicely set with a railing that is also simply undefined.

Another distinguishably traditional American colonial exterior is very well accented by cast iron box newels, and cast iron balusters that replicate a turned baluster. This is very well used as a companion to the style.

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We've had this unsettling TREND in Utah, (and let's face it- other states too)....where we've become obsessed with the 'knotty alder box newel and wrought iron ballusters' and it's just not OK to let everyone think this is an acceptable cure-all for the railing needs of the general public.  Here's some examples of the offenders:

See the stunning white mill work of the columns beneath, and the crown molding above?  It leads me to believe that a house with this optimal opportunity to feature a dramatic balustrade, combined with classical mill work would really work better with a captivating and substantial system like this one:

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 The railing system in this space is almost presented as the focal point- because nothing that can be seen from this viewpoint is fantastic at all....it's too bad they didn't opt for a real show-stopper for the railing system.  Instead they picked this undefined, boring, and overdone alder and wrought iron- double-single-double- knuckle system that defines nothing about the style of the home. The white trim and color of the wood floor lead me to believe a simple white painted square baluster would have been a better choice. 

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 The mill work in this home is undeniably gorgeous....but they blew it with the wrought iron balusters.  And let's also point out- the stain grade box newel cap and handrail....there should REALLY be another stain grade cap on the upper box newel to tie it together.

White risers with stain grade oak treads on the stairs are about as timeless and classic as you can get.  A simple stain grade box newel with handrail is a nice touch, but adding in the iron balusters loses the appeal of the more traditional elements.  White turned balusters would have been the optimal choice again for this space.

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There are a few good ways to use wrought iron for a balustrade in an interior space.  Here are some beauties:

I can't help but just peek at a few final photo's of interior wrought iron railing systems that have gone bad, or just apply nothing at all as far as style to the space:

 I think this one is obvious: something simple, white, and turned with a classic design would be much more elegant than these hideous wrought iron BLACK balusters.  They do nothing for the traditional and architectural appeal of this home.

 I hate this one.  On SO MANY levels.

 I ALMOST wanna say ALMOST on this one...I like the airiness the wrought iron brings to this massive spiral stair case....BUT the fluted box newels, the bright white trim, the feminine light fixtures...really lead me to believe that a REALLY dramatic iron application would have been better used here instead of the double knuckle cliche.  Another option would be something stain grade, but delicate. And, I would really like to see a custom carpet runner on these stairs, but that's another story all-together.

 Always erring on simple doesn't ALWAYS work.  This house would be much more stunning with a bright white box newel, and painted cedar, or white vinyl square balusters. Instead, this wrought iron system looks utilitarian and almost disappears.  I would really love to see this entrance beg people to come to the door.

 Another ALMOST.  I really like the simple but interesting geometric use of wrought iron on this balustrade.  But, after you notice the use of siding, and the tapered columns- this exterior is clearly a play on craftsman style- which makes this balustrade a little too deco-chic to really work well.  I would love it though, if it were painted creamy white to match the exterior trim.

The belly Baluster.  A great way to err on the side of what everyone else is doing (wrong).

The belly shaped iron balusters should really only be used on the exterior, and only when it's suitable to the architectural style of the building. 

A French Provincial home would be a good opportunity to use this option for a baluster:



Drawing and perspective: Girls Face

This magazine image of a young girl's face is one of the first assignments I give my drawing and perspective class.  It's a complex image, that is hard for a lot of artists to master.  The technique I demonstrate for them to implement with this assignment is a grid technique.  Essentially, they draw a grid over the image to break it down into smaller, simpler drawing tasks.  The trace the grid and use it as an underlayment for their art work.  This exercises teaches them valuable priciples of scale, proportion, value, and gets them more comfortable with using their tools, and builds confidence because their final work is something they can be proud of.

ASID - Social: Daghlian Rugs

The best part of ASID, is hanging out with these guys every now and then!

We spent our last meeting at Daghlian rugs- a gorgeous rung showroom in trolley square mall, in the old Harolds space.

It was a fun social, and there was yummy treats (my real favorite part!).

Glen, Nicole, Cora, Mandy.

Tyson and Mandy.

Glen Lapray- Silverstate, Cora Stjernholm- Ferguson, Nicole Zeigler- Arendahl Kitchen Design, Christa Pirl Cook- Christa Pirl Interiors, Andrew Warby- Wondoor, Raffi- Owner of Daghlian Rugs, Tyson Ness- Recent AISLC Graduate, Mandy Bird- AISLC Student Chapter President.

Textiles Mid-Term Projects

I am teaching a textiles class, and we just finished our mid-term assignment.  Each student was given a list of about 20 textiles to specify for a commercial space.  The textiles were required to meet commercial federal code requirements for their application, and the color concept needed to present their design concept.  Each student created a concept, adhered to the code requirements, created a spec book containing a spec sheet for each textile, and prepared a concept board to present the fabrics and design intent.

Here are some examples:

Updating an Antique

Jon brought this antique dresser home from a project he was working on a few months ago.  The client was an antique collector, and a really interesting person.  He and Jon did a lot of talking about furniture design, carpentry, and construction methods.  When the job was finished, the client gave him this awesome dresser that he had hanging out in the basement.  It has a bow front on the bottom two drawers, and the top two drawers are straight, but are shaped and molded.  There is missing hardware, and the inside is definitely aged.  Apparently this is an 1892 bureau, and seems to be made of Birch, but Jon really thinks it's Pine.  He's the wood guy, so he's probably right.  The finish has a distinct patina, which is why the color is so dark.

Jon and I discussed some ideas for updating the dresser, which also has a mirror that can be mounted to the back/top.  We decided that we just couldn't sand it down and refinish it because it is too intricate, and the patina has so much character and elegance.  But the top was in terrible shape, and would definitely have to have something done.  We opted to cover it with 2cm statuario marble- an opaque, white bodied stone with an intense gray vein. I love statuario because it is such a PURE white, and has a timeless, traditional appearance.

It ended up looking just like I hoped, and Jon was pleasantly surprised (he wasn't quite on board with adding the marble, but now that it's on, he loves it).  He still needs to add the mirror and then it will be ready.  We have this placed in an area close to our kitchen and dining room, and can't wait to use it as a serving table for our next party. 

Who's coming over?

Now to figure out something for the missing hardware....I'll probably remove all of it and add some new stuff, but keep to the original style.  I'm really tempted to blow the original style out of the picture, and replace it with Crystal knobs.....but I will most likely curb that temptation....

 I'm pretty sure this is just an old dresser- nothing to worry about when it comes to preservation....even though I'm certain Jon believes he can take this on Antique Road Show....

Topping off the Kitchen

As a Project Manager for Premier Marble and Granite, and the Resident interior designer- we came across an opportunity to help Bill and Dee West with their new kitchen counter tops.  (Bill is on FM 100 in the afternoons- give his radio show a listen!).  My Boss assigned me to the project- I like to think it's because I'm his favorite project manager, but logic tells me it was because Bill and Dee needed some design work in their kitchen to finish it off- it was quite a bit more than the typical counter top addition.  I drew up some plans for the design, and helped the West's with execution.  I suggested they use my favorite carpenter Handsome Jon- to modify their existing cabinets, add some supports for their new Bar, and build a small rolling island that made the kitchen much bigger. Once the construction was ready, we installed the Juparana Buzious granite, and the kitchen was a HIT!

 

Check out the post from the FM100 website and blog:

 

'Premier Marble and Granite did a fantastic job on our new counter tops! Check out the colors in the stone! Danielle, our project manager was great to work with and our cabinet guy, Jon Gribble reworked our older cabinets and they are awesome! If you are thinking about stone for your countertops, bathrooms, office, or even bar-b-que area, you have to talk to Dennis, Darryl, or any of the great people at PMG! My wife is sooooo excited with the new countertops and our neighbors are jealous!'

 

 

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