Onyx Rod Infill for a Historic Mansion

More about the Project

The CEO of a major national brand and her husband set out to find a forever home. It needed to be a pre-Civil War mansion on at least 100 acres to be used as a horse farm. They found this dream in rural Kentucky and dove in right away on a 5-year project to revitalize and update the mansion, which happens to be on the National Register of Historic Places. Their architect designed a very modern addition onto the back of the home that includes a custom black walnut clad stairway. The custom railing was to be manufactured onsite. Unfortunately for our homeowners, rural Kentucky doesn’t have many artisans who can take on this kind of project.

They received only one bid for the custom railing job: $65,000. “I could build a whole house for that!” was the reaction of the husband, who is overseeing the entire restoration project. That’s when they started their search for a reasonable solution that would still match the elegance of their very special project. They found Viewrail.

Powder coated black aluminum posts with Onyx Rods infill was the perfect match for this black steel staircase flanked by black industrial glass. The homeowners commented on how quickly their carpentry team learned to install the railing and how much the whole family has enjoyed it. All this for a price that was less than one quarter of the original railing bid.

This house is going to continue to be amazing for another 175 years, and we’re thrilled to be a part of it!