We call it railing #309. That was the actual lot number of the luxury property at The Cliffs at Glassy Mountain for which we designed this circular staircase and custom
railing. The home itself was more like a castle than a house. Vast, towering, and exuding an old-world feel, this home was poised like a fortress upon the hilltop. It’s impressive, by anyone’s standards. So when the builder, Jason Bergeron, approached us about designing a custom circular railing, we wanted to capture the uniqueness and majesty of the house itself.
“I remember talking with James,” says Ben Moseley, “and brainstorming what we could do to make this railing not only unique, but stylistically appropriate and fitting for this grand house. We decided to create a curved shield that would be installed at the top along the side railing.” The shield’s weathered look was achieved by using a hammer to replicate the “scars, dents, and bruises” of a medieval battle. ”We hit it so hard we actually broke the hammer,” Ben says. The railing also consisted of worn metal balusters, in keeping with the old-world look and feel.ular staircase 
and custom railing. The home itself was more like a castle than a house. Vast, towering, and exuding an old-world feel, this home was poised like a fortress upon the hilltop. It’s impressive, by anyone’s standards. So when the builder, Jason Bergeron, approached us about designing a custom circular railing, we wanted to capture the uniqueness and majesty of the house itself.
The finished work – which won a Silver NOMMA Award in the railings category – was a masterpiece of artistic design, not only from the builder’s perspective, but the new homeowners, as well. In fact, Kevin and Arlene Murphy were so impressed with the railing design in their new mountain home that they commissioned The Heirloom Companies to conceive and design an outdoor balcony railing for their primary home in Chicago. And that was just the beginning. After pictures of the original “railing #309″ hit The Heirloom Companies’ website, a number of homeowners and designers contacted the company about creating something similar for their home.
“It’s amazing what a stepping stone this railing has been,” says Ben. ”It has actually led to several new business projects for us. I think the reason for that is simply that it’s different – no one has ever seen that type of craftsmanship and design before. Even though it was a custom job for a specific home, the old-world, weathered look was something that people really gravitated toward. We have since gotten calls from all over, including Florida, North Carolina, Illinois, and Louisiana from clients wanting us to customize a similar style railing for their own homes.”
If you are interested in discussing ideas for a railing design or staircase for your home, contact Ben Moseley at ben@theheirloomcompanies.com.
