In the Realm of the Senses -2 Handrails

Villa d'Este handrail outside of Rome

 

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On May 5, 2011, I wrote about how much I wanted to change the handrail in our Pine Street house.  One example I saw last year is giving me ideas about what I want to do.  This example here is at the 17th century Villa d'Este outside of Rome at the famous Tivoli Gardens.  It looks as if the bracket and the handrail are one seamless element without any interruption of flow.  In this case the one seamless element is metal so it is still cold to the touch.    

The attachment at the wall is hidden behind the plaster - simple and elegant. As much as I like this design, I still want to avoid the cold touch of metal.  Wood seems to be the logical response to this concern, but wood brackets would lack the strength and elegance of this metal solution.   

My solution would need a hard close-grained wood that is smooth and warm to the touch.  The bracket would be metal with a shape and elegance like this one.  Stay tuned as I explore the world of handrails.