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Bentwood Residence Stair, Closet, and Retrofit Details
Architectural Details · Featured Project

Bentwood Residence

Custom black steel railing, walnut handrail, maple closet millwork, and a radiant floor retrofit shaped around existing conditions.

Guilderland, NY
Project Summary

A stair opening, a tight closet, and a retrofit bath-floor problem solved as custom details.

This residence needed a few different problems handled with the same approach: measure the existing condition carefully, design the detail around the real constraints, and build the part so it fits without looking like a catalog solution.

The main work was a custom black steel stair railing with a walnut handrail, paired with a compact maple closet and a radiant floor retrofit that avoided tearing out newly installed bathroom tile.

Stair Railing

Template the stair opening before the steel leaves the shop.

The client wanted a railing that fit the house instead of a stock spindle system. The stair opening, wall angles, ceiling line, and tread relationships all had to be captured before fabrication.

A wood template recorded the geometry on site. The railing was then fabricated from black steel, fitted back into the stairwell, and paired with a rectangular walnut handrail softened just enough for the hand.

Notes

Problem
The opening needed a modern railing that fit the existing stair geometry without looking stock.
Move
Template the stairwell with thin wood strips, then fabricate the steel guardrail to that captured shape.
Result
A clean black railing with a walnut handrail that lands tightly against the room instead of fighting it.
01Finished black steel railing with walnut handrail.
02Design rendering used to confirm the railing direction before fabrication.
03Wood template capturing the stair opening.
04Finished upper-stair view with the walnut handrail in place.
05The completed guardrail in the room context.
Closet Millwork

Make a tight closet work harder without making it feel crowded.

The closet was small, but it needed separate storage zones and access for longer hanging items. The layout had to be planned before the build, because there was not much room for mistakes once the millwork was installed.

Maple plywood, hardwood edging, illuminated rods, drawer storage, and a sliding section were used to get more function into the tight footprint without turning the closet into a heavy block of cabinetry.

Notes

Problem
His-and-hers storage, longer hanging, drawers, and lighting all had to fit inside a compact closet.
Move
Model the layout first, then build maple storage with integrated lighting and a sliding access zone.
Result
A small closet with clearer access, usable hanging zones, and light where the storage actually happens.
01Closet rendering used to test the storage layout.
02Illuminated maple storage with drawers and hanging space.
03Curved maple transition and hanging storage.
04Finished closet aligned with the planned storage layout.
Result

Custom parts fitted to the house, not forced onto it.

The railing, closet, flooring, and radiant retrofit were separate tasks, but they depended on the same kind of control: measure the existing condition, solve the hidden work first, and make the finished piece feel like it belongs in the room.

That is the value of designing and building the detail together.

Tell me what you're trying to picture.

Send a few photos, whatever drawings and measurements you have, and a note on what isn't working. I'll tell you straight whether it's the kind of thing I take on — and if it's not, usually who does.

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