These elegant twin curved staircases transform the foyer into an impressive architectural statement. Rising symmetrically on either side of the entrance, they frame a curved balcony above, creating grandeur from the moment you enter. Both staircases feature rich oak treads and stringers paired with classic black wrought-iron balusters. Custom handrail components ensure smooth, seamless transitions through every curve. Careful collaboration and precise templating during the framing phase guaranteed a perfect fit along the curved walls, proving that exceptional results require both planning and precision. 1976-2026 © Century Stair Company

Inspired by a Mount Vernon barn, the homeowners selected an “old-looking” oversized brick handmade by a Carolina brick company to build the garden’s walkways and fence. The pickets were also inspired by George Washington's Mount Vernon estate. A notch instead of a bulge in the picket made the carpenter’s template more efficient. Dutch elbow locks on the garden gate, handmade by a company in Philadelphia, are replicas of the locks of homes built in the same time period (the 1830’s). This corner lot in Old Town Alexandria was once home to a 1920’s stucco-covered storefront with eight garage bays, which included a delicatessen and drycleaners. The process of building the garden took three years from start to finish, including Old and Historic Alexandria Board of Architecture Review approval, re-routing utility lines, a grading plan, and an archaeological dig. Photography by Greg Hadley

Stainless Steel HandMade artistic railing, Formed from a template. 96" from end to end with a 24" radius extending the balcony. Platform all stainless steel with flowers and vine.

White quartz on the perimeter and a matching top on the navy island. Same eased edge and a quiet, even pattern so the island and the run read as one surface, not two different slabs. Undermount sink on the window wall, cooktop cut on the right, island sized for seating on three sides. Templated and installed by our crew.

Houzer Porcela 31" Undermount Porcelain Enamel Steel Large Single Bowl Kitchen Sink The Houzer PCG-3600 porcela series porcelain enamel steel undermount large single sink offers the high end look of cast-iron with all the benefit's of lighter steel core making it easy to install and maintain. Our porcelain enamel is twice-fired at 1500°F resulting in a perfectly smooth surface that is stain, chip and scratch-resistant. Non-porous surface makes it hygienic and easy to maintain. Bowl supplied with mounting clips, template and instructions. Fit's 36 in. cabinet.

White quartz on the perimeter and a matching top on the navy island. Same eased edge and a quiet, even pattern so the island and the run read as one surface, not two different slabs. Undermount sink on the window wall, cooktop cut on the right, island sized for seating on three sides. Templated and installed by our crew.

Located in the heart of Manhattan’s Lower East Side, the building was erected on a shallow commercial lot between two 120 year old masonry buildings and a new residential rental building. 330 Grand Street is a mix of 725 SF 1BRs and 1050 SF 2BR apartments. It also contains a 1100 SF two story duplex as well as private and public rooftop space, large private balconies for most units and two large private terraces for the ground floor units. 330 Grand Street was originally designed and approved at the NYC DOB as a prefabricated modular building. During the pandemic, as shipping costs skyrocketed putting the project at risk, we suggested redesigning the building as a reinforced cast-in-place concrete structure. Concrete was readily available and prices had not been affected by the demand increase that many other materials suffered in the pandemic. We took this opportunity to raise floor to ceiling heights, enlarge high performance windows and redistribute the buildings MEPFS and Structural Systems to create very open floor plans. The challenge was to create a luxurious sensorial living experience with very limited means. In a city with very high construction costs, low cost residential buildings in the area are usually devoid of good quality, design and character. Our approach was to aim high for the end user, prioritizing natural light, open space with long visual perspectives, high ceilings and as always, rejecting the use of predefined building templates. Our biggest challenge was to ensure that the small spaces feel as clean cut, large and bright as possible. Several unique design decisions were made to ensure low cost and high quality; Floor plans were laid out so that spaces were wide open and free of clutter from mechanical or structural interruptions. Therefore all infrastructure was placed in lateral demising walls, which in turn act as the unit’s storage and kitchen. The apartments feel wide open, are super quiet and have more storage space than any other comparable apartment in the city. To solve the problem of the site’s shallow commercial lot which is typically prone to dark interior spaces we focused our attention on the building’s envelope. Instead of the usual small punched window openings, oversized high performance windows were designed to ensure that light penetrated as far as possible into the units. In the smaller 1BR units, the full 50’ depth of the lot is perceived by partitioning spaces with sliding pocket doors that can be retracted to allow deep visual perspectives, making the sight lines in the space feel longer, larger, more ample than normal. In addition to the full height glazing, each unit above the 2nd floor receives a 7 foot covered balcony, adding 120 to 240 sf to each apartment, something unusual in New York City buildings. The space is large enough for a full size dining table, when the weather permits being outside. We also worked hard to ensure modularity. For example, all kitchen units are all identical throughout the building. The idea of modularity and the economy of the repetitive unit is exercised to the maximum through the building. Hardware, appliances, flooring, wall coverings and material finishes are all carefully selected to feel bespoke, high quality and unique. It was important to KURV that the result of this work manifest into something that would deeply connect with the end user and sustain relationships with the consumers of this space. All images by KURV Architecture ©

Spectrum Quartz Splendid went into this kitchen in West Columbia, and it's the kind of stone that does a lot of the work in a room without shouting about it. It's an engineered quartz, so what you're looking at is a mix of ground quartz and resin, pressed and cured until it's hard, dense, and consistent from one end of the slab to the other. The background reads soft and light, with a scatter of movement through it that keeps the surface from looking flat under kitchen lighting. We templated the counters the way we do every job, laser measuring the base cabinets so the slabs come back from the shop cut to the exact lines of that kitchen. With quartz, that precision matters a lot, because the pattern repeats in a controlled way and you can plan your layout and your seams instead of chasing anything. That's part of why quartz suits a working kitchen so well. What you see in the showroom is what you get on the counter, corner to corner, with the pattern lining up the way it should. Day to day, this material is about as forgiving as it gets. It doesn't need sealing, ever, because it's non-porous straight out of the fabrication shop. Wine, coffee, tomato sauce, none of it soaks in if you wipe it up in a reasonable time. It stands up to knives and daily wear better than most kitchen surfaces, though we still tell folks to use a trivet, since quartz doesn't love direct heat from a hot pan sitting right on it. Scratches aren't something you have to worry about with normal use in a busy kitchen. We set the counters with an eased edge, clean and simple, which is what most of our customers land on once they see it doesn't take anything away from the stone itself. Jobs like this one are what keep us busy across the Midlands. West Columbia kitchens see a lot of quartz these days, and Spectrum Quartz Splendid is a slab that holds up to real cooking and real family life while still looking sharp enough to notice the first time you walk into the room.

This 125 year old home had a renovation based on one historical photograph. We removed siding and the front porch rails that were not historically correct. We restored or replicated all of the siding and trim using the photo as a guide. As we removed the siding on the peak we uncovered markings of the original scroll work. Templates were created and the scroll work was replicated. The porch railing was replicated as best possible, compromising the historical look and current codes. Open Door Productions; Matt Francis

New Apartment renovation project in progress. White High Gloss handless Kitchen cabinets with and accents special striped wood veneer panels for Hood and the Island. Dark grey transparent glass in the metal frame, black spots and concrete looking floor porcelain tile. Ready for countertop template. Brooklyn,NY

This angle shows something that wider shots don't always communicate: how much thought goes into the corners. The upper cabinets wrap the sink wall with a mix of glass front and solid shaker doors, each placed based on what would be stored behind them rather than what looked symmetrical on a plan. Brass knobs on the uppers and bar pulls on the lowers is a mixed hardware approach that has become more common in custom kitchen design because it reinforces the two-tone cabinet scheme rather than ignoring it. The countertop run visible here also shows how the quartz was templated to carry cleanly through the corner, keeping the work surface continuous without interruption.

This kitchen came together with Ornamental White granite on the counters. No waterfall, no fancy backsplash story here, just solid granite doing what granite does best, holding up to real cooking and real life in a busy South Carolina kitchen. We finished the edges with an eased profile, which is the detail people don't think about until they're leaning on the counter every day. An eased edge takes the sharp corner off the slab and rounds it just enough so it's comfortable to work against, without adding a bunch of extra machining that can chip or crack down the line. It's a clean, classic look that doesn't fight with the granite's natural pattern, and it wears well over years of use. Granite is still one of the best choices you can put in a kitchen. It's hard, it's heat resistant, and you can set a hot pan on it without worrying. It'll take a knife dragged across it by accident and shrug it off. Every slab has its own movement in the stone, its own crystal structure catching light differently depending on where you stand, and templating a kitchen like this means matching that pattern at the seams so it reads like one continuous piece instead of two pieces bolted together. Day to day, this countertop is going to earn its keep. Granite seals up easily and, once it's sealed, it resists staining from wine, oil, coffee, whatever gets set down on it. It doesn't scratch from normal kitchen use, and it doesn't dull over time the way some softer stones can. That's why we keep coming back to it for kitchens that actually get used, not just looked at. We fabricate and install jobs like this all over the Midlands, and it's the same story every time: good stone, cut right, set level, edges finished clean. That's what makes a countertop last for decades instead of years, and that's what you're getting here.

Custom cushions require a template, to ensure a perfect fit. Pattern placement perfection is seen in this custom dining chair cushion for a French country dining area. Each cushion is identical to its neighbors on matching dining chairs. The cording creates a rhythm around the perimeter, and is in the two colors of this beautiful silk damask fabric. You will see the chair tie tassels at the back in the next photo. Custom seat cushions are made in our Reupholstery workroom, and we always fabricate them with zippers, and protect them with Fabric Guard. Photography by Brendan Narod, of Bob Narod, Photographer, LLC.

rail template

For a family that loves hosting large gatherings, this expansive home is a dream; boasting two unique entertaining spaces, each expanding onto outdoor-living areas, that capture its magnificent views. The sheer size of the home allows for various ‘experiences’; from a rec room perfect for hosting game day and an eat-in wine room escape on the lower-level, to a calming 2-story family greatroom on the main. Floors are connected by freestanding stairs, framing a custom cascading-pendant light, backed by a stone accent wall, and facing a 3-story waterfall. A custom metal art installation, templated from a cherished tree on the property, both brings nature inside and showcases the immense vertical volume of the house. Photography: Paul Grdina

Custom bar build, timber structure with MDF lining and timber bench top and a custom front using a custom curved template to match the bar leaner and lined with MDF sheet

For a family that loves hosting large gatherings, this expansive home is a dream; boasting two unique entertaining spaces, each expanding onto outdoor-living areas, that capture its magnificent views. The sheer size of the home allows for various ‘experiences’; from a rec room perfect for hosting game day and an eat-in wine room escape on the lower-level, to a calming 2-story family greatroom on the main. Floors are connected by freestanding stairs, framing a custom cascading-pendant light, backed by a stone accent wall, and facing a 3-story waterfall. A custom metal art installation, templated from a cherished tree on the property, both brings nature inside and showcases the immense vertical volume of the house. Photography: Paul Grdina