How to Add Custom Details to Newel Posts

By Coreena Harbison

A curved staircase in a home is often a unique focal point. The stairs and railing create visual movement in a space so that even if the staircase is small, it immediately becomes the main feature in the room it’s in. In fact, we often hear the term “sweeping staircase” to describe such a feature, which is fitting due to its shape and energy.

At the forefront in any staircase design are the newel posts. They set the tone in style, create a visual threshold when ascending and descending, and are immediately noticed. A beautifully designed custom newel post elevates the entire staircase to a new design level.

Recently, White River helped a client take a recessed paneled newel post to new heights with hand-carved mouldings and carvings. We chose the motifs to complement the french curves in the iron railings: a lipping panel mould with a lamb’s tongue detail and rosettes and vertical drops with acanthus leaves, scrolls, and flowers.   The only adaptation to these stock products was to cut off the bottom of the drops to fit the panel height. To accommodate the railing termination, the design on the back of the post is slightly different than the front and sides. A beautiful stain and glaze was applied by the client to bring out the intricate details in the carvings.