Gettin' the handle on

Remember my gushing about those beautiful vintage brass hand rasil brackets from Van Dyke's (here and here)?

Yeah?

(best Agnes impression) They're so fluffy I'm gonna die!

No, really! They are! Look!

They are even prettier close up than they were in the catalogue picture. They're heavy and solid, too. And for $12 a pop, you really can't complain.

And here is one installed with the old handrail.

And here's our stair case in all its beat up, splotchy glory.

At one point we want to restore the railing leading down to its old beauty, just like railing of the cantilever balcony you can spy in the upper left corner. Until then I'll continue to gush about those pretty pretty brackets, alright?

Next step - can you guess it? Paint!