In the Millwork category, the Grand Prize winner was awarded to Andrea D’Alessio, Jr  of D’Alessio Inspired Architectural Designs in Bucks County, PA for his Louis XIV Mansion interior project which showcased many of White River’s signature mouldings and handcarved friezes.

The 2,550 square-foot renovation of this bucolic country estate is transformed into a French Inspired Mansion. The rear-elevation expansion has a palatial veranda with curved balustrade, a Louis XIV inspired ballroom interior — 17th century detailed décor and octagon turret-shaped room.

The rear-elevation expansion is constructed with a hand-chiseled, authentic-sustainable stone and stucco façade complimented with hand-carved custom cast limestone Corinthian columns window surrounds, reliefs, keystones, and balustrades.

The interior addition includes extending an existing great-room into a formal gathering and entertaining ballroom as well as the addition of a two-story octagon shaped room for informal dining-breakfast. The exterior 1,000 square-foot stone-slab addition — with inlaid Lamé Curve (super-ellipses) and balustrade encircled, 40-foot veranda creates a luxurious transition from the ballroom to outside living space. Two central ‘radius and twist’ limestone staircases create a grand entrance to the mansion’s French inspired gardens, pool, spa and pond.

A French Rineau scroll archway with Mon Reale Acanthus Crown molding and recessed rope panels create a columned entrance through the 4-foot deep barrel-raised panel ceiling that leads to the new dinning /breakfast room. The Mon Reale Acanthus Crown molding is continued through each side of the archway walls and accented with two insert radius panels– hand made from maple with lambs tongue inset moldings highlighted with solid maple leaf Cartouche onlay center medallions.

The client’s dream room was to be dramatic; a room from a palace with luxurious floor to ceiling 20-foot windows highlighted with radius hand carved molding with bead-rope inset panel surrounds, as an Acanthus leaf ‘batman’ keystone accents the center window.   Hand hewed 18-foot wood Corinthian fluted columns and embellished moldings emphasize the room’s French doors and window casings. Floral basket wood freezes with recessed rope panels are used as headers over each of the three 8-foot French doors delineating them from the windows – creates a massive wall of glass stretching across the entire room that open onto a formal outside balcony.

The ballroom was envisioned in the style of Louis XIV–inspired by 17th century décor of the “Queens Guard Room” of the Royal Palace of Versailles. Two oversized chandeliers hang from Palmetto plaster medallions off the ballroom’s 20-foot vaulted Venetian polished plaster ceiling with gold leaf accents and 24 radius-clipped floral Acanthus scroll corners. Mon Real Acanthus crown hardwood moldings and hand carved wood architectural Palmette scroll frieze molding emphasize the unique vaulted ceiling and Venetian polished plaster wall details.

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To view more photos visit the d’alessio website at: http://www.builtbydalessio.com/. To read the press release click here.