Oak-and-Acanthus Curved Valance

A ribbon of carved foliage frozen mid-flourish across a gently bowed panel. This CNC relief is worked onto a curved, arched blank — broad through the middle and tapering to clean angled ends, with a scooped lower edge that gives it the profile of an apron or valance. At the heart sits a cluster of oak leaves cradling two plump acorns, and from that centrepiece a pair of acanthus scrolls sweep outward, curling down into tight filigree spirals at either end. A raised bead border traces the whole shape. The carving is deep and confidently undercut, so once cut it catches raking light and throws genuine shadow rather than reading flat. Pieces like this earn their keep as architectural dress: a curved range-hood valance, the front of a bespoke bar or kitchen island, a mantel frieze, or the crest rail of a headboard. Oiled and mounted on its own it also works as a standalone wall ornament. Print / CNC notes • Cut from a close-grained hardwood — tulipwood, cherry or maple — so the fine scroll tips hold without crumbling. • A 3D contour toolpath with a tapered ball-nose finishing bit (1–2 mm) will pick out the leaf veining and spiral cores cleanly. • Mind the curved base: clamp on a sacrificial bed and leave onion-skin tabs so the arched blank doesn't shift on the final pass. • Finish with a light hand-sand, then a coloured wax or dark glaze wiped into the recesses to make the foliage stand proud.