Specialist Finishes
We specialise in the conservation, restoration and commission of antique and modern painted furniture.
With antique painted furniture, no item is ever considered to be beyond repair and we put particular emphasis on retaining as much of the original surface as possible. The item should never look restored, but well-maintained keeping age and patina. We also work on papier mâché, tôle, arte povera and painted leather.
Our wide ranging experience has led us to develop many unique paint finishes for the interior design market. Our contemporary hand finishes use traditional and modern methods, including painting on gilding, distressed oil painted furniture, lacquer and painted gesso crackle.
FAUX LACQUER
Our faux lacquer imitates the finish found on antique japanned cabinets, without the shine or flatness of modern lacquer.
We build up layer after layer of paint cutting back between each layer before the next one is applied. We then apply layers of clear varnish, again cutting back in between each. Additional tone can be added into the varnish to create more depth.
We can work with any colour in either a water or oil-base paint. We have a number of small samples here at our workshop to view; alternatively we can make up samples with a client’s choice of paint for a small fee.
PAINTED FURNITURE
We are often commissioned to restore painted furniture which has been damaged due to water ingress or just age. We carefully assess the original paint finish and we always aim to ensure that the final result is as close to the original as possible. The process is often lengthy and labour intensive but the result is always stunning.
ARTE POVERA, TÔLE & PAPIER MÂCHÉ
Our background in antiques and restoration has enabled us to confidently undertake most decorative items.
We work with many different surfaces such as arte povera (découpage), tôle (tinwear) and papier mâché.