Private Work

“Everything you own and love eventually falls apart”
Don Williams (Senior Conservator at The Smithsonian Museum)

If you have inherited a family heirloom, collect antiques or vintage furniture, or own an historic house, then you would appreciate that unlike the mass-produced items of today, these things were built to last. However, through intergenerational use and exposure to all kinds of environments eventually maintenance will eventually be required.

Furniture and timber objects are prone to dings, dents, watermarks, chips, scratches and breaks. It’s often not until something goes seriously wrong that we decide to fix it. Encouragingly, most antiques and quality furniture can be repaired and with proper care should keep providing service and pleasure for generations to come.

To provide you with an estimate, we recommend filling in our quote or assessment form with a photograph of the overall object and photos of the damaged areas. From these pictures we can often provide a basic assessment and estimate. For a firm quotation, we invite you to bring your item to our workshop, or alternatively we can attend onsite to conduct a thorough assessment. (depending on your location, a call out fee may be applicable)

Services

  • Structural repairs, joinery and cabinet-making
  • Preservation, conservation, and restoration of timber finishes
  • Traditional and contemporary hand-applied finishes including, French polish, shellac, wax and oil finishes
  • Timber staining and colour matching
  • Veneer repair and marquetry work
  • Lathe turning and carving
  • Gilding, boulle, mother of pearl, shell, horn, and other decorative finishes
  • Hardware repairs, re-casting, or replacement
  • Insurance assessments and management including major environmental disasters i.e. fire and rain storms

Old Cotton Reel Box

Top of box before restoration

Top of box after restoration