Tag: wooden furniture
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Rare & Timeless 20th Century Fischel Bentwood Armchair
This exquisite Fischel bentwood armchair is a rare find, showcasing exceptional craftsmanship from the early 20th century. Crafted around 1910 by the renowned Austrian company Fischel—a contemporary of Thonet—it embodies the groundbreaking steam-bending technique that revolutionised European furniture design and influenced the modernist movement. Meticulously restored, this chair remains structurally impeccable, free from splits, delamination,…
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Georgian Corner Cabinet – £120
This charming Georgian corner cabinet has been carefully conserved to honour its rich history. The woodworm-damaged back has been treated and stabilised, ensuring it is now completely worm-free, with the remaining holes standing as a testament to its storied past. The carcass is solid and sturdy, and the surface has been gently cleaned and waxed…
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Victorian Oak School Cabinet
This large Victorian oak school cabinet has been carefully restored after years of wear and damage. Originally dipped in caustic soda, the wood had become bleached, brittle, and dry, losing its rich natural colour. Decades of use left it with deep cracks, serious splits, scuffs, dents, and scratches. The restoration process began with removing the…
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Japanese Lacquered Cabinet from the Meiji Era: Restoration Process
Step back into Japan’s Meiji era with this stunning lacquered cabinet, meticulously restored to honour its timeless artistry. At Artabelle Furniture, we revitalised this historic piece, blending traditional craftsmanship with modern restoration techniques. This exquisite cabinet, crafted in Japan between 1865 and 1900 during the Meiji Era, reflects the artistry and innovation of a nation…
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Cabriolet legs chest of drawers restoration (1930s)
This 1930s chest of drawers was brought to us by a customer who wanted to give it a new lease of life. It had a few structural issues such as open joints, and some of the original handles were missing. The whole cabinet also looked tired and worn, and it needed to be cleaned up…
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Florence Knoll credenza (for IBM, USA)
When the Florence Knoll company was approached in the 1970s to reimagine the office desk/workstation for the IBM company, their solution, executed in typical Florence Knoll elegance, was the low credenza. The iconic design works as well in the dining room as it does in the office with lots of drawers, boxes, and internal storage.…
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William IV Rosewood Occasional Round Table (1830)
This little side table arrived in our workshop with heaps of problems: the finish was almost completely gone, the veneer was dry, cracked, and faded by UV light, some chunks were missing in places, and one of the feet was full of wormholes. The cracked top was fixed by gluing in some lengths of rosewood…
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Repairs to a Windsor armchair
This stunning 19th-century armchair is, unusually, made of three different kinds of timber: elm, beech and yew. Elm was traditionally used for the seats, while beech, heavy and dense, was used to turn the legs and spindles. Here, the yew, which provides good elasticity for curved pieces, was used for the curved back and the…
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Restoration of a 19 Century japanese Tansu Cabinet
A delightful Japanese Tansu cabinet from the Meiji dynasty circa 1880-1900. Tansu (箪笥) are traditional Japanese mobile storage cabinets. The original hinges and metalwork are as delicate as bird wings. Metals were treated like semi-precious materials due to scarcity and crafted with great skill and reverence for their properties. As Japan opened trade links with…
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19th-century tilt-top round table refinishing
This pretty little 19th-century table had a massive watermark on it. Sometimes, the simplest jobs bring the most effective changes: we cleaned it up and revarnished the top. The legs were fine, but we gave them a quick clean and buffed them to a shine to bring the whole piece back to its full glory.…
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1950s sideboard restoration
This very handsome 1950s sideboard was looking very tired, with dried, cracked and missing veneer, and a faded finish. The veneer on the top also suffered from severe water damage. We completely replaced the veneer on the top and patched up the tiny bits missing from the doors. We then cleaned the whole unit, and…
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Thonet bentwood chairs restoration
These 6 original Betwood bistro chairs, would have been made in Austria, at the beginning of the 19th century. Most of them were wobbly and they all needed to be cleaned up and refinished. Some of the seats were also delaminating. All the chairs were dismantled, cleaned up and glasspapered before being refinished. We fixed…
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Pembroke table restoration
This delightful mahogany table was in dire need of a full restoration job. The colouring was patchy and faded. The frame was broken and coming apart. The leaves were missing screws and coming off the frame. Some corners were split and missing. One handle was missing and the remaining one was damaged. The table was…
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American roll-top desk in elm, early 20th century
This delightful early 20th century roll top desk was a bit of a surprise when we first saw it. Those kinds of desks are usually made of oak, but this one was made of elm. It had sat in our customer’s bedroom for many years, and was in dire need of looking after. The top…