Restoration
We have over 15 years of experience in the preservation of mid-20th century design. With our extensive knowledge and research database, your valued mid century modern furniture is in knowledgable hands that are passionate about the care and maintenance of your items.
Custom Woodworking
From custom libraries and one-of-a-kind furniture to glue blocks and parts remanufacturing, there is no job too small or too large for us. From our furniture workshop in Loudoun County, we can create anything you can dream of out of wood and metal. contact us today to get your project started.
Restoration
Having had the privilege to rebuild and restore hundreds of pieces dating from 1650-contemporary, we aren’t afraid of any project. Our specialty has always been and will always be mid-century modern design, but our goal is always purity in historical context.
Refinishing
Many pieces we come across are in great structural condition, having only issues to their top finish. We are experts in using the restraint required to only do whats necessary to protect a piece. Call today to discuss whether or not your piece is a good candidate to restore.
A Selection of our favorite Before and After:
Peter Hvidt Sideboard: Top refinished and tambour door repositioned.
1920’s Slant front desk: Refinished inside and out for mold remediation.
Finn Juhl Teak Table: minor water damage and dents/scratches remediated.
American Walnut Dresser: Refinished, rebuilt and shotgun damage patched.
Hans Wegner Peacock Chair: Wood rejuvenated and preserved, seat re-roped.
Pierre Cardin Sideboard: Finish repaired/replaced, color matched brass repaired.
Our consultations are always free! Fill out the form below to request a time to chat or schedule an in-person meeting.
Custom Woodworking
Our woodworking services are totally custom. We work with the client to create beautiful, unique designs that work with the style of the context.
In the case of the rolling door to the left, our clients requested barn wood material which was to exist in a very modern bathroom. Our approach involved book-matching planks of 100+ year old chestnut for the thin, .675” thick door panel and required 1.125” thick frame. We harvested the lumber for this door from a barn outside of Richmond and was air dried for one year, kiln dried for 10 days then re-milled into elegant modern material. The finish involved a mixture of white/grey stain custom mix and flat-sheen spar varnish (boat paint).
Contact us today to talk more about the scope of our capabilities with wood and metal. If you have a project in mind, we can certainly help design and build your vision.
Restoration
Whether the project requires minor surface refinishing or complete rebuilds, we can handle the task.
In the case of the George Nelson for Herman Miller secretary desk shown on the right, we were faced with a massive project. The piece had been painted two-tone in latex paint varying over several years, colors and with multiple layers. Even the aluminum pulls had gobs of paint on them. Unfortunately, the piece was designed to sit on a slatted bench that no longer existed. That left the client with few options to keep the piece as original as possible as a new bench wasn’t in the budget. After much deliberation, tapered hairpin legs and an original clear finish was requested. Fast foreword over 20 hours of paint stripping and veneer repair, the piece was finally preserved with its fresh nitrocellulose lacquer finish. This piece now has a finish that will last the owners 30 or more years with no care.
The danish chair in the photo got re-glued and refinished. The original vinyl seat was somehow kept in outstanding condition.
Refinishing
Sometimes, the best approach to a preservation effort of important context is minimalism.
This Hans Olsen dining set was already in fair condition when it arrived. Considering the rarity of the set and the importance of this revolutionary design, we took great care in replacing the top finish. Only the main table surface was chemically stripped, lightly sanded and had a new lacquer finish applied. The legs and apron of the table and nesting chairs were lightly touched up and the original finish added to. To preserve the chairs, we re-glued the legs and cleaned the vinyl seat cushions.
There are many projects where full on restoration is not appropriate. Call us today, send us a photo or email to discuss the rarity and design importance of your valued items. We will walk you through the procedure of our attention and exactly what actions are performed to preserve them.
A Small Selection of Our Favorite Projects
Compressed list of our services:
Kitchen cabinet refinishing, resurfacing and installation
Herman Miller and Knoll shock mount / shock absorber replacement, OEM parts sourcing and replacement
Appraisals of mid-century modern furniture and decor
Marble, soapstone and granite surface repair, resealing, re-cutting and color matched epoxy repairs
Wood and metal refinishing
MIG and TIG Welding, custom metal parts fabrication, brazing and soldering
Caning: handwoven and machine woven replacement, danish cording, rush, etc
Leather parts remanufacturing, tooling and whole hide sourcing
Rebuilding any furniture piece from glue joint failure
Veneer repair and replacement, marquetry repair and inlay design
Custom building of: furniture, cabinets, wall units and wet/dry bars
Custom LED lighting design incorporation into any piece of furniture or cabinetry
Parts remanufacture including reproducing original hard to find pieces or replacing missing ones
Finishing: Spraying clear, tinted and pigmented lacquer, polyurethane, conversion varnish, catalyzed lacquers, shellacs and french polish.
We can match any paint color you can possibly dream of with a quarter-sized sample, and we can help you select the perfect shade.
Onsite (in-home) small repair of many common issues such as blush removal, spot enhancement and small chips/breaks
New, flat-packed furniture assembly and onsite installation
Pickup and delivery services
Yearly furniture care and maintenance visits that can preserve your prized furniture forever.