On Not Over-Restoring: A House Position

The question of how much to restore is, in practice, a question about what the object is. If it is furniture to be used — sat in, dined at, written upon — then structural restoration is not just acceptable but necessary. If it is an object held primarily for its history, the calculation shifts entirely.

We have, over the years, developed a house position on this: restore where structural, conserve where surface. It is not a complicated principle. But it requires restraint that does not come naturally to a workshop.

What we mean by structural

A joint that has failed. A hinge that will not hold. A drawer bottom that has warped beyond use. These are structural. They affect the object's function and, left unaddressed, will cause further deterioration. We address them.

What we do not address: worn surfaces, handling marks, the slight distortion of a board that has responded to a century of humidity. These are not damage. They are evidence. They are, in most cases, the most honest thing about the piece.

The patina is not a problem to be solved. It is part of what the object is.

The cost of over-restoration

A piece that has been stripped and re-finished loses something that cannot be restored again. The surface of an old piece of teak or rosewood carries, in its colour and texture, a record of its history. Strip that, and the result is a structurally sound piece with no history at all — which is, from a collector's point of view, a significantly lesser object.

We have turned down pieces for this reason. A fine Anglo-Indian davenport arrived once, beautifully re-lacquered by its previous owner. The proportions were excellent. The brass was original. The surface was dead. We passed.

The difficulty, in practice, is that over-restoration is usually done with good intentions. A previous owner who loved the piece, cleaned it too thoroughly, or engaged a restorer who followed the fashions of a different era. One cannot be too harsh about it. But one can be clear about what has been lost, and price accordingly.

Occasional notes on acquisitions, restoration, and the objects we consider. No frequency promised.