Category Archives: decorative motifs

Washington State Flag, “So you say you have contenders…”

A caveat in posting a rant, however humorous. There are some excellent showrooms, and we are grateful and support them whenever we can.  The rant below is a glimpse into what can happen and does happen when two seasoned professionals … Continue reading

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Washington State Flag, NEVER Say “No Problem”

A whopping four decades I’ve been in the business — even though I am ONLY going on fifty 🙂 — and gads if this hasn’t taught me a huge lesson. Never, ever, ever tell a client something is going to … Continue reading

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Washington State Flag

The historic flag, above hanging on the wall of the Reception Room, a grand ballroom, is not the flag in its original form, but seen with modifications. How does that impact the replication process?  The decision has to be made … Continue reading

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Conservation of Mason Monterey Tinoco Bedside Stand

We conserved and restored a Mason Monterey side table with the charming, humorous and valuable Juan Tinoco horses on the drawer front. Our client’s budget determined our scope of work. The table top was warped, lifting on both sides from … Continue reading

Posted in antiques, art, conservation techniques, decorative motifs, Interim Report, mold, painted furniture, preservation, process, reparation, restoration techniques, wooden objects | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Creating Random Pattern in a Painted Finish

This is a European Pear wood, Louis XVI, French Empire Sofa from the mid-18th century. The image above is the way it appeared when it arrived in our studio. The frame was well-loved by generations though abuses by upholsterers and … Continue reading

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Process: Circus Ball 4

We left the Circus Ball with four layers of Gamblin Silver Oil Paint. Time to add the Cobalt Blue star! Who says one never uses High School math? Kate used Geometry to create the template for the proper sizes star. … Continue reading

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Quilts as a Microcosm of History

I am sure that more eloquent history writers than I have written on the role of quilts as historical objects.  I want to share my perspective on the single object that we: see the most distress over condition issues, even … Continue reading

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W is for Windsor: A-to-Z Challenge

One of my favorite chairs, this often overlooked Windsors may have originated in Wales, Ireland and England, where wheelwrights creating chairs as they made wheel spokes, which were chairs using compression tension joints, with no hide glue holding the spokes … Continue reading

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T is for Textile: A-to-Z Challenge

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G is for Gadrooning: A-to-Z Challenge

Gadrooning is a decorative motif which reminds me of flower petals lined up in one direction.  On furniture, they are often an ornamental motif of uniform or tapering concave or convex shapes that often flank both sides of a central … Continue reading

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