In the Shop: Victorian Antiques, Tribal Art, and Family Dining

Every piece that comes through our shop doors arrives with a unique history and structural story worth preserving. From 19th-century parlor antiques to modern everyday dining hubs, these three recent projects highlight the versatility of wood restoration and repair.

1880s Victorian Renaissance Revival Side Table This late Victorian parlor table—dating from the 1870s–1880s with distinct Eastlake style influences—underwent a complete disassembly, repair, stripping, sanding, and restaining. Built primarily from solid American walnut, it features striking burl walnut veneer panels inlaid along the apron skirt and side leg cartouches. We carefully preserved its intricate details, including the heavy turned pedestal, splayed legs with side spindles, center drop finial, incised geometric carvings, and fan-and-sunburst carved drops. Reassembled on its white ceramic wheel casters with its heavy white-and-grey veined marble slab reset, this 30″ H x 29″ W x 21″ D table is back to its original grandeur.

West African Decorative Wall Mask Repair Art repair requires a precise touch to fix structural damage while preserving an existing finish. This hand-carved West African mask—inspired by Senufo and Guro carving traditions with incised geometric zig-zags and hairline inlay—suffered a severe break where the top bird crest attached to the main head. We cleaned the fractured joint, prepped the dense tropical hardwood, and re-bonded the bird seamlessly so the repair blended into the smooth dark finish without disturbing the surrounding carved details.

Italian Counter-Height Gathering Table After twenty years of daily use and heavy sunlight exposure, this Italian-made pub-height gathering table had lost its luster, and a stool that broke during its first two weeks in the home had been sitting unusable ever since. To bring the set back to life, we disassembled the table and stool, stripped the sun-bleached, distressed finish, and sanded out decades of wear. Applying a fresh stain and durable protective coating highlighted the tight wood grain across the broad square top, turning an overdue repair into a renewed center for family gatherings.