Challis Restorations

Do you have a favourite piece of furniture that needs some "tlc" ? Or perhaps you find a little "gem" that's in a bad state of repair and needs a complete overhaul - whatever your project we'd be delighted to help ....

This dresser was found in a barn and was in a terrible state, the veneer was peeling off, knobs and mouldings were missing and there was even a big hole in the top which had been sawn out to fit the dresser under a beam. After stripping the piece and crafting replacement pieces and a cornice, using timbers from the same period that had been collected over the years, I rebuilt the piece. Finally, the whole dresser was French Polished to bring it back to its intended glory.

Resurrecting a period chest of drawers is quite a common restoration request. On this piece the veneer was peeling away, and I needed to turn new handles to match those which remained. A previous renovation had incorrectly replaced one of the feet which I was able to identify as an error and I therefore turned an appropriate replacement foot to restore the integrity of the piece.

A customer found this organ box at the back of his grandparent's garage without any of the instrumentation within it. He liked its form and wondered if it could be put to any practical use. I suggested it could be used as a piece of dining room furniture, by making two drawers for cutlery and by making new doors to match the rest of the piece. As you can see once it was stripped and polished the customer was rewarded with a magnificent talking piece for his dining room.