The elegance of a display cabinet

There’s something wonderfully elegant and old world glamour associated with traditional display cabinets and some but not all are fitted with beautiful stained glass.

More often than not these cabinets are in quite a state - sometimes they have been left in the gargage or under the house for a several years.

Oh the stories these wonderful old pieces could tell …

The veneers may often be broken or damaged , the beading broken and a crack in the glass.

The finish would have been worn and scratched and they are a long way away from their original beauty.

But we love a challenge and we pride ourselves on our craftsmanship when attending to restoration.

We respect the work of the craftspeople from yesteryear and endeavour to preserve their workmanship and keep the authenticity of the piece - this is such an integral part of the restoration process - we dont want a beautiful 100 year old piece looking new we want it looking as beautiful as the first day it was made..

Our team work diligently on each piece delicately restoring and restoring its longevity.

But back to our display cabinets..

We have had the honour of working on some beautful cabinets in the last few months and the final result has been nothing short of wonderful

Happy clients with their treasured heirlooms once again ready for years of living

The sophistication and elegance of traditional display cabinets

Preserving History ; rediscovering a timber masterpiece

In a world full of modern conveniences, there is something truly magical about unearthing a hidden treasure from the past.

Recently, our team had the privilege to work on a captivating project that involved a remarkable timber inlay created by a talented woman after the war.

Unveiling a Family Heirloom:

Our client was taken by surprise when she stumbled upon her mother's creation tucked away in long forgotten box at the family home.

It was as if time had stood still within the intricate patterns of the timber inlay.

During a time when there was a scarcity of skilled workers, women were encouraged to pursue "non-traditional" skills, and her mother's talent sprang to life on this forgotten piece.

 Embracing Sentiment and History:

Overwhelmed with joy and a desire to honor her mother's legacy, our client entrusted us with the task of restoring and preserving this exceptional treasure.

The sentimental value attached to the inlay made it even more important to bring it back to its former glory. Our team knew we had an extraordinary responsibility - not only to create a visually stunning piece but also to retain the emotional connection it held.

With meticulous attention to detail, we embarked on the restoration journey, carefully breathing new life into the timber inlay.

Made from a combination of Silky Oak, Silver Ash, and Qld Maple, the inlay's intricate designs came alive once more.

Each stroke was a tribute to the craftspeople of that era, a testament to their talent and dedication.

To showcase this exquisite work of art, we decided to fashion an occasional table around the restored timber inlay

Our choice of Cambia, a versatile and elegant material, complemented the inlay's timeless charm.

With expert craftsmanship, we brought together the old and the new, blending nostalgia with contemporary design.

It was an honour to be able to put into fruition this wonderful slice of history

Pre restoration. the Beautiful work of Pearl Moran

Prepping the beautiful inlay

That beautifully restored inlay . The sensational timber really pops after careful restoration.

The addition of cambia highlights the gorgeous grain and the intricate pattern of the inlay

A beautiful end result combining history and craft

A fresh new bathroom vanity

Our restoration projects arent restricted to the living room and dining room, basically any timber item we can restore and bring back to its former glory

Case in point for our clients who wanted a bathroom makeover.

They loved their Tasmanian Oak vanity and cupboard, but after 20 plus years it was in need of some TLC …

A wonderful big bathroom, but needed some repairs and a new lease of life

things have gotten a little water damaged over the years

So we repaired where needed, added some lovely new hardware and finished off with a beautiul polish

A beautiful fresh new look for this Tasmanian Oak Bathroom

A gorgeous finished project, we are glad our clients had the foresight to restore their beloved bathroom vanity

Retro Restoration

We have been so lucky being able to undertake so many beautiful restoration projects.

Each and every piece of furniture we repair, repolish and restore has a unique history, its own blueprint from which we are sure many a good story could be told

Oh if only the walls could speak.

Our latest restoration provided so much joy and came all the way to Brisbane from Wyong (Central Coast of NSW) and dates orginally from Austria circa 1940’s.

Our suite of retro furniture comprised of many glorious pieces, including a funky kitchen console, a buffet table, mobile daybed and kitchen dining room table and chairs to name but a few in this wonderful collection.

Each piece was repaired, restored and repainted as close to the original colour scheme as per our client request.

Our retro sideboard definitely got the special treatment , as seen some extensive repairs were needed to make those drawers glide effortlessly as well as a thorough sanding before application of the finish.

How utterly fabulous is this TV Unit, the wonderful shape, the original handles, the colour what is not to love about this iconic slice of history.

The finished result was nothing short of spectacular.

Two beautiful examples of the power of restoration , we often say adored and restored but really it is true. These family heirlooms have been given a new lease of life and now take pride of place in the family home. Ready to be used enjoyed and passed down through the familly.

There are more wonderful pieces in this collectoin we cant way to share

#lovewhatwedo

Colourful furniture makeovers

Never underestimating the power of bright beautiful colours, we completed these fabulous makeovers to some classic rattan furniture , with fabulous results

Classic shaped rattan chairs in dire need of some repairs and colour

These chairs are just perfect for outdoor or front deck living. They have such great shape and character.

We were keen to repair what was needed especially around the arms and prepare for the colour.

Big on the wow factor

Our clients chose a dramatic blue to really accentuate the wonderful features of this lounge. We used 2pack high gloss for longevity

We undertook the same process for the accompanying table

Restoration just makes good sense especially with impressive results such as these. What could have been destined for the rubbish bin is now beautifully repaired and restored and ready to begin a wonderful new life

Restoration of Upright Piano

We always love the journey of restoration and when it is a family heirloom such as a Piano , the satisfaction for us as a team in achieving a great outcome is one of the best parts of what we do …

A much loved family favourite in need of some repairs

Gorgeous finished product. This treasured family item back to its orginal glory

This mahogany upright piano was restored, repaired where needed and repolished to match the clients’ existing decor .

A beautiful journey of great sentimental value

Restoring a Boardroom table

We always take delight in restoring a part of yesteryear and restoring a Cedar Boardroom table circa 1970 crafted by the renowned maker Robert Dunlop ( 1925 - 2014 ) was certainly an honour.

This elegant boardroom table made for an innercity Brisbane School, has certainly seen many student and teacher meetings.

It was in dire need of repairs, repolishing and in particular the Emblem a fragile work of veneers was starting to crumble and needed some intricate repairs.

Restoration needed for the school emblem

Boardroom table pior to its makeover

Extensive repair work on the veneers and emblem was undertaken by Stuart.

The table was then sanded and many applications of finish were applied to bring this wonderful part of history back to its original glory

A beautiful finished products

The delivered and restored boardroom table

Art Deco Furniture then and now

What are your images, thoughts of the 1920’s ?

The Great Gatsby , Speakeasies, jazz music comes instantly to mind.

The world was celebrating peace and freedom after World War 1 and technology (but not as we now know it ) was forging ahead.

Automobiles were becoming more common, and movies were mass entertainment in the devleoped world.

This started as a boom era in which people were intent on living for the now, throwing convention to the wind and opening the way for new ideas and inventions.

Art Deco is the term for this fashionable style that dominated between the two world wars, Art Deco influenced many spheres of life from art, architecture, fashion and sculpture to furniture design.

The impact Art Deco has left is monumental in architecture alone. In Queensland , the State Government Insurance Building in Brisbane and the Charleville Town Halls are perfect testamony to these, just as the Empire State Building and the Chrysler Building are iconic symbols in the USA.

Jazz Moderne as Art Deco was also known as the dominant style of the 1920’s and 1930’s.

It became known as Art Deco in the 1960’s when a British Art Critic took the name from the 1925

L’Exposition des Arts Decoratifs et Industriels Modernes held in Paris.

The Style was developed in France by over 250 craftman including Jacques_Emile Ruhlmann, Jean Dunand and Rene Lalique. The strong Paris influence led the “machine age aesthetic”in which the flowing floral motifsof Art Noveau were replaced by streamlined geometrical designs, that expressed the efficiency of modern technology.

Excitement over this new French Style was quickly emulated in Italy, Britian other European countries and North America.

Art Deco designers used stepped forms, rounded corners, striped decorative elements and experimented with industrial materials such as metal, plastic as well as the more unusual sharks skin.

The favoured stylish colours of purple, mauve, peach and grey were used to enhance the new sophisticated design.

Experimenting with industrial design elements was a constant in the Art Deco period.

Decorative glass had a formative role in products such as cabinet doors and homes with heavy timbers lightened by the use of glass, were stylised with sunbursts, foliage and various flower species.

Another aspect of Art Deco which is essential in todays design elements is multipurpose design; the original Art Deco furniture was true to their geometric and sleek design and were highly functional as well as representing elegant simplicity.

Think of a headboard with incorporated bed side tables or side cupboards with a lamp stand or cigrette holder doubling as a coffee /occasional table.

The not so humble cocktail cabinet; borne from that wonderful pasttime; the cocktail party , was devleoped to house essential items for a maritini as well as accommodating a gramaphone to play the latest Josephine Baker. Multipurposing at its best.

We have restored many and varied pieces from this era

From the humble occasional table , to the essential vanity unit to the more complex gramaphone , these pieces were carefully and faithfully restored to bring out the best of that era ,as well as using modern practices to ensure they will go on for many more decades

Clients often request design characterstics from this period as well using the crisp symmetrical forms from this era to using timbers reminiscent of this era including birds eye maple . With subtle additions of plain frosted glass instead of the more colourful glass originals the Art Deco mood is enhanced whilst giving each furniture item its own personality .

One of our favourite era’s we relish the opportunity to restore or create pieces of furniture that are reminiscent of this wonderful age, when things were a little simpler.

Restoring the glory Art Deco multi purpose sidetable

Carefully restored Dressing table with accompanying stool

Simple curved lines with an Art Deco aesthetic for this stunining kitchen cabinet

Beautifully designed and made by Stuart this Art Deco Inspired entertainment unit is a crowd pleaser

Mid Century Lounge Chair Restoration

Mid Century Decor can be very generally characterised by the use of clean lines, curves and smooth surfaces to create an understated look.

Bold colour fabrics against a neutral coloured wall was often synomous with mid century decor.

Form follows function.

So bearing all these facts in mind we mindfully restored these wonderful iconic chairs.

To keep their structural integrity , we took care in our restoration processes …

Mid century lounge chair just before their restoration

Careful dismantling prior to restoration

The Process for restoration involved careful dismantling of all pieces, removal of existing finish ( in this instance paint)

reglueing and repairing where needed.

New fabric was chosen by the client to compliment the wonderful richness of the grain which was quite eveident once the paint had been removed and the fabulous blue hues co ordinated wonderfully with their existing furniture

Just stunning

The end result is nothing short of spectacular.

These chairs classic shape and character of these chairs has not been changed, they have just been treated to some TLC to ensure a long and happy life .

For some more restoration magic have a peek at our Restoration Gallery for great inspiration of what you can achieve .

Cane Chair Restoration

With spring only a few weeks away (where is the year going ??) this little makeover is well timed to welcome in the new season.

A gorgeous classic cane lounge chair in dire need of some attention was transformed into a fresh , colourful new addition to this inner city Brisbane home.

A beauty in the making

Just waiting to be made over

A stunning result

Fresh , crisp and ready for spring

We repaired where needed and repolished in white 2 Pack for a clean crisp backdrop to that wonderful effervescent new upholstered seat .

A little restoration project ...

We love our restoration projects.

There is so much satisfaction in repairing and restoring a piece of history, someone’s past, someone’s heirloom.

A forgotten household item now becomes the star of the living room.

It becomes a talking point.

It becomes a loved functional piece of furniture again and it goes without saying that in this mass produced era, its kind of cool to have something that is uniquely yours , that one of a kind feeling.

This little Oak Table is now a shining addition to its owners lounge room …

In need of some TL C

A beautiful restored finish

An elegant addition to the home

A beautiful end result for this Oak Occasional Table .

We repaired where necessary, sanded and polished to bring out the richness of the grain

#lovewhatwedo

Ucyling teak to make a beautiful bedroom ensemble

Wanting to make use of an old Teak Malaysian Wall panel,our clients were keen for us to make a new bed out of this 300 year old beautiful panel.

A wonderful way to upcyle, and re use a piece of history, we made a new bed head and footer.

A wonderful result…

Character and ambience abounds in this wonderful bedroom

The teak bedroom ensemble blends in beautifully with the existing decor

Restoring a Georgian Rocker

What a delight it was to be able to be a part of a wonderful birthday surprise between two sisters.

This quaint rocker belonged to two little girls and was used often to listen to bedtime stories

Fast forward 50 years or so and this little chair was in need of repairs and repolishing and what could be a better present than having it restored for a surprise birthday present ?

We repaired and restored this gorgeous piece including painting it white, and adding new rattan as well as a duck egg blue fabric to contrast with the freshness of the white .

A glorious result for this wonderful old rocker full of cherished memories and now it will go on for many more generations.

Just one of the reasons we love what we do !

A stunning Makeover -English Oak Sideboard Restoration

There is so much satisfaction gleamed from restoring a wonderful piece of furniture to its former glory. This quaint English Oak Sideboard was in dire need of some attention.

Using traditional techniques, this exquisite piece of history will now take pride of place in the family home and will be enjoyed for many years to come

Brisbane City Hall Restoration

Bywater Design are extremely proud to be the official heritage  furniture restorer for the Brisbane City Hall Restoration Project.  During the past months, we have been very busy restoring the wonderful furniture in City Hall.  Many of these pieces date back hundreds of years and carry with them so much history and character.

A wonderful slice of history involved in  the  restoration project, was the repair and re-gilding of this wonderful gold mirror.

Dating back to the 1800's, the 24 carat gold mirror originally from Europe was bequeathed to City Hall and now after a detailed repair and restoration this commanding and majestic piece, which incidentally stands over 2 meters high, now takes pride and place in the newly refurbished Media Room in Brisbane City Hall.

Also included in the many facets of this project was The Restoration of The Coronation Chair for Queen Elizabeths II's visit to Australia in 1953.

We look forward to sharing more photos and stories on the Brisbane City Hall Restoration Project, including the wonderful refurbishment of the original Shingle Inn Booths.