Restoration | Kenta Takeshige

Furniture: Cabinet "Mizuya dansu"

Material: Black Persimmon, Japanese Zelkova, Japanese Cypress, Cedar, Ebony

The body is in straight-grained Hinoki cypress and rare, precious wood is used for the door- and drawer- fronts. Ebony is inserted in the bottom rail, preventing deterioration on behalf of the sliding door. The cabinet is designed to be disassembled without difficulty, I wonder if the maker had future restoration in mind? Anyway, the structure is a good example of fine furniture making.

I reinforced the inside so the top board can carry a heavy load and filled the cracks in each panel with new wood pieces. The parts that were worm-eaten were treated with products, layers beyond repair were removed and replacements were attached in these places. After disassembling the loose frames, I reinforced the tenons to create the tight joints and reassembled again. An additional shelf was made for increase of function. Sunburn and dirt were removed, and the surface was Shiraki finished, this means without any painting.

Furniture: Vintage Cabinet by Cees Braakman

Material: Birch board, Birch plywood, Beech

A vintage cabinet　CB06 (1956, birchwood collection) designed by Cees Braakman, a Dutch designer at Pastoe UMS. The drawers and legs made of bended plywood, are impressive. After removing the old varnish layer, which was throughout damaged, I fixed peeled veneer and broken pieces. I retouched the drawers and doors so that they would move smoothly. By sanding I removed as many scratches as possible and applied new varnish.

Furniture: Tea Cabinet "Cha dansu" from Hiroshima

Material: Japanese Chestnut, Princess Tree, Ebony / Veneer: Japanese Ash in Blister Figure

Furniture: Church Bench

Material: Oak

This bench comes from a church Saint-Pierre in Sainlez, a village in southern Wallonia. I found a chewing gum stuck to the back of the backrest, a funny discovery awakening my imagination.

At the center of the seat a part had been cut out. I filled the space with new wooden pieces and reinforced from beneath. I made new ‘shoes’ (mortise) on the legs (tenon). It was the customer’s wish to maintain the contrast between old and new, so I left the new wood its natural color.