DECO BENCHES: RESTORATION ADVENTURES

Sorry that I haven't posted about these beauties after winning the bid on Thursday... Here are the period Deco benches as they were at the Auction. Pretty, but with surface issues. One of the most difficult decisions we make as antiques dealers is regarding restoration of finishes or do we have to resort to stripping..Yuck!! You never get the original finish quality with a refinish--no matter how good the restorer is because YOU CAN GET THOSE DAMN (oops, I meant darn) TOXIC CHEMICALS ANY MORE.  I am a super "green", organic, recycler and minimalist--but please give me back my toxic furniture chemicals...

And here are the beauties in my shop..... see how lovely they would be if only I could get the right products. The other problem is finding the perfect restorer who loves to do a French Polish. I used to have my list of professionals, but because of these wonderful traditional age-old TOXIC products, many of them have gone a little nutty and can't work any more.

(For some crazy reason I keep getting booted back to the "Times" font--can some one tell me why, please?)

So I have decided to have my life-saver, Roberto, bring the finish closer together with a touch up technique only. And perhaps die the faux lizard Edelman leather that I have --maybe a deep buttery yellow.

Ultimately (there we go back to times).....

Oooops, darn, the sun just came out and it has stopped raining which means that I had better get to the shop--I was going to take a rain day (we take our rain very seriously in Southern California) but now I don't have an excuse and I'm late!!! See you later.
Be well..........Mary