Restoration of a Hopfengärtner Secretary Cabinet

A beautiful heirloom cabinet from the end of the 18th century out of the workshop of Christoph Hopfengärtner, a master cabinet maker from Bern, Switzerland. Along with severe water and sun damage in the finish, there was structural decay and remnants of a poor previous restoration with synthetic elements. The patina and overall finish were conserved and restored, the original paper inside the drawers was repaired and reapplied, and major structural issues were mitigated. The client did not desire a full restoration but only wanted to repair the essential functional elements and restore the natural beauty of the form and material. Further restoration of non-essential elements could take place at any time. 

Click on the images for a  gallery showing some of the revival process. 

Cleaning and restoration of Chandigarh chair and desk

Both the chair and the desk are classic objects to come out of Chandigarh. The city was designed from the ground up by Le Corbusier and his collaborators Pierre Jeanneret, Jane B. Drew and E. Maxwell Fry. The furniture design is more often attributed to Pierre Jeanneret. The desk was covered with a thick coat of very fine sand and dust. In places the original finish had completely failed. It was necessary to first remove the loose dirt and then to assess the state of the original finish. In areas where the finish had failed it was necessary to build up a new finish to match the old. In places where the original finish remained it was deteriorated enough that it demanded attention and renewal. Minor structural repairs were also carried out.

A pair of bentwood café chairs

The chairs each a thick layer of colored paint, covered by a second thick layer of white paint. The paint was stripped and as much of the original finish was retained as possible then reamalgamated with a new coat of shellac.