Curry & Hovis - Excellent Restorers of Antiques
It’s no secret that I love antiques of all kinds and have been collecting for many years. Quite often, antiques need to be repaired or restored and finding a competent restorer is extremely important. More often than not, too much is done to a piece and its value diminishes. Recently, I needed such an artisan and I was happy to hear of a highly recommended shop near my home in Bedford. Curry & Hovis is located in Pound Ridge, New York, and when I dropped off a gilded mirror that needed quite a bit of attention, I felt confident that the mirror would be returned to me in excellent restored condition. Here’s a little tour of their facility.
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- Walking through the door, you enter a real workshop with many work stations and many works in progress.
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- This yellow leather chair dates from the 18th century.
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- David OShea, furniture restorer, has worked at Curry & Hovis for twenty-two years.
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- Carrying my mirror into the shop
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- David assessing the mirror and its damage
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- The frame has very pretty detail.
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- It’s quite obvious that this decorative finial – perhaps a pinecone – is a replacement of the original.
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- David assured me that all damage could be repaired.
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- Curry & Hovis makes 18th century reproductions, like these lovely gilded English-style sconces. Their technique of distressing and gilding gives a centuries old appearance.
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- Reproduction mercury glass and hand finished brass hardware complete this handsome sconce.
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- Another reproduction is a Hitchcock-style children’s settee – a beautifully done updated version of the New England classic.
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- I was admiring the faded gilding.
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- A really nice old rolled leather mallet for use to work on a really nice old chair.
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- You can see some of that gilding on this leg. This foot is called a ball and claw.
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- Taking a look at some of the other mirrors in the shop for restoration.
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- My eye was drawn to this lovely painted card table. I was told that it is satinwood dating from 1890.
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- The table needs a lot of veneer repair to new damage and old repairs that were done incorrectly.
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- These are some molds of various shapes and designs that they make and keep for future use.
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- Clamps are used extensively in restoration.
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- Many varieties of wood are kept on hand to match up for repair purposes.
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- Another gorgeous piece of furniture, which reminded me of several pieces I have at Skylands.
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- Curry & Hovis Restoration is located at 34 Westchester Avenue in Pound Ridge, New York.
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- A really nice old belt sander
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- There were even leather pigs in for restoration!
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- David goes to work removing the upholstered seat from the chair.
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- Eileen Curry is an expert gilder. I can’t wait to see this mirror after restoration.
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