Pieces for Sale

To enquire about any of the pieces listed on this site or to discuss ideas for commissions, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Dressing room tables

We currently have in production a pair of very extravagant dressing room tables: one for him in ebony and silvered shagreen and one for her in pink ivory and gilded shagreen. The technique of silvering and gilding shagreen has been developed in our workshop and Yannick Chastang is pleased to have its exclusivity. The technique uses mineral gold or silver which is applied between the white pearls of the shagreen, imparting a wonderfully glamorous shine to the already very precious shagreen material. These two tables, of which one is shown below, are nearing completion. They are pictured without their drawer handle and without the top compartment and mirror which could still be designed to personal preference. We invite you to contact us if you are interested in these tables or anything similar. Gilded shagreen can be used in many different applications and could be used to enhance any piece of furniture a client may wish to have made.

The table in pink ivory (near completion)

Gilded shagreen

Furniture by Armand-Albert Rateau

We have started reproduction of some of the furniture created for the apartment of Jeanne Lanvin, the famous French fashion designer, in 1920-22 by Armand-Albert Rateau and which are now exhibited in the Musée des Arts Decoratifs in Paris. Although auctions in recent years highlight pieces by Rateau as some of the most desirable and expensive pieces of Art Deco furniture ever made, other versions by Rateau are extremely rare and are often preserved in the world’s major museums. Reproduction represents a feasible and relatively cost-effective method of owning a piece of great 1920s design. Please do not hesitate to contact us for more details, regarding this gilded bronze commode and patinated bronze console table or indeed any other piece by Rateau or other designers that you may want to have reproduced.

Egret Cabinet

A collector’s cabinet decorated with marquetry of pink ivory, ebony, and holly.

1.2 metres wide by 45 cm deep and 1.3 metres high

Designed and made by Yannick Chastang

This collector’s cabinet, fitted with 14 drawers behind a pair of marquetry doors, is an uncompromising, luxurious piece of furniture. Its shape is strongly influenced by the furniture made during the 1920s by Jacques-Emile Ruhlmann (1879-1933) while the marquetry decoration finds its source in the great lacquer works produced in Japan during the 17^th century, so well known for the quality of their drawing and understanding of space.

The interior of the cabinet is fitted with drawers made of a bright and naturally occurring pink/red wood from Mozambique, commonly known as pink ivory, which offers a striking contrast against the dark ebony exterior. This is reminiscent of the ebony cabinets of the 17^th century which were often internally veneered in a rich red turtle shell hidden behind two ebony doors.

The cabinet open

Detail of a drawer made of solid pink ivory and ebony.

The simplicity of this cabinet’s form belies its complex construction. The cabinet is fashioned from some of the hardest woods available today and many technical difficulties needed to be overcome in order to realise the elegant design. The piece of furniture is in itself a triumph of craftsmanship, confronting head-on the innate limitations of difficult techniques and materials.

Although the construction of this cabinet is traditional, showing typical 18^th century oak frame construction on the back, the internal construction, invisible to the viewer, is made using the latest materials and technology, which have been chosen for their strength and stability. The two doors, in order to be rigid, stable and light, are made of aluminium honeycomb which is concealed beneath the solid ebony edges and the marquetry.

As most species of wood used on this cabinet are extremely hard to work, all veneers have been saw cut at a thickness three times thicker than the commonly available commercial veneers, resulting in a more stable and also a more colourful marquetry. The thickness and hardness of the veneer meant that the marquetry could only be cut using the traditional piercing saw and marquetry donkey technique. Even the strongest laser beam, now commonly used when making marquetry, would not be able to cut through the hard ebony veneer.

This cabinet, unique in its design and quality of veneer, took over 750 hours of work to complete in Yannick Chastang’s workshop in Kent, UK.