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Specialist Subject
A walnut games table
with inlays of ebony
rosewood, satinwood
and sycamore. The
piece was designed for
backgammon, cards
and chess. £17,000 £25000, Gosling.
Coloured veneers and
natural timbers achieve
a remarkable painterly
quality on this exotic
marquetry wall panel
from Aryma.
This work of art was
created by Linley and
is an accurate map of
the world, complete
with the smallest of
islands, with each
country represented
by its native wood.
Price on application.
T
THE FINE VENEER
of beauty
The ancient art of marquetry reached prominence in the 17th century
as the method of choice for creating furniture of unprecedented
luxury – today, artisans are taking it to exquisite new heights
he art of inlaying thin veneers of
wood, mother of pearl and metal
to create beautiful decorative
motifs in furniture and panelling has been
practised since ancient Egyptian times.
Technology such as laser cutting has
helped refine the art so that painterly
pictorial scenes can be created in
remarkable detail on anything from wall
panels to furniture to small accessories.
Marquetry can have a traditional appeal,
but it also works well in a contemporary
setting too – Stella McCartney
commissioned specialists, Aryma, to
create marquetry panels that cover the
walls, and floor, of her shop in
Bruton Street, London.
DETAILED DESIGNS
Although marquetry is used at the lower
end of the market, perhaps for small
accessories, games boards and simple
detailing in furniture, the skill required
for more complex pieces means it remains
a luxury item. “Marquetry as an art form
has long been used to decorate the most
elaborate interiors and objects, with only
the wealthiest patrons in any era being
able to commission the marquetry artist,”
explains Louise Sansome, director of
Aryma. “The skills required to design and
make marquetry are practised
professionally by few and mastered by
fewer still,” she adds. Although laser
cutting has helped make the cutting
process quicker and easier, as well as
allowing the use of very thin veneers, it
still takes expertise to design a piece of
marquetry. Michael Noah, senior designer
at Linley, who use marquetry extensively,
reveals that “it can take months to get
a design right.” This is because the final
result is dependant upon the choice of
timbers and sometimes the colours or
grains may not be quite right. “We have
to keep checking with the supplier [of the
timbers] to check the woods match what
we envisage,” he explains. Tim Gosling,
who uses marquetry on some of his
furniture, and trained with both David
Linley and craftsman Jack Wild who
made all the marquetry work on the
Queen Mary and Orient Express,
elaborates on this. “Making sure that you
have enough contrast between the woods
being placed next to each other is critical
as the design will disappear if the woods
are too tonally close.” With over sixty
timbers to choose from, Gosling reveals
that “you really have to know each wood
tone like the back of your hand.”
CHOICE OF CUT
Noah reveals that each piece of veneer has
to be carefully rotated to get the right grain
direction and that when it is cut each line
has to be offset so that there is not a knife
or laser mark. “Each laser has, for example
a millimetre cut so there would be gaps, like
grout marks, so to have no gaps we make
sure each piece is perfectly aligned – so one
piece is cut on one side and the other
would be cut the other way so they fit
together seamlessly.”
For Noah it is this level of detail that
“marks the difference between cheaper
marquetry and something quite special”
and although hand cutting can be used,
and Linley previously used this method,
Noah recognises the advantage of laser
cutting is that “our clients want perfection
and we want our products to be beautifully
engineered and with lasers you get much
more intricate and really fine detailing.”
Laser cutting can leave a burn line. Gosling
says this can be embraced as a strength;
helping to achieve contrast and outline. THE ENGLISH HOME 77
Specialist Subject
LEFT A private
commission by Archer
and Smith for a
gentleman who
wanted it as an
anniversary gift for his
wife. The scene is
based upon an antique
tapestry. The natural
grains of the veneers
help affect the scene,
as well as some dyed
veneers to add colour
to the cherry blossom.
RIGHT Also by Archer
and Smith, this cabinet
inspired by the work of
Gustav Klimt, shows
a more contemporary
application of
marquetry. Again
natural and dyed
veneers have been
used, along with
mother of pearl. Prices
for each on application.
MODERN MATERIALS
Audritt comments that other materials
can be used to complement timbers:
“Mother of pearl, metals and ebony are
readily available and there are
plastic-based substitutes to ivory and
tortoiseshell. With this range of materials
marquetry can suit modern furniture and
decor.” Louise Sansome of Aryma echoes
this, speaking of their bespoke and rather
78 THE ENGLISH HOME
accurately, since each island and the piece
of veneer they fit into have to be cut
precisely so that no gap exists. The
finished piece is given a final lacquer seal,
although Noah adds that “we do not like
to lacquer too much, unless for special
commissions, as we still want the texture
and feel of the timber to be present.” It is
the enduring combination of the natural
allure of wood combined with the refined
and specialised craftsmanship and artistry
that continues to make marquetry a highly
desirable addition to smart interiors. ■
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
These marquetry artisans can restore
antiques and produce bespoke items
Hatfields, based in London, specialises in the
restoration and conservation of furniture,
including producing and restoring brass
marquetry (also known as boulle).
Tel 020 7622 8169 or visit
www.hatfieldsrestoration.com
Heritage Inlay Design supplies marquetry
designs to furniture makers, woodworking
professionals, and architectural projects.
Located in Brighton, they use both
traditional and modern methods of design
and production.
Tel 01273 506080 or visit
www.heritageinlay.com
Jonathan Charles Fine Furniture, of Hoyland
in South Yorkshire, crafts beautiful traditional
pieces of furniture, from umbrella stands to
bureaus, and practices hand-cut marquetry in
various materials.
Tel 01226 741811 or visit
www.jonathancharles.com
FOR WHERE TO BUY SEE ADDRESS BOOK
FEATURE KATY GREEN
However, when cutting by hand Gosling
commissions craftsmen who can achieve
this effect with sand burning. This method
uses hot sand to shade the edges, “which
gives me as the designer a huge pallete to
create something amazing – it is almost like
sketching with woods.” Other
considerations for choosing laser or hand
cutting can include the type of wood.
Rob Audritt, director of Archer and Smith
who use marquetry for decorative detailing
on their cabinetry, explains that “when
hand cutting, veneer choice becomes much
more important as woods like ebony and
satinwood are very dense and hard to cut.”
contemporary
commissions that use
coloured veneers, which
are “pressure dyed, rather
than being soaked in
chemicals, which we
prefer as they are more
consistent having first
been bleached to remove any natural base
colour. They can be re-ordered years later
in the same colour.” Using coloured
veneers offers more scope for creative
designs and particularly oriental and
exotic inspired pieces benefit from
coloured inlays. “It can bring to mind
early Chinese and Japanese lacquerware,”
says Sansome. However, natural veneers
can be utilised to give a desired effect and
Michael Noah explains that “if you were
trying to mimic the sea, for example, you
would use something with a natural ripple
and let the timber do the work for you.”
Once the design has been finalised and
the veneers cut, each piece is delicately
put together, “rather like a jigsaw,” says
Audritt. It is then pressed onto a substrate,
which may be a large scale panel, such as
the floor-to-ceiling panels of falling
autumn leaves created by Aryma for
Mulberry stores, or, Linley’s speciality,
a small but exquisite humidor. Linley has
even created a map of the world, with
each country using a timber native to that
region. Even tiny islands are included,
which were painstaking to cut out