It all started with an email that Listry received.
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From Tokyo, Mr. N
Request for remaking and modifying period furniture
Listry Dear Customer,
Thank you for your assistance.
I am thinking of remaking a Japanese chest of drawers that is about 90 years old into a chest of drawers.
We would like to contact you to determine whether remake work is possible based on the following details.
1) I would like it to be remade into a new, smaller chest of drawers using smaller drawers.
2) Since I live in Tokyo, I would like to send the actual item to your company.
3) We will leave the basic design of the chest up to you.
4) I would like it to be made using the teak wood used on the front of the chest of drawers.
5) I would like the paint to be finished with a French polish using shellac.
I apologize for bothering you during your busy schedule, but I would appreciate your consideration.
- The Beginning -
思いをカタチに
The photo on the left shows the base, lower section, and upper section of a Japanese chest of drawers, in that order.
There are many different types of chests, and the desired style is usually the guideline for steering the design forward. However, the customer who wanted to remake the chest did not just want to "remake it because he wanted a chest," but wanted a "remake that would give it the feel of a Japanese chest of drawers," so they chose a chest of drawers, a familiar piece of furniture that can be used on an everyday basis.
The most important thing for us to consider in this design is,
"A design that gives form to ideas, not to uses"
Our goal is to create furniture that retains its original appearance as much as possible, that becomes more beautiful with each use, and that is worthy of being used to record the long history of the product and the new history and memories that lie ahead.
Listry's specialty is the British furniture style, which offers timeless furniture design and quality that can be used for 50 or even 100 years.
In response to the customer's request, we would like to apply an authentic antique paint finish called "French Polish" that will give the piece a lustrous, deep finish that will change over time.
...Little by little, my thoughts are taking shape.
 台輪 |  下置 |
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 下置抽斗 |  上置 |
 上置抽斗 |
- 古家具との対峙 -
長年西洋アンティーク家具の修復に携わってきたリストリーですが、これまでに数多くの和製時代家具修理も手掛けてきました。今回はそんな和製アンティーク家具の代名詞とも言える和箪笥リメイクをご紹介。
両サイド・天板・内部は全て杉材で組んであり、正面枠・引き出し・台輪はチーク材で構成されておりました。
青く錆びついた取っ手金具、固く回らなくなった鍵からは長年使い込まれてきた趣を感じます。
これら全てを一度解体し、箱となっている杉材を撤去、正面と抽斗に使われているチーク材のみを使用して再度チェストを構築します。
古いチーク材が本当に再利用できるのか、新規木材を使うならばどのように使うか、よく吟味しなくてはなりません。
The theme is "reuse and recycling" of existing teak wood
約90年間、幾度となく訪れた日本の四季。暑さと湿度、寒さと乾燥を長年乗り越えた木材はどの様な状態なのでしょうか。見ていきましょう。
外装塗装は、オリジナルの薄いニス塗装の上からウレタン塗装の様な塗膜を近年塗った跡があり、塗装劣化で表面がベタつき、変色しています。
正面の抽斗や枠に使われているチーク材は乾燥しきって導管が開き、本来持つ油分が感じられないものの、酷いヒビ割れや大きな歪みもなく流石は頑丈な木材だけあって「整えれば使える。」そんな印象でした。
木材の状態は乾燥や歪みだけではありません。
写真の様に、全ての木材の寸法をとり、製材せずに「リメイクに使える木材」を選定したいのですが、その値は思った以上に不揃いでした。
使いたいチーク材の幅・高さ・厚み、どこをとっても見事に揃わない。
例えば、幅120㎝の引出しの左木厚が14mmとするならば、右木厚が9mm。
…え？9mm!?
古家具の醍醐味ですね。 さて、どう構成していこうか。
Aging of old wood and cutting accuracy
- "Japanese + Western" design -
0から作るオーダーメイド家具のデザインとは違い、リメイクならではの面影を残したデザインを提案
正面の木材・組み木作りを残しつつ、全体を小さくコンパクトに、華奢になりすぎず、重たくなりすぎず、装飾は控えめに、シンプルだけれどクラシカルを感じられるスタイル…
お客様のご希望と大まかなアイディアを元に、ベースとなるカタチを決めていきます。
左のラフ図面は足元のデザインを選択頂いた際の実際の絵です。
和ダンスの台輪部分を加工し、Ａ）チェストの脚とするスタイル、
Ｂ）台輪そのままの形状で縮小、和箪笥の面影が強く残ります。
Ｃ）台輪を弓形にカットし、面影を残しつつクラシカルな雰囲気に。
ご提案の中から、お好みのスタイルを選択して頂きました。
The customer contacted us in February of this year (15').
Once I received your email, I immediately contacted you.
This Japanese chest of drawers was made about 90 years ago, at the turning point when the Taisho era was transitioning into the Showa era, and has been treasured by relatives for a long time, and passed down to the present day.
This furniture, which has lived through what are known as "turbulent" times and witnessed history, is being reborn in a form and style that suits the times, so that it will continue to be loved by our customers.
What we at Listry do best is "giving shape to your ideas..."
We will deliver a wonderful remake story that will allow you to tell the story between you and your furniture forever.
A Japanese chest of drawers that survived the turbulent times of the 1920s
REMAKE STORY
« Chest - Remaking a Japanese Chest of Drawers »
完成の極み
RESTORY [ Furniture Restoration Story ]
 和箪笥リメイク｜タンスからチェストへ |  和箪笥リメイク｜改造前 |
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At last, the "Japanese Chest of Drawers - Chest Remake" has appeared.
This appearance is unimaginable from Japanese chests of drawers of the past.
The elegant teak wood of the Japanese chest of drawers is combined with the fresh white wood of the cherry , giving the furniture itself an awkward expression, as if it has not yet settled in.
There is a large keyhole mark in the center and small handle holes remaining on either side.
It removes dirt that has accumulated over the years and heals damaged skin.
With new furniture, it's time to start afresh and give it a makeover.
- The beauty of skilled woodworking -
Once the design is decided, production begins.
First, we dismantle all the parts and remove the rusty nails one by one.
When cutting pieces of wood to the required size, if the blade hits a nail it will chip, so this is an important step .
The blinds on the front retain the appearance of a Japanese chest of drawers, and the drawers are cut on both sides around the large keyhole, reducing the difference in thickness between the left and right sides.
The bottom of the drawers is also made of plywood to increase its strength, and the box is assembled so that all of this is covered in newly prepared cherry wood.
It's easy to say, but from a craftsman's perspective, there's nothing more troublesome.
These are not brand new pieces of wood. They are made from nearly 100-year-old pieces of wood, and reconstructed without a 1mm misalignment, a feat only possible by a skilled craftsman.
The table top is made of 30mm solid cherry wood with carved decoration along the bottom edge.
The carved decoration on the drawers brings out the look of existing Japanese chests of drawers.
The craftsmanship of the artisans takes shape
 和箪笥リメイク｜工房での製材風景 |
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 和箪笥リメイク｜本体構成 |
 和箪笥リメイク｜材木選定 |
- Re: Makeup -
French polish painting is not a colored paint like the paints listed above,
It is made by combining the "light and dark of the wood" + "stain for the wood" + "shellac color."
There are two types of wood colors targeted this time: the dark color of the teak of the existing chest of drawers and the fresh light color of the new wood. If the wood has different light and dark colors, we will adjust them by dyeing the wood.
In addition, we use different colors of shellac (for example, dark garnet and light super bronze) to make subtle color adjustments to ensure uniform shades.
It is only thanks to our many years of experience and expertise that such fine adjustments are possible.
In order to allow customers to select the best "color" they prefer, we create sample boards using actual wood over a period of approximately 10 days.
We had the participants see and touch the actual French polished finish before making their selection.
There are many different types of paint used on furniture depending on the purpose and era, including lacquer, which has been loved for Japanese furniture since ancient times, urethane paint, which creates a strong coating today, and oil paint (oil finish) that makes use of the natural wood grain.
However, when renovating a Japanese chest of drawers, we do not use the common paints mentioned above.
The biggest feature of this “remake” is that period furniture made in Japan is given the traditional European painting technique of French polish* .
French polish uses shellac, also known as Western lacquer, and is applied in thin layers to create a beautiful layer of light that is unique to antique furniture.
"Japanese woodwork" + "Western painting" - the harmony of techniques and skills cultivated in different cultures creates extremely rare and valuable works of art that have never been seen before.
"Polishing" traditional painting technique
Decide on a color
リストリーアンティーク 梅本様
お世話になっております。
サンプルの色見本、到着しました。
素晴らしいものをありがとうございます。
長く見ていると、独特な輝きが見えて来て、
いつまで見ても飽きの来ない色合いです。
完成するのが楽しみです。
 和箪笥リメイク｜チェスト｜染色 | 和箪笥リメイク｜タンスからチェストへ | 和箪笥リメイク｜タンスリメイク前 |
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The expression of "I can't fit in" changed completely, and the awkwardness disappeared.
What you see is "a single piece of furniture."
The large keyhole in the center was filled with the same wood.
The entire piece is stained in mahogany, a color representative of antiques.
Let it dry thoroughly for a few days...
Now it's time to finish it off with French polish.
It takes about three months from receiving your order to completion.
Who would have imagined that it was originally a Japanese-style chest of drawers?
The brass handles give the chest a dignified appearance.
The glossy, deep coating has the alluring beauty that is characteristic of antique furniture.
It has been about 100 years since the Japanese chest of drawers was first introduced to the world .
Embodied with the thoughts of the maker and the history of the user, it will shine once again in the hands of new users today.
What did you think of this amazing remake story brought to you by Listry?
"French polishing for Japanese furniture remodeling"
Unique to Listry
It is a work that "gives form to my thoughts."
100%天然素材で仕上げられるフレンチポリッシュは約1ヶ月以上かけて、ミクロ単位で少しずつ塗膜を重ね、幾重にもなる光の屈折を作りだすことで、深く妖艶に輝きます。
古くよりヴァイオリン等の楽器塗装にも用いられ、現在では薬や菓子などのコーティングにも使われています。
塗装方法も独特で、刷毛やスプレー等、一般的な塗装道具は必要としません。使うのは布と綿、溶剤としてアルコールを使います。基本的にはそれだけです。 *詳しくは「フレンチポリッシュ、三種の神器」をご覧ください。
左の写真は最初の工程、ステインを落としてムラにならないよう慎重にポリッシュをかけていきます。上２つの引出しは塗る前の状態です。
この時に、ある程度導管を埋めますが、後にチーク材の油分を補填したいので、オープンポアに留めます。
A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step
Two months have passed since we received the request, and we are finally approaching the climax of the remake, but unfortunately it is raining.
The amount of rainfall in the first half of April this year (15') was the highest ever, more than seven times that of last year. Natural paint, which is naturally vulnerable to humidity, was stopped during this time.
"I can't say that."
In order to deliver the product in the best condition on time for our customers who are looking forward to it, we closed the workroom and ran the dryer at full capacity. We also brought out the dryer from home and kept an eye on the thermometer and hygrometer. The ideal humidity for painting is 60% at worst, and if you apply multiple coats of polish at a humidity level higher than that, it will absorb moisture and become cloudy.
Whenever the weather improves, we work night after night until the early hours of the morning, and whenever it rains again, we have to struggle with the humidity.
The cherry blossoms have completely fallen , and with the fresh breeze blowing, work is nearing its final stages.
The rain in the first half of the month was almost a lie, as two weeks of dry, sunny weather continued, and the French polishing was finally completed at the beginning of May.
Finally, natural wax is used to gently smooth the shiny shine back to a matte finish, and the "Japanese chest of drawers remake," which took three months to complete.
While crying in the April rain
左未塗装、右７日目
天板に程よい艶がでているが、まだ反射は少ない。
「抽斗」・・・ 塗っては磨き、磨いては削るを繰り返す事200以上
「全体」・・・ 塗っては磨き、磨いては削るを繰り返す事200以上
本体の左側側面、艶が増し、鏡面仕上げに近づく。
天板は側面以上に回数を増やし、深い艶を形成。15daysの写真と比べると別物に。
右側面、まだ反射が鈍い。更なる磨きをかけて最終段階へ。
WAXをかけて完成
052-734-6968
CONTACT
Consultation and estimates are free of charge.
Please feel free to contact us.
- Completed/Inherited furniture -
 和箪笥リメイク｜チェスト｜真鍮金具 | 和箪笥リメイク｜チェスト｜塗装 | 和箪笥リメイク｜タンスからチェストへ |
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和箪笥リメイク｜タンス改造前 |
