Antique Furniture Restoration Expertise – Simon Lorkin

Traditional French Polishing and restoration skills for clients in France, Surrey, Sussex and the South East of England.

“I realised early on that my dyslexia meant that I was never destined for a desk job and found my passion during the only lesson that I really enjoyed at school – woodwork”.

So I trained at the London College of Furniture (now part of the London Metropolitan Univeristy) for two years and The little Surrenden Workshops for one year learning the finer details of conservation work.

I then started my business in 1991 at the age of 21 in the picturesque village of Shere near Guildford in Surrey. My workshop stayed at same location in the picturesque countryside for 13 years until June 2004 when Sabina, my wife and I moved our home, workshop and two sons to Normandy in Northern France.

I now have a larger secure workshop on our property about 35 metres from our house. It has separate storage areas on the first floor is light and airy downstairs. I have extended the workshop to create even more storage for veneers, wood and all the other items I need to carry out my work.

I now organise my trips back to England to coincide with several items of furniture being ready for delivery and book appointments to visit old and new customers alike to see their antique items and estimate on restoration work. We are all loving the French lifestyle and I still love restoring antiques.

“In 2021 I will be celebrating the milestone of having run my own Antique Restoration and French Polishing business in both Shere, Surrey and now Normandy in France for over a THIRTY YEARS.”

“I’m thrilled to have been awarded two highly respected titles here in France. I’m now a “Maître Artisan” (Master Craftsman) for my restoration work & also a “Maitre Artisan d’Art” (Master Craftsman of Art) for my painted wood effect for classic car dashboards.