Over Twenty-five years of experience
John Fowler opened the doors of his Grey Lynn workshop in the 90's - and has spent the intervening quarter-century at the same bench, quietly repairing, re-finishing and rescuing antique furniture brought to him from around Aotearoa.
Crafted with care.
Most pieces passing through the workshop were already well-made. The job, more often than not, is to listen - to understand how a thing was joined, what it wants to become again, and where to leave well alone.
John works across antique, vintage and bespoke furniture: small repairs, full structural overhauls, veneer and polish work. Finishes are traditional - shellac and french polish, built up by hand over days, not hours.
Loose drawers, wobbly tables, filling and patching. The kind of quiet repairs a good piece wants before it starts its next chapter.
Enquire →When a piece needs more than a touch-up. Structural work, careful disassembly, and a new lease of life - leaving it as good as the day it was made.
Enquire →Many fine pieces of the 20th century wear a french polish finish. It takes skilled hands to repair its unique nature without losing years of patina.
Enquire →