Our Product & Service Features

Handcrafted Furniture
At Residence we pay great attention to detail. Unlike much of the furniture sold today every piece of our furniture is individually hand crafted using traditional cabinet making skills and techniques passed down over the generations.

Click here to go to Customisation Options page

Features include:

• Hand made joints, including interlocking mortice and tenon joints on chairs and dovetail joints in drawers
• Individually fitted drawers with hand carved runners that slide effortlessly
• Hand carved decoration and marquetry highlighting many pieces
• Hand finishing of all interior and exterior surfaces
  

Finest Hardwoods
Our furniture is made from the finest quality cabinet timbers including:

• Rosewood
• Teak
• American Mahogany
• American Cherry
• Kwila
• American White Oak
• American Red Oak
• Walnut

All our timber is carefully kiln cured with steam to remove natural oils and other moisture. After removal from the kiln the timber is further air-dried before furniture making commences.

The end result is timber with a moisture content of seven to eight per cent, which maintains the natural beauty of the wood and helps prevent movement in all types of climate.

To find out more about the woods we use click here.

Unique Natural Lacquer for Beauty and Protection
Up to 10 coats of lacquer, a natural product collected from the Lac tree, are applied to highlight the beauty of the wood and protect surfaces from marking and damage.

The Lac tree is indigenous to China and the natural lacquer is collected by tapping the tree, in much the same way as rubber is collected. It is not the same as the material known as shellac, which is used in French polishing.

The finishing process begins with the application by hand of up to three coats to the open grain surface of the wood with each layer being cured in a special humidified room before being sanded, again by hand, ready for the next coat. Up to seven finish coats of lacquer are then applied to achieve the beautiful gloss finish that is a hallmark of our furniture.

The finished surface is hard and strong. It is highly resistant to heat and liquids making it ideally suited to dining, bedside, living room and entertainment furniture in particular.

Wood Colour Finishes
In addition to the beautiful natural colour of the individual woods our furniture pieces are available in a range of tinted lacquers including dark mahogany, walnut, wenge, pearl black and Chinese red.

If you are looking to purchase furniture that matches the colour of pieces you already own we suggest you bring a small piece (e.g. a drawer) to compare our colours or alternatively, we are happy to loan one of our colour samples for you to take home to compare with your furniture.

We are happy to discuss colour matching for commercial and substantial residential commissions.

Quality Fittings
To further enhance the quality, appearance and reliability of our furniture we use only fine quality European and American cabinet hardware in brass and stainless steel for all our fittings including latches, pulls, handles and fully concealed hinges.

You also have the option of purchasing your own handles, knobs and pulls elsewhere and having us fit them to your furniture.

Our Wide Range Of Furniture
Our range of standard furniture pieces in classic, contemporary and oriental designs and styles includes:

• Beds
• Bedside chests and nightstands
• Drawer chests
• Dressers
• Stools and bed benches
• Mirrors – wall, cheval, mantle and chest and dresser top
• Armoires
• Sideboards and buffets
• Dining tables
• Coffee tables
• Console and hall tables
• Etageres
• End tables
• Wine and tea tables
• Tables for games, including cards and mah jong
• Drop-leaf and gate-leg tables
• Table nests or sets
• Dining chairs
• Lounge chairs
• Office chairs
• Desks
• Bookcases, filing and display cabinets
• Library steps
• Home entertainment units

In addition to the many pieces in the above ranges that are suitable for commercial situations we also offer furniture specifically designed for professional and other commercial situations including:

• Boardroom and meeting room tables
• Complementary sideboards and bookcases
• Boardroom, executive, and office chairs
• Furniture for receptions and other public areas
  

We are also very happy to discuss with you custom making furniture for commercial and substantial residential commissions.