Our Story
Original Marquetry Limited is a proud family-run business with deep Italian roots, specialising in antique marquetry. Our journey began in Italy with Giovanni founding the company, and in 1994, he and Maria established our company in England. Today, we stand as one of the UK’s leading marquetry and wood veneer suppliers.
With three generations and over five decades of marquetry expertise spanning Italy, the USA, and the UK, we take pride in our exceptional service and intricate marquetry inlay designs. Our adroitness in antique marquetry reproductions and restorations is unparalleled.
We’ve had the pleasure of working on a variety of projects, both big and small. From collaborating with interior designers on aircraft interiors, hotel receptions, luxury hotel meeting rooms, fashion house displays, and marine craft interiors to handling restoration and reproduction projects, our dedication to quality shines through. Some of our smaller, personal projects feature personalised inlay for jewellery boxes lids or miniature inlays with astonishing detail, even smaller than a 5 pence coin.
Thank you for being part of our story!
Bespoke Marquetry
Styles include Classic Marquetry, French Marquetry, English Marquetry, Boulle Marquetry, Seaweed Marquetry, Arabesque Marquetry and Contemporary Marquetry.
All our marquetry panels and inlays are handcrafted in-house. They follow the antique tradition using professional and traditional woodworking methods such as, fretsaw machine cutting and sand shading to achieve the finest details, without the need of a CNC laser cutting machine. Use Original Marquetry Ltd for your finishing touch and handmade traditionality!
In addition to our standard range, Original Marquetry Ltd can collaborate or assist with specially commissioned one-off designs including bespoke marquetry panels for:
• Interior Designers
• Furniture Manufacturers
• Clock Makers
• Marquetry for Grandfather Clocks
• Cabinet Makers
• Shop Fittings
• Marine Crafts Interiors
• Car Interiors
• Aircraft Interiors
• Marquetry Restorations
• Marquetry Reproductions
• Fretwork
• Logos
• Personalised Bespoke Gifts
The Process
This is a general process relating to marquetry panels, it may vary, depending on project specifics.
Design
Every project starts with a design, whether it’s one of ours or provided by you.
Materials
We collect the chosen the materials, generally being wood veneers but sometimes can comprise of brass, mother of pearl or abalone.
Cutting
The design is cut in-house and without the use of a CNC laser machine.
Assembling
Details such as sand shading may be added. Next, the cut pieces are carefully assembled by hand and held together using veneer tape. Wood filler is then applied.
Delivery
We carefully package our bespoke marquetry and upon receipt, we recommend unpacking and storing the panels in a cool, dry place. Keep them flat and (if possible) under a weight/press or in clamps until ready for use.
Gluing
We usually provide the marquetry layon only. Therefore, the customer would complete the following: The veneer tape side is to be glued uppermost (facing up) and so visible. Once the glue is dry, the veneer tape can be removed by slightly dampening the tape and carefully rubbing it off with a scraper.
Let’s talk!
Got a question?… Maybe our FAQs can help! If you’re looking for a quote or need any further information, please get in touch.
Do we have a shop?
Our shop operates via mail order, but we do offer order collections.
If you are local and wish to collect your order, please wait for us to contact you to confirm when it’s ready and when to collect. This way, you’ll know everything is ready before you travel to us.