At one end of a workshop in Acton, a luminous and squash-shaped dome is in the process of being regilded along with a small army of miniature ones. These architectural embellishments, from the roof of a Sikh temple in Birmingham, will require 30,000 sheets of gold leaf over the course of their restoration – a project likely to take three months. ‘Every piece that comes to us is different,’ says Rod Titian, who, along with his wife Rosaria, runs Titian Studios, which specialises in decorative finishes and the restoration of fine furniture.
Interior designers Guy Goodfellow and Veere Grenney are clients, as is the antique dealer Tarquin Bilgen. Private individuals who have furniture in need of restoration are also welcome. The studio’s appeal lies in its multidisciplinary approach: the seven-strong workshop covers everything from gilding and lacquer restoration to carving and French polishing. ‘Our workshop manager Wagner Sangalli is a rare breed who can make anything happen – he’s a colourist, historian and lacquerwork specialist all at once,’ says Rod, whose own skills lie in carving and gilding.
Rod’s father, Salvatore, founded Titian Studios in 1963, setting up a workshop at his house in Holland Park, W11. Salvatore had moved to England in 1958 from his native Italy, where he had been working in a perfume factory in Capri. Not long afterwards, an introduction to John Fowler led to a job in the restoration studio at Sibyl Colefax & John Fowler. Salvatore eventually became the studio’s manager, before setting up on his own.
‘Growing up, there were truckloads of pieces arriving at the house from places like Mallett Antiques,’ recalls Rod. ‘From the age of 14 onwards, I would float down from my bedroom to help out.’ He went on to study design at the London College of Furniture, and later apprenticed with another restorer, before returning to Titian Studios as a trained carver and gilder.
Rosaria Minetti, a family friend, took a summer job there when she was an 18-year-old art student. ‘I was put on “lacquer watch”, which came to me naturally as I’m very particular and patient,’ she says. She also realised that watching paint – or at least lacquer – dry was a preferable way to make a living than painting. Rosaria and Rod became a couple and, in time, they took over from Salvatore, moving to their current workshop in 2011.
Some of their projects are on an impressive scale: they regilded the Prince Albert Memorial nine years ago and carved and gilded furniture for one of London’s largest private residences in Highgate. Among the most remarkable pieces Rod has worked on was a 17th-century gilt bronze and pietra dura cabinet by Domenico Cucci – one of just three known pieces by the Italian artist. ‘When it came apart, it was like looking at a skeleton until we re-dressed it,’ he recalls. But the studio also restores smaller pieces, be it French polishing a tilt-top table or replacing the missing leg of an 18th-century armchair. In these cases, Rosaria says the work is more restoration than conservation: they aim to repair and conceal damage so the piece can be used regularly.
The market for antiques has changed considerably since Salvatore set up Titian Studios. ‘People aren’t buying 17th- and 18th-century pieces like they used to,’ explains Rosaria. Fewer purchases inevitably means fewer pieces coming in for restoration, so the workshop has branched out to offer other services. Specialist finishes now account for 40 per cent of its work, including recent projects at Annabel’s and L’Oscar Hotel in London. Techniques such as verre églomisé and crackle gesso are particularly popular choices for floor-to-ceiling wall panels, as is gilding for bathroom ceilings. The studio also produces new furniture in collaboration with interior designers such as Rui Ribeiro, often inspired by antique pieces. ‘People come to us because they know we can take on almost anything,’ says Rosaria. ‘Our background is in restoring, but we also understand the importance of colour, finishes and the art of matching’.
