Central Restoration Workshop, Berlin

Conservation of furniture, archaeological objects, sculptures, paintings, murals, etc., refers to the preservation of the current condition of the object. The goal of conservation is to halt and prevent the deterioration or permanent damage of a cultural asset. The term encompasses all measures or procedures that examine, document, preserve, or make legible the authenticity of the artworks in question, taking into account their history and age. The artworks must not be irreversibly altered in the process.

Quite simply, a conservation measure would be, for example, the re-gluing and stabilization of a wobbly chair.

In addition to the conservation of furniture, wood & furniture restorers work with wooden objects and installed woodwork. In heritage conservation, among other things, wall paneling, parquet floors, choir stalls, sacristies, windows and doors, etc., are also conserved.

What does preventive conservation mean?

Preventive conservation, in contrast to restoring or reconstructing, is understood as creating an optimal environment without intervention in the material of the furniture or cultural property. This includes measures for the storage of objects, maintaining constant climate values, relative humidity, and ambient temperature. Attention is paid to low pollutant and light emissions and appropriate room hygiene conditions. Through preventive conservation, restorations can be minimized or avoided. Artworks are protected from damage through preventive conservation, and deterioration is prevented.

Restoration cannot be prevented.

Restoration does not mean making something new again. An old condition is restored. In restoration, there are various specialized fields oriented toward the artworks to be restored, or toward the materials used and the techniques applied. “Restoration” defines the promotion of the object through all actions such as perception, appreciation, and understanding. Corresponding measures are only carried out when an artwork has lost parts of its function or meaning.

Fundamentally, the original and its history, as well as reversibility, must be respected. The replacement of decorations and the reassembly of a legless table through additions and/or reconstructions are two examples of restoration.

Conservation vs. Restoration:

In contrast to conservation—preservation—restoration encompasses all strategies by restorers to stabilize the condition of an artwork. It also aims to slow the occurrence of future damage. Among other things, cleaning can be carried out as a conservation measure. Additionally, there are interventions that can encompass both conservation and restoration, such as the application of a varnish coating, the deacidification of paper, or the desalination of ceramics.

The Code of Ethics is internationally valid, setting out the guidelines for restoration and conservation.

I received my first practical training as a wood and furniture restorer during my apprenticeship as a cabinetmaker in Vienna. This was followed by two years of internship in a restoration workshop for furniture and wooden objects in Munich. I then successfully completed my studies as a qualified restorer (university degree) at the Chair for Restoration, Art Technology and Conservation Science at the Technical University of Munich.

During the holidays of my nine-semester degree, I completed several internships abroad, including at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London and at the National Museums Liverpool.

After my studies, I worked as a volunteer at the Deutsches Museum in Munich. I then worked for several years as a freelance restorer in the greater Munich area before moving to the Rathgen Research Laboratory—National Museums in Berlin.

Since March 2012, I have been the owner and CEO of “ZRW – Zentrale Restaurierungswerkstatt Berlin.”
I have decades of experience in the named areas of responsibility as well as the corresponding educational qualifications to restore and treat your object in a scientifically sound manner.

Within the framework of professional affiliations with the Association of Restorers, I feel committed to professional ethical responsibility, including the code of ethics of international restorer disciplines, the Venice Charter. It dates from 1964 and is regarded as the central, internationally recognized guideline in heritage conservation. It establishes central values and procedures for the conservation and restoration of monuments.

The professional profile of the restorer requires predominantly scientific, material-technological, art-historical, as well as artistic training. Manual aptitude is a fundamental prerequisite here.

As active local heritage and monument conservators, we work both in our region and nationally, and we advocate with determination for sensible preservation with professional responsibility toward our cultural heritage.

Expectations regarding the results of restoration are high. In many cases, clients expect restorers to give the treated objects a like-new appearance or for a clear “before-and-after effect” to occur. However, that is not the intention of professional restoration. Good restoration remains largely invisible. Restoring does not mean “making new,” contrary to what the Latin term “restaurare” might suggest.

Restoration goes beyond conservation measures. Restoration involves direct intervention on cultural property. In doing so, its aesthetic, historical, and physical properties are respected as far as possible. It may involve making additions or reconstructions that must remain subordinate to the historic object.

For a restorer of furniture and wood, the first prerequisite is the learned trade—cabinetmaker or joiner—as the professional ethical foundation. Subsequently, during academic study, the restorer learns the scientific approach to professional restoration. Quality criteria and guidelines are derived from professional standards and the guidelines of the Association of Restorers.

The criteria of heritage conservation are more narrowly defined than those of privately practicing restorers.

Anyone expecting professional restoration should consult a qualified restorer. Unfortunately, “restorer” is not a protected designation in Germany. Anyone may carry out restoration, even without professional ethics or expertise. In the event of disputes over the outcome of the work, only civil court can provide assistance.

“Furniture restoration” is the correct term when one expects a restorer to conserve and preserve high-quality antique furniture or modern designer furniture. Professional furniture restoration, with the greatest possible preservation of the original material, is carried out by a specialized professional restorer for furniture and wooden objects. Most furniture restorers are trained as cabinetmakers or joiners—specialists in woodworking and processing. This is often followed by academic study to qualify as a Restorer (B.A.) or Restorer (M.A.).

Of course, not only furniture is restored. The field of restoration includes the conservation and complete restoration of historic and modern cultural property.

To be fair, however, it must also be said that the professional title “restorer” is not protected, with the exception of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania (Restorer Act of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania). There are therefore various ways to work as a restorer in Germany, even without specialized knowledge. It is therefore always advisable—even if a professionally sound restoration is not exactly inexpensive—to entrust your valuable historical furniture or precious designer furniture to a certified restorer (university degree) or a certified restorer (Fh) (OLD DEGREE) or a Restorer (B.Sc.) or Restorer (M.Sc.) (CURRENT DEGREE). This degree is earned at various universities, designates the holder as a Restorer (B.Sc.) or Restorer (M.Sc.), and is typically used alongside the person’s name to highlight their professional expertise.

In contrast to today’s professionally correct terminology, most laypeople often speak of “furniture restoration,” which is not educationally correct! The term “restoration” today has nothing to do with the conservation and restoration of high-quality antique objects.

… and restoration

“Restoration,” in contrast to restoring, is a historical term. In historical scholarship, it means the re-establishment of a former political state or a former form of government. In the years 1815–1830, we had the Age of Restoration. These were the years following the Congress of Vienna. Geographically, the term is limited to the federal states of the German Confederation, which was founded at the Congress of Vienna in 1815.

The era of the Vormärz and the minor French Revolution was characterized politically by the emergence of liberalism and nationalism in a climate of persecution and oppression. The strongest force behind the idea of restoration was the powers of the so-called Holy Alliance, which included Prussia, Russia, and Austria.

A “restauration” still refers, or once again refers, to a restaurant or inn. In gastronomy, too, the Latin term “restaurare” is used for the “restoration of physical strength” or “refreshment.” This is also where the word restaurant derives from. Increasingly, restaurateurs use the word restauration to emphasize the actual purpose of a restaurant visit—refreshment and revitalization—and to invoke tradition.

In France, a restaurateur is understood to be the owner of a restaurant, the innkeeper, or a gastronome. This word is still in common use.