A Renewed Life for an Original Acklen Sofa

An original Acklen sofa, which was exhibited in an upstairs bedroom, recently underwent restoration to its historical appearance. The sofa was part of a larger grouping of which only two other pieces survive.  Produced in a French style of the late 1860s, the sofa was likely made in New York.   

During its lifetime massive changes occurred to the sofa which changed the original finish and upholstery. With ongoing work in the Billiard Room, the sofa required full restoration. I removed the crushed velvet upholstery. Next, I stripped the cherry wood frame of layers of heavy varnish. This revealed areas that retained traces of an original black finish and traces of gilding in the incised carving. This evidence brought me to the conclusion that the sofa originally had a black ebonized finish, accented by gold leaf typical of the era.  With these findings, I recommended the original finish be restored.  Grace Abernethy, a specialist in historic finishes, accomplished this goal.  

Damask was a common fabric choice for 18th century French sofas and 19th century copies.  Our restoration utilizes a light blue figured damask, an appearance that the Acklens would have recognized. Come see this remarkable piece.