✦
Where Artistry Begins
Gilding is the craft of laying real metal leaf, gold, silver or copper, onto a surface so it glows like solid metal. Zavoré gilds walls and ceilings, picks out cornice and mouldings, gilds and restores mirrors, frames and furniture, and lays gold leaf lettering and signs, all by hand.
Gold or silver leaf feature walls, ceilings, domes and alcoves, and gilded backgrounds for hand painted murals and chinoiserie.
Cornice, ceiling roses, panel mouldings, columns and corbels picked out in gold or silver leaf. See our plaster cornice and mouldings.
New gilding on mirrors, picture frames, furniture and objects, and careful restoration of worn or damaged gilding.
Gold leaf lettering on boards and glass for shop fronts, restaurants, offices and house names.
Gold or silver detail on bas relief and sculptural plaster, so the light catches the raised edges.
Leaf over Venetian plaster or alongside liquid metal for a scheme where every surface works together.
Gold leaf is real gold beaten until it is thinner than paper. Because gold does not tarnish, it keeps its warmth for generations. Silver leaf gives a cooler, brighter shine but darkens if it is left exposed, so it is sealed to keep it bright, or left to tone on purpose for an aged look. Copper leaf has a rich, rosy glow. There are also imitation metal leaves, sometimes called Dutch metal, which look similar for less money and are always sealed. We will explain the difference and help you choose for the look, the setting and the budget.
Water gilding is the most traditional method. The surface is built up with layers of gesso and a coloured clay called bole, the leaf is laid onto it with water, and it can then be burnished with a polished stone until it shines like solid metal. It is the method used for the finest frames and furniture.
Oil gilding lays the leaf onto a tacky adhesive called size. It cannot be burnished to the same mirror shine, but it is tougher and suits walls, ceilings, mouldings, signs and anything outdoors or handled often.
Which method we use depends on the object, where it is and how it will be used. Many projects use both.
A little gold goes a long way. Picking out the cornice in a dining room, a gilded ceiling rose above a chandelier, a gold leaf alcove behind a bed or a mural painted onto a gilded wall can lift a whole room. In restaurants, bars and hotels, gilded lettering and a gold leaf ceiling give a space its own identity. See more ideas on our bespoke feature walls page.
Yes. Gold leaf is real gold beaten into very thin sheets. Imitation leaf, sometimes called Dutch metal, is a different alloy that looks similar and is sealed to stop it tarnishing. We will always tell you which one you are getting.
Yes. Whole walls, ceilings, domes and alcoves can be gilded in gold, silver or copper leaf, and a gilded wall makes a striking background for a hand painted mural or chinoiserie.
Yes. Worn, chipped or dirty gilding on mirrors, frames, furniture and mouldings can be cleaned, consolidated and regilded where it is missing, matched to the original as closely as possible.
Yes. Picking out cornice, ceiling roses and panel mouldings in gold or silver leaf is one of the most effective ways to add richness to a period room.
Water gilding lays leaf over gesso and bole and can be burnished to a mirror shine, which suits fine frames and furniture. Oil gilding lays leaf onto an adhesive size, is tougher, and suits walls, ceilings, mouldings and signs.
It depends on the area, the metal, the method and the detail. Send us photos and measurements and we will give you a clear quote once we know what the piece needs.
Authentic Venetian plaster, machine-tinted to your colour and made for each order. Materials, installation and master-led training, nationwide and international, since 2021.
One list, run by the people who make the material. No noise, and nothing we would not want to read ourselves.
We email as the house has something worth saying, never daily. Unsubscribe from any email, or reply STOP to any text. We never pass your details to anyone.