Joseph Biunno Ltd.

a number of people are asking questions about this project so here is a post that hopefully answers a lot of those questions The Making Of A Canopied Day Bed: 1) the Decorator... works for the client, suggests a room design and decor to suite the clients taste... shows photos, renderings, etc. as a presentation... suggests and chooses various samples of wall paint, carpet, perhaps a wall paper, fabrics for furniture and curtains, everything down to the switch plate covers... ...Continue reading

another interesting project just recently completed... client requested we make an oval canopy, suspended in air on curved metal arms, over a recently made day bed(the bed, which was made by others, still needs to be finished and upholstered)... after we carefully drew out the exact curvature of the arms, a pattern was made and each arm fabricated individually out of 5/8 inch, solid steel rod... mounting plates were then welded to each end of the arm, as this bed is going out... of state and must be capable of easy assembly in the clients home... the finials came from our collection and are purely decorative, serving no structural purpose at all... as all styles of this bed design tend to lead to the canopy "wobbling" when assembled, the unique joinery method used here, and the 5/8" diameter rod, totally eliminates that aspect... this bed is rock solid!... canopy is constructed from a lamination of a baltic plywood core and solid maple, all done for additional strengthening purposes... and all fastening points are metal-on-metal, no wood screws used... looking forward to the the finished bed- painted, upholstered and draped! See more

Unique metal repair being done to this candelabra... candle arm was broken at the birds beak... this repair will be welded, not soldered... the wood jig was constructed to properly position the candle arm and to make sure the arm was level on all planes... this is exactly the kind of high end challenges we face everyday and what sets us apart from other restoration shops

will be an exciting evening!... come and see some of the best artisans in the metropolitan area showing samples and their craftsmanship, in an incredible setting, in the heart of the city... hope to see you there!

here's a 28 year "Throwback Thursday" post... 1990... we were asked by a popular artist, Meyer Vaisman, to provide some very unique finials and poles from our line of drapery hardware, to adorn his contemporary art work of overlaid fabrics... he choose some of our most unique and elaborate pieces for his project... and as we were not involved in the final installation, over these many years, we could not find a photo of his finished art work, until now... these pieces are on a large scale of being in the range of approximately 9 to 10 feet wide by 8 to 10 feet tall... wish the photos were better, but glad to finally see them... all finished in 23k water gilt gold leaf

here we have a very unique job that we do for restorers and antique dealers... often we are asked to make or modify a complete lock assembly for a specific situation... this job required a pair of locks, with a 4 1/2 in. measurement from the edge of the lock to the center of the key, which is very unusual... the lock needed was not commercially available to the dealer, so we took a smaller lock and lengthened it to the 4 1/2 in. measurement needed... and also matching the patina of the lock, when viewed from the outside... an excellent example of how we provide a service, not just to our private clientele, but also to the restoration community as well

here we have one of our many wall brackets, that recently resurfaced while we are in the midst of moving... beautifully carved with incredible detailing...the back of the bracket is carved out and pierced, giving it a "hollow" look... the finish is 23karat gold leaf, gesso and clay base, burnished and antiqued to a perfect, period finish... note the carving of the gesso on the underside of the shelf, a detail you rarely see in today's world... a piece like this has both style and craftsmanship, something today's contemporary pieces do not have, and certainly not both!

had a request today for some wall brackets so we found this photo of one of our sample boards...some very interesting pieces here...and the brackets at the top, which are a pair, with one being a left and the other being a right, was once from Mr. Hadley's earlier days with Parish-Hadley...I had gotten them from the person who actually made them for P-H back in the day...not knowing their history, I put them on our board and when Mr. Hadley saw them he was thrilled to see them some 30-or-so years after the fact... just one of many stories and coincidences I have experienced in my 45-plus years of being in this trade...and this is just a small sampling of the brackets we have...more to come when I have a chance to photograph all the others

Time for an update... a lot done in only 10 weekends!... more than half of our shop's non-essentials have been moved to our new location and we now begin to move our working shop to it's new, Long Island City location, which is just several blocks from our current shop... we will have a showroom, although downsized quite a bit... Anthony Bazza Restorations, our light repair division, will remain intact and continue on, same for Finials Unlimited, our curtain hardware department... looking forward to serving our clients with the same craftsmanship and professionalism we have always done in the past... thanks to all for their patience during our move

the finished chair, as upholstered by DeAngelis Ltd....ready for the next challenge!

forgotten treasures...well, we have begun to remove our samples from our showroom, which , in the past, has been described as a "decorator's candy store"...a quote from Albert Hadley!...here is a piece that was hiding up near the ceiling, behind a beam...an antique, hand carved crown that most likely was suspended over a bed, and had curtains cascading down to each post of a four-poster bed...30" tall by 17" diameter... a beautiful piece, unfortunately, very few decorators would have the client who would want such an opulent bed in today's world...unless it was a European or middle eastern client, who seem to be in a more traditional, interior design mode, not the ultra-contemporary, modern style that is so prevalent here in the U.S., for the past decade or more!...and certainly more to be shown!...stay tuned!

And the transition continues... the carvings and samples that are in these boxes represent almost 100 years of NYC craftsmanship, as I have often purchased the stock and samples of NY's finest furniture maker's when they closed their doors... over my 45-plus years, this collection is by far, the largest in the area and quite possibly the entire country... turned and carved legs, finials, brackets, pelmets, chairs, bed posts,etc., etc.... a good amount from some of the countries best decorators from back in the day... McMillen, Elsie de Wolfe, Baldwin, Hadley, and on and on... and still more to come!... stay tuned!

very proud to announce that we have just been included in an article in the February issue of the very prestigious, Art and Antiques magazine...the article is about a selection of New York's Master artisans that are well known for their restoration and reproduction skills and their many years of long service to the interior design community...many thanks to Jonathan Kandell for a very well written article!

a progress report for those family and friends that have asked...with the holiday break(the shop was closed between Christmas and new years), I was able to get a lot done at the new holding location...some, not all, furniture moved in, a lot of demo/removal of shelves and other bits left by the previous owner...a 2nd floor, 75% installed in the 3-car garage on the property(pictures at a later date)...a complete woodworking/ maintenance shop set up to do electrical, plumbing and construction work, as needed...no days off, but a lot accomplished...but the cold weather is really kicking my ass and causing me to not get as much done as I would normally do...but we are moving forward!

Moving right along... so this new space comes with an antique safe that no one has used in some thirty years or so... seems they did not have the combination!... so with my small knowledge in this field, I was able to figure out the combo and we now have a working safe!... and since I have nothing but mortgage notes to put in it, it is for sale... just don't ask me to move it!... my guess is it weighs over two tons!... 36" wide by 54" high by 30" deep... on wheels, but I would think it would have to be moved by professionals... anyway, if anyone is interested, or knows someone who is interested, private message me on Facebook or by email... thanks

Over 50 chair frames, and still more to come!... all at our new holding location... empire, Russian, French, English, early American, and other periods... this collection is second to none!... no plastic or chrome here!... these samples cater to those who have an appreciation for traditional styles and high end craftsmanship ... feel blessed to have had the opportunity to make all this incredible furniture in my 45 year career!... and with many years to go!... whether it comes back into the main stream or not, we will be a major source for this type of furniture!

for family, friends and business acquaintances that have asked, here is a look at our new, upstate operation in its early stages...this will be a holding area for all of our work from previous years...patterns, jigs, extra parts, hardware, etc....basically, things not needed on a daily basis, but still important to the operation of our business...this will allow the shop to pare down and reduce our overhead costs here in long island city, while still giving our clientele the same, high level of service we have always provided...more photos to follow

very proud and excited to announce that we are fabricating and finishing some unique drapery hardware for the White House living room...large scale, straight reeded poles, plain round rings and our #1000 finial, which we are now calling the "Presidential" finial...shown in the photos is the hardware in the process of being leafed...to follow is an antiquing process to tone the finish down a bit, as per our submitted samples...very happy to be a part of this White House make over...looking forward to seeing it featured in an upcoming magazine!

update!...our ruhlmann bergere corner sample is complete and came out exceptionally well...the sample is made up of ebony and imitation ivory inlays over maple...maple for the strength and integrity of the frame...the ebony and "ivory" are not veneers, they are 1/8in thick!...this will avoid the potential future problems one might encounter when using thin veneers...these samples serve an important purpose, in that they work out the construction details between the furniture ...maker and the upholsterer(this chair is being made from photos only!),gives the designer/decorator and client a chance to see what the chair will look like when completed and the ability to work out any potential construction problems that might arise during the fabrication process ...and we are very happy that this project is being done in conjunction with DeAngelis Ltd. upholstery...the finished chair will be a signature piece for sure and certainly worthy for anyone's collection See more

turning it up a few notches...here is a new, corner, mock-up sample (in the process of being made) of the Ruhlmann chair we have been asked to make, but with ebony veneer and imitation ivory inlays...the chair we are making is of mahagony with walnut inlays...the ebony and ivory combination certainly does give the chair much more "pop" and we are hoping our clientele will think so as well, as we expect to be making more of this style of chair, since it has now become a classic and historic piece of furniture...more photos to come as this sample nears completion...enjoy!... and when we are done, DeAngelis Ltd. works there incredible upholstery skills to finish this piece to museum quality standards