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Restoration of Antique Picardy Sideboards

 

Every Picardy traite, or sideboard, has its own story, dimensions and distinctive features: finely worked carving, a glazed display cabinet, moulded doors, original hardware. Restoration means preserving and revealing these qualities rather than making the piece look artificially new. The wood regains its depth, the joints become sound again, and the piece can take its place once more in a dining room, living room.

 

Before / After: A Sideboard Found in a Picardy Farmhouse

This very old Picardy sideboard was found in a farmhouse in the region. Like many pieces left for decades in an outbuilding, it bore the marks of time: dull, grimy wood, a damaged original finish, loosened joints, worn mouldings and oxidised hardware. The central door, the centrepiece of the furniture, sums up the journey from its condition on arrival to the final result.

The restoration of an antique Picardy piece begins with a full assessment: wood species, condition of the structure, possible presence of wood-boring insects, and identification of earlier repairs and original elements to be kept. The piece is then carefully dismantled so that each part can be treated separately without damaging the traditional joinery.

The result is visible on the central door: the lines of the joinery regain their sharpness, the mouldings become legible again, and the colour of the wood is restored to its original depth, without an artificial “new” look. The piece keeps its character as a 19th-century Picardy sideboard, with the marks of its history, while becoming sturdy and fully usable again.

This work illustrates the approach followed for every restoration: keep as much of the original material as possible, repair rather than replace, and intervene only in keeping with the manufacturing techniques of the period.

 

Central section of the Picardy sideboard – Before restoration – After restoration.

 

Antique Picardy sideboard discovered in a farmhouse
and restored using traditional techniques.

 

Restored 1860 Picardy Sideboard with Clock and Display Cabinet

Made in 1860, this Picardy sideboard with clock and display cabinet is one of the earliest models produced in Picardy. At the time, such a piece was designed to fit perfectly into the room that housed it, following its proportions, ceiling height and layout. This made-to-measure adaptation is what makes these Picardy sideboards unique, and makes them true witnesses of 19th-century regional craftsmanship.

Combining a clock, a display cabinet and storage, this piece reflects the central role of the traite in the Picardy home: at once a piece for receiving guests, for displaying treasured items and for everyday storage. Its restoration, carried out in 2011, consisted in giving it back its solidity, clarity of line and original appearance.

 

This sideboard is featured in the reference book Mobilier Picard et Artésien by L. Oliver (published by Ch. Massin), devoted to the furniture heritage of the region. Its inclusion in a specialist book confirms its heritage value and the quality of its design.