FRENCH
EMPIRE REENACTED
by Jonathan Binzen
When
W. Patrick Edwards built this French Empire bonheur du jour,
he not only reproduced the appearance of the original, but he also reenacted
the process of its making. For Edwards, this is business as usual. He
has been repairing, conserving, and reproducing antique furniture without
the use of modern machines for 35 years. His passion for French Empire
furniture takes him to France twice a year in search of veneer and hardware.
He brought his hardware supplier in Paris photos and measurements of the
original gilt-bronze locks and keys, column capitals, and bases and discovered
that the pieces were practically stock items. His supplier, it turned
out, had made the original hardware two centuries before. Meant as a place
to read or write letters, the bonheur du jour is mounted on wheels
so it can be rolled into the best light. Edwards veneered it with plum-pudding
Cuban mahogany and gave it a French-polish finish. For more on how Edwards
veneered the columns, see Master Class, p. 108.
