STERLING STUDIOS
Tel: 0208 453 93 60 Fax: 0208 453 93 79
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Unit D, Western Trading Estate, Trading Estate Rd, London, NW10 7LF
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The four founders of Sterling Studios have all come from backgrounds in fine art painting or antique restoration. We know that attention to detail is paramount to the success of any project, large or small. Our training, knowledge base and 75 years collective experience enable us to experiment freely with materials and produce work which is unique and innovative as well as more traditional decorative finishes.
Sterling Studios is set up to be a creative, fast and effective, research -based decorative arts company. Our reputation is built on the trust and confidence of all our customers and is one of our most valuable assets. As the demands of the industry change, we are committed to our core values of efficient service, creative design and technical innovation. Through our knowledge of materials and of the industry, and our problem solving skills, we aim to be an invaluable resource to our clients.
Our valued workforce is one of the keys to our success. We invest heavily in the skills of our staff and ensure that training is continuously monitored. We employ our craftsmen on a permanent basis, which allows us to develop their skills according to their background and our own research and techniques. Most of our staff remain with us for many years, having started as apprentices.
We create a variety of decorative finishes; handpainted traditional and modern eglomise glass; scagliola; gesso work; painted, embossed and patinated leather; murals and paintings and decoration on canvas and on paper in our Park Royal workshop. From a highly decorated one bedroom flat, to a 6000 square metre house, our production facilities enable us to meet any deadline.
While our work is largely studio based, both for control of the finish, quality and for the ease of the customer, some work, such as broken colour work on walls or architecture, is only possible on site. As well as this we also install all of our workshop produced work, which includes glass, gesso, scagliola, wallpapers and leather. We are experienced in working on site in the UK and abroad, and can deal efficiently and calmly with any problem that might present itself.
We all have a thorough knowledge of traditional materials and historical design as this is the basis of all our work. At the same time we are continuously experimenting with and investing in new materials and methods of production. Together with our use of computer technology this enables us to produce complex designs with precision, and respond to any challenge presented to us. Our emphasis on experimentation and research is vital as it keeps us ahead of current trends, as well as our competitors.
We also offer a design service to clients. We are equally happy to develop a scheme for a house, particular room or piece of furniture, either working with fabrics or architectural references already researched by clients or creating a new design to fit our customers individual requirements.
Our portfolio is shown on our web site. We are in the process of producing a pdf version, which will be available on our web site or by e mail on request. Alternatively we can send you printed sheets of our products.
We have an extensive sample library and reference library, which we are happy to show or lend to clients. We know that many orders require specific samples, which we are also happy to make. Please refer to our sampling policy in our terms and conditions
A successful job relies on an efficient office. We have full administrative back up for all jobs, are fully computerised and have up to date graphics and cad facilities.
Safety, health and environment operating standards are increasingly stringent, and we are committed to meeting all regulatory requirements in the studio and on site. We ensure that all staff are aware of environmental issues and the safe handling of materials. We believe that if we are to expect people's continued energy and commitment at work, we must provide the right environment in which they feel safe, well and enthusiastic in their work
PRODUCTS
We have been making Verre Eglomise - named after Jean Baptist Glomy, a French 18th Century frame maker - for use in restoration for years. We have also had to find new techniques to antique mirror glass successfully for restoration and, as a natural progression to this, we have developed a range of hand painted and gilt decorative glass and mirror glass, some traditional and some highly contemporary. Our glass is used in a wide variety of ways; walls are clad to create a huge visual impact; a number of small pieces can be used in a patterned decorative scheme; cupboard doors, ceilings, and furniture can all benefit from the application of decorative glass either as a feature, such as a table top, or covered entirely with glass.
The use of gesso in decoration goes back many centuries. Our techniques allow us to use these traditions in more contemporary settings, producing a wide range of cracked gesso finishes in the studio which can then be applied to large wall areas and curved surfaces. Raised patterns add further interest. 'Crocodile' gesso, with it's strong, directional texture lends itself to use in panelling, on furniture and accessories. As with all our products it can be made in limitless colour combinations.
By the end of the 14th century the use of scagliola had spread from Capri to the rest of Italy and later it was widely used throughout Europe, particularly within the Holy Roman Empire. Scagliola is made using crushed gypsum rock (plaster) mixed with pure pigments to achieve brilliant and varied colours. Glues are added for extra strength. When the mixture has hardened it is polished like marble, to achieve a high degree of shine, Colours can be inlaid in the surface to replicate pietra dura and there are also antique landscape and portrait 'paintings' in scagliola. We have specialized in making inlaid scagliola, table tops and panels for cabinets and walls, most of which have been traditional in design, however we have also made contemporary pieces which are very unusual and effective.
Embossed, gilded and painted leather panels were popular throughout Europe from the late Middle Ages to the 18th century with the first and most important centre of production in Cordoba. After restoring several leather rooms we decided there must be a way of making similar leather panels for clients to their preferred designs and colours. Recently we have also made and patinated modern leather floor and wall tiles, as well as leather veneered furniture.
The wallpapers we make range from one-off modern papers, hand painted chinoiserie papers and printed trompe l'oeil paneling to complex arabesque designs with richly textured patterns. All papers are designed to fit each room and slight irregularities in the paper or printing add to the overall feel, making machine made papers seem flat and mechanical in comparison.
We paint murals and paintings from any period or style, whether copies of originals or new designs. Several of our murals have been painted on canvas in the studio, reducing the time and expense of working on site. This is especially useful if the area to be decorated is abroad or a ceiling! We have also been commissioned to paint murals on blackout blinds which have then been installed to disguise cinema or plasma screens.
Most of the paintings we have made have been framed here too, our frames are designed for each picture and will fit the period and style as well as the setting for which they are intended.
Woodgraining, Marbling and Broken Colour Work
Both woodgraining and marbling are traditional forms of imitation, there are many examples from naive, painted, country furniture to highly finished trompe l'oeil panelling. We not only use traditional techniques but have also developed highly effective marquetry and parquetry woodgraining. Much of our complicated marquetry is painted in the studio, and applied later on site.
Broken colour work is a general term used to describe a paint effect that is not a solid colour, is encompasses a multitude of finishes such as dragging, sponging, stippling, colour washing and frottage. This work is largely restricted to site work and usually we make samples for clients to choose the effects and colours that appeal before mixing the final colour on site.
Even the Incas didn't always use solid gold and people have been refining the art of gilding ever since. We have been restoring antique water and oil gilded furniture and lacquer for many years and can reproduce authentic gilding on frames, furniture and in rooms as well as making new pieces of sharp, contemporary gilding. Recently there have been more choices in the colours of gold available and we have had a lot of fun using combinations of colour and texture to create some new treatments for gilding, on furniture and glass as well as in rooms and on wallpaper.
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