The Chest of Drawers
The story of the chest of drawers is not about hidden value or skills used. It is a simple story of how, with imagination, you
A WARM WELCOME TO
Grey Goose Restorations
There is something immensely satisfying in creating something of beauty, something of use, from wood. It is even more satisfying if that wood is being reused, recycled or restored to expose its true wonder. If we can do that for someone who loves the end result, then life is good. So, as you explore this website imagine you are walking into our workshop, smell the essence of wood shavings and coffee, and have a good nosey around. We hope the pages explain a bit about what we do and why, share some stories behind a few of the projects we have taken on, and perhaps you will see how we can make something lovely for you.
What's in a name?
Names are important. They communicate identity, they enable reputation, they create history. My name is Richard Gossage, and together with Helen (my long-suffering wife and partner in crime), we set up Grey Goose Restorations. Helen brings the creative flair and I try to make her ideas a reality. What makes us different? Well, for a start we are not driven by making lots of money. Now, don’t get ideas, we do need to make a profit to cover the cost of tools, materials, and our overheads. But we don’t aim to maximise our profits, that is not why we run Grey Goose Restorations. We run the workshop because we love what we do, and we hope you love what we do too.
When we put the Grey Goose Restorations name to something it matters. It matters that we have done our best to meet your needs, to create something of value to keep and use for years, and to use nature’s resources as wisely as we can. We aim to put a smile on your face when you get something from us, as big as the one on our faces when we made it.
How we do business
Our aim is to provide a service that is tailored to your needs and desires, and exceeds expectations. Although we do sell pieces that we make or upcycle on our own initiative, we mainly work on your commissions. So, the first step in the process is always for you to get in touch; by either emailing us or giving us a call. Now getting in touch with some outfit that you haven’t dealt with before may be a bit daunting, but we hope it won’t be. One of the reasons for putting the website together is to try and communicate who we are, what we are about, and our values. There is no corporate stuff and mission statements, just pictures and stories. So, please drop us an email, or give us a call. We like a chat and if we can help then great. But if we can’t then we may be able to help you find someone you can.
What Can We Do For You
Restore
We love to take stuff that looks like it has had a life and, through the application of some tender loving care, bring them back to their former glory; either functionally, aesthetically, or ideally both.
Upcycle
We get very excited about upcycling. There is something incredibly pleasing about taking a tired, old or broken item and reinventing it into something useful, relevant and pleasing to the eye, or even downright funky!
Create
There is something fundamentally satisfying about creating something from scratch from a piece of wood; be it a piece of driftwood off the beach, the results of a trip to the local DIY store, or directly from the timber merchant. We love it.
Stories
The Victorian Box
The box in question has some history. We believe it was made by my Grandfather’s Uncle as part of his apprenticeship as a cabinet maker;
The Humble Oak Chopping Board
I mentioned earlier that we had a good relationship with Rich Cutler, a joiner and cabinet maker operating in the Bovingdon area. Rich is a
Gallery
Items for Sale
The majority of our business is commissions based; we carry out work to meet your requirements. However, occasionally we see a piece of furniture or wood that has potential and buy it. Once we have worked our magic, we put them up for sale on a ‘first come, first served’ basis.
What can you do for us?
Well, where do we start! I will keep the list short. If you have wooden furniture or interesting wooden stuff you don’t want any more and have earmarked it for the council tip or charity shop, think of us. We can’t take everything, but we would be interested to have a look and see if we could take it off your hands and breathe new life into it. A better option than landfill. If you are also in the restoration business and are relatively local, we would love to chat. We are a small local business and very humble in our ambitions and abilities. So, developing a network of like-minded people who offer different skills to the mix is not only stimulating but essential to offering our customers great solutions. For example, we would love to develop a relationship with someone who can re-cane chairs.
Get in touch today
Let us know how we can help and we'll be in touch.
