Materials
Shell
Paua, abalone, black-lip and gold-lip shell veneer for inlay, marquetry and surface applications.
Paua, abalone, black-lip and gold-lip shell veneer for inlay, marquetry and surface applications.
Shell veneer, made from the inner layer of mollusc shells, ground and cut into thin, flexible sheets, is used at Make Bespoke Studio for inlay work, marquetry panels and surface applications where iridescence is specified. Materials include paua (abalone), black-lip shell, gold-lip shell and white mother-of-pearl, each with its own colour character and reflective quality.
Shell can be laid flat on a substrate or set into routed recesses in joinery and furniture surfaces as inlay work. It is typically combined with lacquer, solid wood or gilding, and appears most often in our decorative and luxury furniture commissions.
The material has a long history in European and Asian decorative arts, appearing in Japanese urushi lacquerwork, Louis XIV furniture and 19th-century Anglo-Indian inlay. Make Bespoke Studio works with both the traditional material and contemporary flexible shell veneer that can be applied to curved surfaces.
A material of ancient lineage and unmatched optical character, used wherever a surface of genuine iridescence is required.
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