Old wood, given another lifetime.

I'm Marta Kowalczyk, and for twenty years I've been stripping, mending and finishing chairs, dressers and dining tables in my Portland workshop — piece by piece, joint by joint.

The workshop

Every piece that comes through the door gets looked at properly before any work begins.

Twenty years of restoration, right here in Portland.

Hello, I'm Marta.

I run Cedar & Ash, a small furniture restoration workshop in Portland, Oregon. I take chairs, dressers and dining tables that have gone soft in the joints or dull in the finish, and I bring them back — stripping old finishes, repairing joints, re-veneering surfaces, and French polishing by hand.

I also carry out valuations for people who've inherited a piece and want to understand what they actually have before they decide anything.

It's slow, careful work, and after two decades I still like doing it that way.

What I do

Three ways I work with a piece of furniture, depending on what it needs.

Restoration

Stripping, joint repair and re-veneering for chairs, dressers and dining tables.

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French Polish

The traditional hand-built shellac finish, applied the slow way.

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Valuations

For inherited pieces — a clear, honest read on what you actually have.

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Come by the workshop

22 SE Ankeny Street, Portland — open Tuesday to Saturday, 9 to 5.

Get in touch