082 888 0801 - nida@tiscali.co.za
What Heritage Restoration Means in Practice
Heritage restoration is not renovation. The objective is to return a structure or element to its original condition – or as close to it as the materials and circumstances allow. This requires a different approach to standard repair work: more time, more research, and a genuine understanding of how things were originally made.
Atelier Desjardins has been doing this work since 1990. We bring that experience to every heritage project, whether it is a single parquet floor in a Northcliff home or a large-scale institutional building.
What We Restore
Historical Floor Restoration
Heritage Staircases & Panelling
Windows & Doors - Traditional Restoration
Institutional & Cultural Projects
Why Original Material Is Worth Saving
Timber used in buildings constructed before the mid-twentieth century was typically old-growth wood – denser, more stable, and more durable than most material available today. When it is properly restored, it outperforms modern replacements. When it is removed, it cannot be replaced like for like.
Our approach is always to assess what is there before recommending a course of action. If original material can be saved, we save it.
Colour Specialisation
Getting the colour right in a heritage restoration is as important as the structural work. A floor or staircase that has been properly restored but finished in the wrong tone will look wrong – and the difference is hard to undo. Nida Desjardins has been doing this work for over twenty years, matching original finishes, blending new work into existing surfaces, and advising clients on period-appropriate colour choices.