Objects & Ideas pieces are made by hand from natural materials and built to be kept. Looked after, they give decades of use — the wood furniture growing better with age, the papier-mâché editions holding the record of their own making.
This page explains how to care for your piece and how we support it over its life. The wood furniture carries a 1-Year Craftsmanship Guarantee; the papier-mâché editions are covered by our authenticity-and-care commitment. Both come with the studio’s help — with care, repair, refinishing or restoration — for as long as you own the work. If a question isn’t answered here, write to us.
Wood was alive once, and in a sense it still behaves as though it were. It takes in moisture from the air and gives it back, moves a little with the seasons, and deepens in colour as it ages. None of this is a flaw — it is the material doing what wood does, and it is part of why a solid-wood piece feels different from one made of anything else. Understanding a few of these behaviours is most of what good care requires.
Dust regularly with a soft, dry or slightly damp cloth. Wipe spills promptly and do not allow water to remain on the surface.
Avoid furniture polishes, abrasive products and harsh household cleaners. Unless specifically recommended by Objects & Ideas, do not apply oils, waxes or other finishes to the piece.
Use coasters, trivets and placemats where appropriate to protect surfaces from heat, moisture and scratching. Lift objects rather than sliding them across finished surfaces.
Solid wood naturally expands and contracts as humidity changes. Where possible, maintain indoor relative humidity between approximately 40% and 50%, and avoid sudden or prolonged changes in temperature or humidity — the move from a humid summer to a dry, heated winter is the hardest thing you can ask of a wooden piece. A simple humidifier in dry months does more to preserve fine furniture than any polish.
Keep furniture away from radiators, fireplaces, heating and cooling vents, and other sources of concentrated heat or dry air.
Seasonal movement, minor dimensional changes and subtle checking can occur naturally and are not necessarily signs of a defect.
Avoid prolonged exposure to strong direct sunlight. Wood and finishes naturally change colour with age and exposure to light, and uneven exposure may result in uneven colour changes. If you’d like a surface to age evenly, move objects around on it from time to time, and consider the light when you decide where a piece will live.
Lift furniture when moving it rather than dragging it; dragging stresses joints and can mark your floor. Whenever appropriate, larger or heavier pieces should be moved by two or more people.
Do not lift tables or other furniture by components that are not intended to bear the weight of the piece.
Some pieces are offered with an upholstered seat or cushion, in leather or in a textile of your choosing. Upholstery is cared for differently from wood, and because materials vary, the maker’s own recommendations for your specific leather or fabric always take precedence over anything general.
Vacuum regularly using a soft upholstery attachment.
Attend to spills promptly by blotting gently with a clean, absorbent cloth. Do not rub, as this may spread the spill or affect the surface of the textile or leather; work from the outside of the spill inward.
Avoid prolonged direct sunlight and excessive heat, which may cause fading, drying or discolouration.
Do not use household cleaners, solvents, oils, conditioners or other treatments unless specifically recommended for the upholstery material. When in doubt, do less, and ask.
Because textiles and leathers vary considerably, follow the cleaning and care recommendations provided by the manufacturer of the specific upholstery material whenever available.
Natural softening, creasing, variation in texture, colour change and patina may develop through normal use and ageing, and are not considered defects. Like the wood it often sits on, good leather is meant to look lived-with, and it does its best ageing in a home that uses it.
We stand behind the quality of our work.
Objects & Ideas Inc. furniture is covered by a one-year craftsmanship guarantee, beginning on the date of delivery, against defects in materials or workmanship under normal residential use.
If we determine that an issue is covered by the guarantee, we will, at our discretion, repair or refinish the piece, replace an affected component, or provide another appropriate remedy at no cost to the original purchaser.
The guarantee applies to manufacturing or craftsmanship defects, including structural or joinery failure under normal residential use and defects in supplied hardware or components.
The guarantee does not cover:
The natural characteristics of handmade furniture and natural materials are part of the character of the work and are not considered defects.
If you believe your piece has a defect covered by the guarantee, please contact us with:
We may request additional photographs or information before determining the appropriate course of action.
Please contact us before arranging any repair, refinishing or modification, as unauthorized work may affect guarantee coverage.
Transit damage is handled separately from the guarantee. If a piece arrives damaged, report it within 24 hours of delivery — see Shipping & Returns for the full process.
A well-made piece should outlast its guarantee by decades.
For as long as you have it, we’re glad to help with care, repair, refinishing or restoration whenever it’s reasonably possible.
After the guarantee period, services are assessed individually according to the piece, its condition, location and the work required. Services outside the guarantee may involve labour, materials, packing, transportation or other costs, which will be discussed before work proceeds.
Where returning a piece to our studio is impractical, we may be able to advise the owner or an experienced local craftsperson on an appropriate repair or treatment.
Our aim is to help keep the work in use rather than replace it, whenever a reasonable repair or restoration is possible.
The papier-mâché works are made by hand from paper pulp, built up in layers over an internal armature and sealed in a multi-layer resin finish. They are editioned works, signed and numbered, and are best treated as sculpture that happens to be useful — closer to a piece of art than a piece of furniture, and cared for accordingly.
The resin finish makes them more robust than paper alone, but the material at heart is light and the surface is worked by hand. A little consideration keeps a piece looking as it did the day it was made.
Dust with a soft, dry cloth or a soft brush. The resin surface needs nothing more than this.
Do not use water, cleaning products, solvents or polishes of any kind. If a mark won’t lift with a dry cloth, stop and contact us rather than experimenting — the surface is a finish, not a coating that can be scrubbed.
Lift a piece with both hands and support it from underneath, not by an edge, a rim or a projecting part. Though the resin gives real strength, the core is light, and these pieces reward being handled gently.
Keep pieces away from direct heat, damp and standing moisture. Resin and paper are both sensitive to prolonged humidity; a stable, dry indoor environment is ideal, and a bathroom, a conservatory or an unheated space is not.
Avoid prolonged direct sunlight, which can, over time, affect the colour of the surface.
For seating and other pieces meant to be used, use them as intended and no more — they are made to be lived with, but they are not built to the tolerances of a working chair, and they last longest when used with the awareness that they are art.
Fine surface variation, and the subtle marks of a piece having been made by hand, are part of the character of the work — not flaws. A papier-mâché piece is a record of its own making, and it is meant to be seen that way.
Each piece is signed and numbered and accompanied by its certificate of authenticity. Keep the certificate; it documents the work and its place in the edition, and it travels with the piece if it ever changes hands.
If a piece is ever damaged, do not attempt a repair yourself. Because these are editioned works finished by the artist, any restoration should be carried out or directed by the studio, so that the work’s integrity — and its value — are preserved. Contact us, and wherever reasonably possible, we will help.
Each papier-mâché work is an original, signed and numbered by the artist and issued with a certificate of authenticity. The studio stands behind the integrity of every piece it releases.
Should a work arrive other than as it should, or be damaged in transit, contact us within 24 hours of delivery, with photographs, and we will make it right.
Beyond that, the studio remains available for the life of the work — to advise on care, or to carry out or direct any restoration a piece may one day need. Because these are editioned works, restoration should always be carried out or directed by the studio, so that the work’s integrity is preserved.
The natural characteristics of a handmade papier-mâché work — fine surface variation, the marks of its making, and gradual change over a long life — are part of the character of the piece and are not considered faults.
For delivery, transit-damage reporting, returns, and cancellations, see Shipping & Returns. The full terms of sale, including the scope of the guarantee and limitations of liability, are set out in our Terms & Conditions.
The 1-Year Craftsmanship Guarantee (wood furniture) and the Authenticity & Care commitment (papier-mâché editions) each apply to the original purchaser and begin on the date of delivery. Both are in addition to any rights you may have under applicable consumer protection law.
For care questions, guarantee claims, repairs or restoration:
Objects & Ideas info@objectsandideas.com
For general information: objectsandideas.com
We recommend contacting the studio before attempting any significant cleaning, repair or refinishing. Whenever reasonably possible, we’re glad to help.
