Craftsmanship
The craft behind the work.
Chinese lacquer is a material that asks for time. These are the techniques that shape every URN ATELIER surface — applied, cured, gilded and polished by hand.
Lacquer
Natural lacquer, many coats
Surfaces are built from natural lacquer applied, cured and polished in turn — the ground that gives every work its depth and its particular sheen.
Gold
Leaf, line and powder
Gold is laid by leaf, drawn by line and set by hand — gilding and gold-line decoration appear across the collections, from ceremonial surfaces to near-black grounds.
Hand
Polished to a quiet sheen
Hand polishing closes each surface. The sheen is not applied; it is the lacquer itself, brought up slowly and by degrees.
Ground
Hemp cloth and ash
Where a work calls for relief, the form is built over a hemp-cloth and ash-ground preparation — a structure that holds gold decoration with lasting stability.
Inlay
Baibao, stone and shell
Some works set ebony, jade, amber, mother-of-pearl and Shoushan stone into the surface — traditional baibao inlay, each piece placed by hand.
Time
Built, not manufactured
Every surface is the sum of many repeated passes. There is no shortcut in lacquer; the material itself sets the pace of the work.
Know-how
Made to be lived with
Our works are made to be kept close — in daylight, among everyday things — rather than hidden away. The finish is quiet, and it lasts.