Our restoration and decorative work
Photography, case studies and films from churches, councils and landmark interiors across the North West.
We specialise in fine art restoration, conservation, gilding, and bespoke faux finishes for discerning institutional and commercial clients. Our work is guided by a commitment to preserving artistic integrity and historical significance, with each project approached through precision, sensitivity, and respect for its original context.
Drawing on traditional craftsmanship and exacting attention to detail, we undertake careful restoration of fine art alongside specialist gilding, the replication and application of original historic stencils, and highly refined decorative finishes. Whether conserving valuable artworks, reapplying gold and metal leaf, or faithfully recreating period surface designs, every element is executed with discretion and an uncompromising standard of excellence.
This portfolio presents a curated selection of before-and-after transformations, offering a glimpse into the meticulous processes and considered artistry that define our work.
Learn more about Silvano Cioci-Faux and our studio on the About page.
Photography by discipline
In-progress and completed work grouped by service type. Drag the sliders on paired before and after photography where available. Landmark client projects with full write-ups follow in the case studies below.
Restoration and conservation
Oil paintings on canvas, wood and copper, family heirlooms, ecclesiastic statues and fire-damaged works. Each item is assessed in the studio or on site, with treatment photographed at stages.
Oil paintings with major damage repaired
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Oil painting repaired following surface damage
Station of the Cross panel with paint loss before consolidation and inpainting, and after treatment.
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Before: Oil painting with paint loss before restoration. After: Oil painting after restoration.
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Oil painting restored after major damage
Religious painting with large tears, holes and paint loss before treatment, and after restoration, cleaning and retouching.
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Before: Badly torn oil painting with holes and missing paint before restoration. After: Same oil painting after restoration and cleaning.
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Oil painting rescued from fire damage
Station of the Cross detail with smoke and fire damage before treatment, and after cleaning and retouching.
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Before: Oil painting detail before fire damage restoration. After: Oil painting detail after fire damage restoration.
Late 1800 wooden statues restoration
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Wooden statue restored after fire damage
Late nineteenth-century figure in a display case after fire damage, and the same statue after conservation treatment.
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Before: Wooden statue charred after fire damage. After: Wooden statue after fire damage restoration.
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Conservation of a wooden ecclesiastic statue
Stabilisation of gesso and polychrome before and after treatment on an ecclesiastic figure for a Liverpool Archdiocese parish.
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Before: Wooden ecclesiastic statue before conservation treatment. After: Wooden ecclesiastic statue after conservation treatment.
Oil paintings on wood panel: cleaning and conservation
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Oil painting on wood panel: cleaning and inpainting
Angel figure with gold halo on a wood panel before surface cleaning, and after treatment in the studio.
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Before: Oil painting on wood panel before cleaning and retouching. After: Oil painting on wood panel after cleaning and retouching.
Antique paintings on wood, canvas and copper: cleaning progress
Cleaning progress on oil painting from years of dirt 
Varnish removal in progress on Christ Carrying the Cross panel painting 
Cleaning progress on bird finials, oil painting on wood panel 
Bird finial detail with gold ground, oil painting on wood panel
Gilding
Burnished gold leaf on altars, frames, mirrors and architectural ornament. Residential and commercial work from private homes and country cottages to churches and landmark interiors.
Ecclesiastic gilding
Christ altar gilding 
Altar gilding detail 
Altar gilding detail 
Altar gilding detail 
Altar gilding detail
Commercial gilding
Trafford Palazzo gilding 
Link bridge gilding 
Gold leaf on decorative columns at the Trafford Centre 
Trafford Centre gilding detail 
Trafford Palazzo gilding detail
Architectural and domestic gilding
Gold leaf on neoclassical ceiling panels, Liverpool Town Hall 
Gilding on ceiling plaque 
Columns gilded in Victorian mansion 
Liberty statues on a Victorian staircase in a private home 
Victorian urns gilded 
Gilding on spindles in 1800 cottage 
Gilding on spindles in 1800 cottage, detail 
Regilded ornate mirror frame in a private home
Faux finishes
Marbling, graniting, wood graining and scumble glazes for period rooms and high-traffic commercial spaces. Sample boards are agreed before full runs so colour and tooling read naturally under your lighting, including civic work at St Georges Hall Liverpool.
Marbling, graniting and decorative paint effects
Faux marble and gilding on wooden columns in a private home 
Trafford Centre grey granite columns 
White Carrara marble effect 
Red China faux marble marbling at the Trafford Centre 
Trafford Palazzo marbling 
Slate finish decorative paint effect 
St George’s Hall bevelled faux granite 
Graining on crosta panels 
Marbling on marble staircase at Trafford Centre Great Hall 
Marbled columns and balustrades at Trafford Centre
Stenciling
Replication and application of original historic stencils for period rooms, listed buildings and private homes. Patterns are traced, matched and sampled before full runs.
Historic stencil and decorative schemes
Gilding on spindles in 1800 cottage Gilding on spindles in 1800 cottage, detail 
Gold leaf gilding on a decorative number plaque
Landmark client projects
Each case study explains the client, scope, methods and outcomes: Liverpool Archdiocese parishes, St Georges Hall, Trafford Centre and Palazzo, St Marie's Church Widnes (Heritage Lottery Fund) and St Oswald's Ashton. Open a project for full narrative, videos and photography.
Archdiocese of Liverpool
Ecclesiastical gilding and conservation for Liverpool churches
Merseyside · Gilding, Conservation, Fine art restoration…
Long-term decorative and conservation work for parishes across the Archdiocese of Liverpool, including altar gilding, statue conservation and damaged painting repair.
Read case study →
Liverpool City Council
Conservation of marouflage paintings in the Hall of Remembrance, Liverpool Town Hall
Liverpool · Conservation, Fine art restoration, Faux finishes…
Conservation treatment on two marouflage paintings and decorative friezes in the Hall of Remembrance following water ingress, alongside wider Liverpool civic heritage work at St Georges Hall.
Read case study →Private residential client
Gilding, marbling and stenciling in a Victorian mansion
Cheshire · Gilding, Faux finishes, Stenciling
Decorative restoration in a private Cheshire home: faux marble and gold leaf on columns, historic wall stenciling, regilded mirror frames, staircase ornament and decorative urns.
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Trafford Centre
Marbling and gilding at the Trafford Centre Great Hall
Greater Manchester · Gilding, Faux finishes, Marbling
Large-scale commercial decorative work including marbling in The Great Hall dining area, architectural gilding and granite-effect columns.
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Trafford Palazzo
Gilding and marbling at Trafford Palazzo
Greater Manchester · Gilding, Faux finishes, Marbling
Makeover and decorative upgrade at Trafford Palazzo (formerly Burton Square): gilding, marbling and refined commercial finishes.
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St Marie's Church, Widnes
Altar painting restoration at St Marie's Church, Widnes
Widnes, Halton · Fine art restoration, Conservation
Paintings restoration on the Heritage Lottery Fund redevelopment of St Marie's: altar works in studio and on site, with sold-out public workshops led by Silvano Cioci-Faux.
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St Oswald's Church, Ashton-in-Makerfield
William Simmonds St Joseph altarpiece restored at St Oswald's Ashton
Ashton-in-Makerfield, Greater Manchester · Fine art restoration, Conservation
Conservation of William Simmonds' 1935 Arts and Crafts altarpiece in the St Joseph chapel, restored by Silvano Cioci-Faux for this Grade II* Liverpool Archdiocese church.
Read case study →
Films: Silvano at work
Parish and heritage partners have published video of Silvano Cioci-Faux restoring paintings, leading sold-out workshops and celebrating completed altarpiece conservation. These are the same projects described in our case studies, filmed on site or in the studio.
St Marie's Heritage Group · Halton & St Helens VCA
Painting restoration at St Marie's Church, Widnes (workshop overview)
Watch on the partner site · St Marie's case study St Marie's Heritage Group · Halton & St Helens VCA
Meet Silvano Cioci-Faux: career and restoration techniques
Watch on the partner site St Oswald & St Edmund Arrowsmith
St Joseph altarpiece restored at St Oswald's, Ashton-in-Makerfield (parish Mass)
Watch on the partner site · St Oswald's case study
The St Marie's workshop archive includes fifteen photographs from March 2014 heritage open days inside the case study, with captions on every image.
Some of our clients
Churches, councils and landmark commercial interiors across Liverpool, Manchester and the North West. View all case studies
Discuss your project
Request a free estimate for restoration, gilding or decorative work across the North West.