Yes, young women all over Europe would start working on their daughters chests (dowry chest) from the moment their daughters passed the age of young childhood. Then, the girls themselves would continue to fill the chest with the best of the best they could make. It breaks my heart that my grandmother had prepared a chest for me too. Every time I would be there she would take one afternoon and show me the content of the chest and would explain the embroidery meaning and the specific symbols of our family, though I was very young and didn't care one bit for those old things. Now I cry every time I remember it, I was abroad when she died. I hope the person who found this chest is glad he has something so precious, you restored it beautifully.

@iLikeTrains0372

10 ай бұрын

Same in Turkey. Also, it is not rare for grandmas to prepare one for their grandson either. Like mine.

@TracyJammeh

7 ай бұрын

I assume every country has their version of the same. In the USA, we call it a hope chest.

Fan of your work. Thanks for saving the possessions of those who have gone before us. I'd like to think you have their blessings but regardless you have mine . Please keep posting videos. I have many pieces of furniture I rescued from rubbish tips, abandoned houses and the side of the road and had restored. They give me a lot of pleasure and are recycling at its best. .

You're a great craftsman but your sense of humour gives your videos the perfect touch! Thanks!!!

Thank you for including the story and the pictures. It was a labor of love when it was built,💜💜💜 and you treated it with the respect it deserves. I really enjoyed this video.

@lindamarsh6711

Жыл бұрын

You got it just right Anita! Great work Ahti!

@rizpahjael1

Жыл бұрын

I agree Anita Morales. It's such a special piece, with a wonderful history. I'm so glad he was able to save it. 💜

@janedc5ch319

Жыл бұрын

Yes I totally agree Its beautiful

@PreservationEnthusiast

Жыл бұрын

@@rizpahjael1 Just shows what can be done. I would probably have smashed it up with a sledgehammer and used it for firewood. That's the best option for most people as they don't have his skills.

@shamseshomali110

Жыл бұрын

Anita Morales : Yes ,i think so ,this is a good job und i like it . Bravoooooo !👍

What I enjoy most about you and your channel is that unlike other channels who claim to do furniture restoration you ACTUALLY restore furniture to its former beauty. Other self proclaimed restorers just sand items and paint it with modern colors destroying the unique beauty of a piece.

@katieflannery8279

Жыл бұрын

I love Tom Johnson’s channel too. You should check out the Fixing Furniture channel as well.

@robertkuivjogi7013

Жыл бұрын

Watch his channel. He restores amazingly too. kzread.info

@diannebernau3293

Жыл бұрын

Trena is a master restorer. You should look at the grandfather clock she restored. It included wood turning and hand painted art restoration. There seems to be nothing she can’t do. I love watching her work.

@The1queencollector

Жыл бұрын

@@tetedur377 they are fantastic at what they do, it's nice to see a woman do what she does, Trena is a treat and Thomas is a great old school craftsman.

@icedragonair

Жыл бұрын

Hes not wrong though, the vast majority of channels that do "restoration" are actually doing refurbishing. They will make the item look new again, but not necessarily the way it originally looked or with the appropriate materials and techniques. Certain words on KZread like "diy" and "restoration" have basically lost all meaning.

This would be called a dower chest in English. It's fun to imagine some farmer or craftsman working hard on this so his daughter can be proud on her wedding day.

My heart cried “please don’t over-restore this chest” when I first saw it. I should have known better. You did a remarkable job conserving and restoring this chest to just the right degree. Perfect! 👌

What I like is that you didn't break the whole thing apart and redo everything. You fix just the faults and try to keep the most of the original "story".

Loved the folk music tie in to the old culture and history. Glad the original finish was preserved and refreshed using classic pigments

Historian, comedian, master woodworker, thanks for making my Sunday. Cheers Michael🇨🇦

I believe in flat wood. LOL!😂

13:07 Thank you for the cultural/tradition overview, and the beautiful folk music!

in chests like that it was not only the garments ( clothes, that is) but also bedlinen, curtains, dishcloths, table clothes, everything that a new bride needed to give the new home HER personal touch. i like these kinds of Episodes. no talking, no - heroic - music. just the translation. and this way it can easily also be changed for audiences that do not speak english. where i grew up, my grandmother had a similar one. inside there were still - inserts- , sitting on a wooden - frame- in smaller sizes. to be used for smaller things.

@kiliipower355

Жыл бұрын

In the past, wedding chests were widespread in the countryside (Europe). My grandmother had one in the attic that was very old. Not hers, she got married in 1931, so they were out of fashion. Probably from some grandmother. Unlike the one shown, it was twice as big and made of oak, with small inlays. It also had an insert to hold small items and a false bottom. There were initials and a year (1841 or 42?) painted on the side.

HAHAHA!!! What a great beginning! Love the spy music, but not quite Tom Cruise Mission Impossible! (That's a good thing!) Lol. Love you, love your talent! ❤️

This is a beautiful restoration. Thank you for sharing the history behind the chest’s design. Your color matching is right on the mark, and I also appreciated your pointing out the repairs on the finished piece. The intro was cute, too.

You save not only the furniture, you save the culture and history. Thank you.

There are many restoration channels in KZread. Why this channel is my best - because every video is a cool performance. And I still cannot say which I like more - restoration technique or staging.

Great that you kept it very original and not over restored it

Amazing job as always. Thanks for sharing your skill and bits of Estonian history, culture, and language too. You rock!!

I love Saturday evenings: A nice, relaxing dinner while watching AT Restoration.

It looks perfect! And thank you so much for giving us the history behind it. That really brings it to life, and sets it in a time and place.🐝🤗❤️

@cv990a4

10 ай бұрын

It's a miracle that some of these pieces ever survived, given the tumultuous history of Estonia in the last 100+ years.

@deborahdanhauer8525

10 ай бұрын

@@cv990a4 I love learning about the history.🤗❤️🐝

How wonderful you found those photos! They really brought the chest back to life, and you made it look new again. You asked us what kind of furniture you should restore on your channel. This was absolutely perfect. Thank you!

Nicely done! Sometimes IMO you go a little further than I’d like in restoring/repainting (it’s a debatable point, I know), but what you’ve done here will preserve this piece of history for another 120 years. Also - sometimes the pieces you restore prove that not every old craftsman was a good craftsman, but this guy knew his stuff!

@cab102361

Жыл бұрын

We cannot see what he sees in person. He does minimal repairs to restore the items to good working condition.without being there we cannot adequately see the true damage ourselves.

@johnsrabe

Жыл бұрын

@@cab102361 Sorry, with due respect, and I mean that, by the same token, the camera might also hide imperfections in his work. We can’t see everything. But I like his work.

Absolutely loved the intro. But jokes aside you are not just a master craftsman but a genius as well.

Beautiful restoration, in complete sympathy with the history of the piece. That linseed-based paint really held up well and probably helped preserve it, despite it's less than ideal environment. I liked the technique of allowing the shrunken timber to remain as is and a thin piece of timber put in the sawn crack. There's no tension and everything remains square as a result. Your videos are real gems Ahti. I always look forward to them. Cheers.

Estonia meet new friend with Latvian grandparents. This chest is so beautifully handled. Thank you from new admirer from Penn's Woods(Pennsylvania,USA.).stay well.

Actually laughed out loud when you popped up from the chest! Then gasped when your phone took a dive. Really liked the history lesson as well. Thanks Ahti

Loved the way you used natural pigments as were used then and matched them so well...such a maestro! It's always about the stories to me and how the craftsmen/artisans create the value and longevity with quality like those hinges and curved top. Thank You for bringing us with you on your journey of quality, saving these wonderful pieces and the history.

And now that chest will once again be someone's special treasure. Terrific restoration, and a wonderful history!

WOW- love it! the jack-in-box opening, the cultural background + music, the finishsed product, the orange & black jumper!!!👏🏽❤‍🔥

Impressive...and thank you for including the history of the peace...lovely 🥰🥰

Ah, the symbolism of the double X’s. The old trunk in the photos also had interesting “art”/symbolism on its side. Great find and restoration as always.

You saved it. I loved hearing about the history of pieces like this and knowing that you preserved it so beautifully.

Thank you for sharing this beautiful restoration with us. What a beautiful and quite rare glory box. It was nice to see that you respect the integrity of the original finish and didn’t try to make it look brand new, it is truly a credit to you and your skills. The difference from start to finish is fantastic. More restorers should do this instead of trying to make things look new. Regards from Australia 🇦🇺, Rob T.

I love big pieces like this. You did an awesome job bringing it back, but the back story makes it even cooler. Great work.

I could watch a man scrubbing all day. 😊 You color matching skills are also amazing. Beautiful restoration.

This was lovely. Not only a seamless & flawless repair (that paint was awesome) but the history of this type of chest was wonderful. Thanks for a great video.

Интересно смотреть не только на вещь, которую Вы реставрируете, но и какие инструменты и приспособления используете. Спасибо за мастерство! 👍👍👍

I greatly appreciate your unobtrusive restoration of this piece.

I congratulate you, this is a true restoration. I have seen videos where they disrespectfully destroy wonderful classic furniture, painting it with totally inappropriate colors or stencils. I believe that cultural heritage should be cared for and respected, and a piece of furniture like this is. Thanks.

Your skills are commanding of respect. The moment the chest became something special was sealed with your words "this piece of furniture was somebodys pride and joy". Beautiful work.

Once again your ability to colour match and blend old with new both astonishes and amazes me. I’m thoroughly impressed as always with this restoration.

Beautiful restoration

For someone who collects antiques I can appreciate what you have done to restore this beautiful and important piece of history. Im glad the brides chest came to you to preserve it for another 100 hundreds. Well done!

"If it ain't broke don't fix it." You have repaired what needed repairing, lubricated the wooden hinges with a candle (beeswax I hope) in true old school fashion, and given this wonderful heirloom another hundred years of usefulness, preserving its value. Thanks for another great video!

I enjoyed the history of the chest along with the historic pictures and singing. It really added to the value of this piece of furniture. Beautiful restoration of a family heirloom.

Beyond all the qualities mentioned, let's not forget the sense of humor that you regularly put into the development of your videos in order to brighten them up ! Awesome :)

Beautiful! I love that you repair and RESTORE these beautiful antiques!

You made that look like new. Amazing. Thank you for telling about the chest. God bless you.

What a beautiful restoration! I was so fearful you would remove the soul of this chest, especially the carvings. Instead, you gave it new life! Well done!

Looked high and low for a foot locker style trunk to store my daughter's dress up clothes. kzread.infoUgkxRkkpE1_3gMEZ2mPhAt6b2moNCUXyH8tG I had one growing up that I stored my Barbies in and wanted something sturdy like that for her costumes. This arrived really, really quickly and is exactly what I've been looking for. Perfect size, color (pink) and has stood up for nearly a year so far against my kids using it as a chair, stage, and barricade (😬) to keep each other out of their rooms. I'm probably going to order another one for my daughter's Barbies.

'Hope chest', 'trousseau chest', 'dowry chest'. They have several names. In the UK, it's the 'bottom drawer'. You did a very loving restoration.Thank you for uploading.

It’s so beautiful even before you began.

The history and the film make the chest even more special. Thank you absolutely beautiful, couldn't convince the furby to get in the box!!!

Seeing a new AT video is one of my best weekend presents. Always a pleasure to watch a true Master at work.

What a lovely thing to have! And lovingly restored with care and consideration for its history. You didn’t overdo it, just enough and to keep it going another few hundred years

That was a brilliant restoration. You never cease to amaze me with your talents.

Beautiful and well made chest. Your story of its origins and purpose shows the reason it was so well made. A labour of love. You showed the unfinished carving which just adds to its charm. Thank you for respecting the chest so much. Using the original ocher paints and restoring it without robbing it of its patina was wonderful. The original bride and groom may be gone but their precious momento will grace someone else's home. I hope they show it the same love and respect.

Excellent restoration 👍👍👍Thank you for sharing. Be safe🇨🇦

не обычное начало. Как всегда великолепная работа! Чем вещь проще, тем сложнее её реставрировать. Браво!👍

I love how you kept the character of the trunk. Looks great.

Thank you for sharing the cultural significance of this piece. It’s quite beautiful in its form and function.

this makes me so happy! takes me back to my childhood with my Papa and also when I used to watch my husband many years ago

I find your channel rather relaxing to watch! Thanks!

In the South we still have “Hope” Chests. My father built one for my cousin, unfortunately he died before he could create one for me. I love your videos, you preserve history.

Likeeeeee from Brazil 👍 🇧🇷

Look what you were able to do! Beautiful!

You put a lot of love into these beautiful pieces. Its true, another man's waste is another man treasure.

I said WoW so many times that I just had to hit the subscribe button. To observe a Master Artist and craftsman as they work is a privilege. Thank you for giving us history on these objects.

I absolutely loved this restoration! Thank you!

I really enjoyed seeing this restoration. I am so glad you were able to save this wonderful piece of History.

incredible restoration and lovely to know the story behind those chests. Hopefully it will be someones pride and joy for another 100 years

Amazing color matching! I have a feeling the owner of the chest was watching you from above as you repaired her chest with such care. Just Beautiful work!! 💙🥹💙

Incredible transformation. Loved back story about brides dress and gifts. ❤

Beautiful!

This is such a beautiful antique and it’s wonderful to see it returned to life

Absolutely beautiful! I have collected American primitive furniture for many years and this chest is a real treasure. 💞

Beautiful Thank you for sharing

Once again, I'm in awe of your color-matching genius. A very lovely job.

I like you work and can learn a lot from you. Thank you for sharing. I occasionally work whit old furniture, mainly from southern Germany, I find it fascinating how similar and how different furnitur from different areas can be.

I think that most in the furniture trade would not have done such an extreme renovation and not have repainted so much of the piece. Leaving a piece "honest" is part of its charm and value. Frankly, after just cleaning the paint, it was fine. Perhaps just repair the missing piece at the bottom of the front.

Special treatment for a special piece with a special history. Bravo, well done Sir! That's true restoration.

You are a master craftsman 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

I own a similar chest. It belonged to my great-grandma. Unlike this one, it's very simple, but it served the same purpose. My grandpa restored it for my mum to have when she went to study and she later gave it to me when I moved out into my first own place. Right now it's back with my parents because I moved country, but as soon as I have the space and chance to get it I will get it and hope to give it to my children in the future, as a symbol of starting ones own household.

Beautiful. Now you just have to place the chair you repaired, in your last video, next to the bride’s chest.

Always a joy to watch a master of his craft at work. Thank you.

Beautiful and very sympathetic restoration. Loved the story that came with it as the brides garment chest.

the beginning surprised me so much lol thank you for your amazing work and for including the story and the photos. the before/after is pure magic

Absolutely beautiful!

Wow, what a pleasant surprise it was to see you coming out of the chest. Hope your phone survived, hehe. We anthropologists often say that what makes things precious are the meanings people give to them, because of their uses and purposes. You made this chest even more beautiful with your master skills and telling us the story of the bride and her gifts. What a beautiful soundtrack, sounds like armenian. I thank you for all this!🌹

@ATRestoration

Жыл бұрын

Thanks Monica! I believe it is some Finno-Ugric dialect. Some words are like in Estonian but I can´t understand it.

@monicadepaulabomfim6052

Жыл бұрын

@@ATRestoration , wow. Finno-Ugric dialect!

Thank you for preserving the paint 💙💙💙

Turned out really beautiful. Well done!

A real pleasure to watch a Master at work! A stunning restoration. 🌟

WOW, that is stunning. What a lovely story about its history too. Somebody must be very proud to be the custodian of it now. Thanks for sharing your skills with us. Take care 🙂

I like it when restoration if kept as one to the original as possible. The pictures are greatly appreciated as well as the story behind them.

Wow amazing patience and skill! Enjoyed watching you save her just like a surgeon in an ER

Absolutely beautiful

Once a prized item that had become shabby, your restoration brought it back to being useful & attractive. I liked that you kept the same warm color tone. Another admirable job. Thank you.

Thank you for saving some brides dream. It is beautiful. Very similar to a Hope Chest here in the states. Beautiful history for a beautiful bride. Have a great day

Wish we could send you all of the 100 year plus stuff we have over here to restore, you do great work.