The most common restoration request in Dubai: furniture damaged in delivery

What do restorers in Dubai work on?

A wide range: furniture, floors, wardrobes and doors. The word "restoration" usually calls up antique furniture or worn parquet, but in Dubai one of the most frequent requests concerns things that are brand new.

It is new, expensive furniture that arrived from Italy and was damaged on its way to the buyer. Orders are easiest to divide into categories, and one stands out clearly by volume: furniture shops.

These are the showrooms of the best-known brands. We do not give names, but practically all of them are concentrated on Jumeirah Road.

Who are the shops’ customers, and why does damage matter so much?

The showrooms serve buyers who are furnishing villas, penthouses and expensive flats. For that audience the appearance of the furniture is decisive, and any damage becomes a problem that has to be solved quickly.

Four things define the category. Furniture shops are one of the largest groups of orders. The brands are premium, in showrooms mostly on Jumeirah Road.

The pieces are new — furniture that has not yet reached its owner. And the requests are regular: they come constantly, not from one occasion to the next.

How does furniture travel from Italy to the client?

Directly from Italy to the shops. The showrooms have their own warehouses, where the furniture is received, stored and prepared for dispatch. Then the order is loaded and delivered to the buyer.

On paper the scheme is simple. Physically it is several moves of heavy, bulky and often fragile objects.

First comes acceptance at the warehouse, where the furniture arrives after a long road from Europe. Then storage, during which pieces are shifted and moved around inside the warehouse.

Then loading, when the item is carried into a lorry for delivery. And finally delivery and carrying in — the last stretch to the client’s house or villa.

Each of these stages is a point of risk. The more times a piece is handled, the higher the chance of a chip, a dent or a scratch.

Why is damage unavoidable?

Because chance cannot be ruled out completely. It is important to stress that this is not about carelessness: the showrooms are very careful in their work, and their staff know what the furniture costs and handle it gently.

Even so, an awkward angle, a narrow passage or an uneven footing during loading is enough, and a defect appears on an expensive piece.

These are force majeure circumstances that nobody is insured against. That is why such orders are a permanent line of work for restorers: delivery damage happens regularly, and the shops ask for help just as regularly.