Our working style

At Enrico Neri & Co s.n.c Electrical Systems and Period Lighting was born in 1986. When asked what the main objective of the company is, the company owner Enrico Neri replied “We are a small family-owned business dealing with the restoration of antique items that we bring back to life, in order to be sold”.

The idea for this type of business came to him in September 1987. One morning he exhibited a pair of newly-restored table lamps in a nearly empty shop. He had bought them a couple of days earlier at an antiques market, and wanted to give them a new lease of life.

That gesture didn’t go unnoticed for long. That same afternoon those table lamps were sold to a man who was passing through, and who saw the beauty in them.

Mr. Neri saw the possibility to build a business on this type of process. After all it was the 80s, and due to the economic boom in Italy, businesses were flourishing and people were looking forward to a  comfortable future: anything was possible.

At that time the business was created as a “sole trader” company, founded and owned by Enrico Neri, who was specialised in electrical systems, also thanks to the incredible help of his wife Isabella Tonati, qualified in cultural heritage studies.

At the time the small business was not situated at the striking new workshop in Via Vernazzi, which is located in a charming new build.

In 1986 the small business was born in our city centre, just behind Piazza Duomo, in Borgo Montassù.

The small shop was more ancient than the above-mentioned square, as it was the site of a Roman terracotta kiln, which was abandoned after the invasion of the Huns.

Here the owners’ dream of making their craftsmanship not only a form of business but also a way of living started to take off.

In the world of restoration as well as the art world, it is necessary to proceed with a strict method with many steps.

The first step is always to observe the item, in order to assess its condition and how we can proceed with the best care.

Most times we start off with dry cleaning the item if it’s iron, or washing it if it’s glass.

After cleaning, we assess which parts are broken or missing.

Once all missing or broken parts are fixed or replaced, we can proceed with fixing the structure, which will have to bear the weight of the entire object and its parts.

The items’ structures most of the time are adapted: either lengthened or shortened, either welded together or divided, rethreaded and lastly painted. Once the structure has been restored we can proceed to reassemble the item.

The assembly involves putting all the parts back together and adding a new electrical system.

Once the restoration is complete, we number, catalogue and carefully box the item.

Lastly we produce a warranty to certify the item’s authenticity and the quality of the work we carried out.

PLEASE NOTE: THE RESTORED ITEMS THAT HAVE NOT BEEN COLLECTED AFTER A YEAR ARE DONATED TO CHARITY.