Handcrafted Teak Wood TV Unit | Cream and Gold Leaf Carved Drawer Console

The Story Behind This TV Unit

Gold leaf is not gold paint, and the difference is the whole reason this piece looks the way it does. Leaf is applied in tissue-thin sheets by hand onto a prepared ground, laid one overlapping section at a time, then burnished. It takes days on a console this size, and it cannot be rushed - leaf that is laid on an imperfect ground shows every flaw beneath it, magnified.

So the sequence matters. The carcass is built in seasoned solid teak and fitted properly first, with each of the five drawers planed to its own opening rather than to a common size. The carved borders, corner brackets, frieze and feet are cut from the solid at the bench. The cream is then built up in thin coats and cut back between each until the ground is dense and even without drowning the carving.

Only then does the gilder start, working the leaf across every carved border, cartouche, bracket and foot, burnishing it up and then rubbing it back at the high points so the piece reads as aged rather than freshly finished. Hardware is fitted last so nothing is handled after the leaf is laid.

Factual specification for this handcrafted teak wood cream and gold TV unit console:

• Material: Solid teak wood, hand-carved (no veneer, no engineered wood, no PVC)
• Style: French Baroque revival console, painted with hand-applied gold leaf
• Finish: Hand-painted cream built up in thin coats with hand-laid and burnished gold leaf on all carved work; paint colour customisable to ivory, soft grey, sage or a matched shade, and gold coverage adjustable
• Carved detail: Gilt carved cartouche borders framing every drawer front, scrolled acanthus brackets at both front corners, carved gilt frieze along the top edge, shaped gilt apron, carved gilt scroll feet
• Storage: Five drawers in total - two banks of two either side plus one across the base of the centre - and a central open bay with a ventilated shelf for media equipment
• Screen: Suits a wall-mounted television above as photographed, or a screen standing on the top - confirm your screen size at order so the length is proportioned to it
• Size: Custom sizes made to order - share your wall length and preferred height and we will quote
• Make: Made to order, handcrafted by master Indian artisans
• Delivery: Pan-India, free shipping

Packaging and Transit Protection

Gold leaf marks at any point of contact, and on this console the leaf runs across every drawer border, the corner brackets, the top frieze and all four feet - which means almost every exposed edge is a leafed edge. The whole piece is therefore faced with a soft interleaf before any foam touches it, and the corner brackets and feet are additionally wrapped individually in high-density foam and taped clear of the finish so no adhesive ever contacts leaf.

All five drawers are removed, wrapped separately and packed alongside rather than travelling in their openings - a drawer sliding in transit will rub its gilt border against the carcass and strip the leaf. The feet are unshipped where the construction allows. Everything is corner-guarded and blocked into a fitted wooden crate with dense foam on every face so nothing can shift or abrade. The crate is marked for orientation, fragility and lifting points, strapped, sealed and photographed before dispatch.

Shipping and Delivery

Every console is built, carved and finished after you order. Typical lead time is 8 to 10 weeks from order confirmation - longer than our polished pieces, because the cream ground is built up in coats and cut back before the gilder starts, and hand-laying gold leaf across this much carved work takes days on its own. A bespoke paint colour adds time for matching and approval. The exact timeline is confirmed in writing at order and we share progress photographs after the carcass is built, after carving, after the ground is laid and after gilding.

Delivery is free anywhere in India. We arrange and manage transport, and our team unloads, fits the feet, refits the drawers, positions the console and levels it at your address rather than leaving crates at the gate. Please confirm doorway and stair widths and lift internal dimensions in advance, and tell us your floor type so we can supply protective pads. International orders are quoted case by case.

Craftsmanship Assurance and Care

Our craftsmanship assurance covers the solid teak carcass, the carving, the joinery, the drawer runners and the gold-leaf work. If a joint opens, a drawer binds or a carved element separates because of a fault in the making - rather than through impact, misuse, water damage or an attempted self-repair - we repair or replace it. Hand-laid gold leaf and hand-applied paint vary slightly between pieces; that is a characteristic of hand finishing, not a defect.

Gold leaf is thinner than paper and is the most easily damaged finish in the range - treat it as you would a gilded frame, not as furniture. Dust the gilt borders, brackets, frieze and feet with a clean dry soft brush only; never rub them with a cloth, which will burnish through the leaf at raised edges. A soft dry cloth suits the flat cream panels and the top. Never use water, chemical polish, alcohol or ammonia cleaners anywhere on the piece. Use mats and coasters on the top and never let a wet glass or hot appliance stand directly on it. Do not exceed the stated drawer or shelf loads. Keep the console out of direct sunlight, which yellows cream paint over time.