My love of wood began early in my childhood. My grandfather was a carpenter, and at his house he had a little workshop where, by his side, I enjoyed my first experiences with woodwork. I loved everything about working with wood: its aroma, its structure, its color. This passion is something that I’ve carried with me throughout my life, and it is evident in all of my work. I developed a love of antiques (and working with antiques) in particular through my stepfather, who is himself an antiques connoisseur and enthusiast.
I was educated in Hallstatt at the Hoehere Technische Bundes Lehranstalt, the oldest and most respected woodworking school in Austria. Over the next four years, I learned everything theoretical and practical about woodworking, as well as the basics of restoration work. Incidentally, this is also where I met my best friend and business partner, Roland Stadlmair. After graduating, I worked for the most well-known antique dealer in Austria, in a top-notch restoration workshop, and here I developed my skills over the next 9 years. I worked alongside a great restorer and friend, Ronald Lang, and learned a lot from him about restoration and traditional woodworking techniques (e.g., intricate wood inlays, exact replica carving, and expert polishing by hand). It was here also that I learned about the necessity of using traditional woodworking tools, as opposed to modern mechanized methods, to properly restore antique pieces, and to produce furniture of the exact same quality as the originals.
After almost ten years of apprenticeship, I was ready to try something new. I left Austria and arrived here in Chicago to join Roland, my old friend from woodworking school, in finally opening our own restoration business. With more than 27 years of careful apprenticeship and professional experience, we are confident that we can restore the value and original beauty of your favorite antique pieces.
Roland Stadlmair:
Like Jürgen, my passion for antiques began early in my childhood: I always enjoyed trips with my parents to various Austrian museums and palaces, which inevitably housed beautiful original furniture and art. After elementary and middle school, I enrolled in one of the most prestigious schools for carpentry, art, statuary and turnery in Hallstatt. Over the next four years, I came to know and be fascinated by everything about woodworking, from the trees to the furniture and art man makes from them.
Over these four years, I also spent much of my free time in the restoration workshop of one of my teachers, where I could learn the basics of restoration work and where I had my first experiences with old structures and finishing techniques (e.g., French polishing).
After graduation, I began my professional career in carpentry at a company called Brandstetter. This company produces excellent custom-made furniture, stairs, designer kitchens, and traditional Austrian “Bauernstubn.”
During this time I was able to expand my knowledge of the business side of carpentry: customer consulting, project execution, production, assembly and final inspection, staff training and teamwork. However, I never lost touch with my roots, and through private restoration projects and cooperation with the Atelier “Lang,” I was able to continue progressing in my main field of antiques restoration and conservation as well.
After working several years in Austria, I decided to try my skills elsewhere. As Chicago is known for its large high-quality art and antiques market, it seemed like a natural choice.
Shortly after this move, I joined up with a former classmate and longtime friend of mine, Jürgen Eberl (with whom I had studied in Hallstatt), and our company—JR-Quality—was begun.
In 2018 I started a new adventure. After getting married, I moved to Colorado to bring my expertise to my parents in laws Gibsons Galleries at the Broadmoor hotel in Colorado Springs.
