About us

Alan crawford specialises in the design and manufacture of traditional and classic contemporary style carved drapery pelmets, bed tester canopies and bed coronas.

Compiled into ‘catalogue form’ this unique collection of 17th – 19th century inspired designs has been sourced from europe’s grand palaces, chateaux and stately homes.

Founded in 1997, work began on the very first range of designs shown in this online catalogue. Continually evolving, this diverse and unrivalled collection now consists of over 300 designs. Included within these are pelmets and bed tester canopies made from antiqued mirror glass which is hand silvered, distressed and shaped in-house.

The range provides a high degree of flexibility : drapery pelmets can be made to any length, into bed tester canopies or circular coronas. Designs shown as coronas can also be supplied as straight pelmets or made to various diameters.
Most designs can be adapted or, components interchanged to make new designs.
Custom work is also undertaken for both carved & mirrored designs.

Another speciality is complex curved work . Certain pelmet and corona designs can be supplied in arched, serpentine, bow front and stepped shapes .

Designers looking for exclusive products to enhance traditional window or bed drapery will find this collection inspirational . Discerning clients who look for historically accurate furnished interiors will also appreciate the meticulous attention to detail.

Online access to the full collection is available to trade professionals only.

Manufacturing

Precise sharp detailing with deep undercuts, the essence of quality carving. Achieving this can be techincally challenging , time consuming and somewhat costly. Most similar carved products manufactured today have a heavy handed approach.
All products in this collection are manufactured from a combination of hardwood with cast ornamentation using stock moulds. The level of detail is unsurpassed in the industry.

For new designs, the ‘ master components ‘ are carved from wax. This is an excellent carving medium as much finer detail including wood grain texture can be achieved.

The second stage involves the production of the moulds using silicone rubber which reproduces all the fine detail of the master components.

The third stage ( the casting process ) requires various blends of high-grade polymers to be combined and formulated in-house for each specific application. Lightweight fillers are added to the mixed blends resulting in the cast components having the weight and feel of wood. Most designs can be stained & polished.
Products are then assembled in the same manner as wood carved elements.
It is necessary on some designs to “back carve” the components. This gives a much lighter 3 dimensional appearance to the finished piece.

The final stage ( finishing) products are then prepared with the required finish : faux gilt, gilt , parcel gilt, stained & polished and all types of painted finishes are available. Samples are provided for approval prior to manufacture.