Ceccotti Collezioni’s latest showcase at Downtown Design Dubai features the brand’s signature Shellac finish. Representing luxury, craftsmanship and a deep respect for traditional Italian techniques, this special finish, created through thin coats and a meticulous hand-applying process, enhances the natural beauty of the wood while creating a deep, lustrous sheen that becomes increasingly refined over time.

Shellac finishing is an ancient technique renowned for its ability to impart a luminous and luminous shine to wood surfaces. The method involves applying multiple thin layers of shellac, a natural resin secreted by female lac beetles found on trees in the forests of India and Thailand. Shellac comes in dry flakes, dissolved in alcohol and applied by hand with a pad.

The process is both lengthy and complex. To complete the process, the craftsman would make repetitive hand movements (in circles and figure eights) to build up the layers, then remove any remaining streaks from the wood. This technique, which fell into disuse around the 1930s when faster and cheaper methods emerged, is still preserved by skilled artisans, passed down to later generations of craftsmen.