Laura Karoniemi

I am a Finnish conservator living in Cornwall specialising in conservation and restoration of furniture, wooden artefacts and decorative surfaces. I have lived in the UK since 2017, working on a variety of conservation and restoration projects with Cliveden Conservation and A&M Restoration and Conservation. Locations have included National Trust houses, Royal Collections, churches and private manor houses among other sites in London and South West. After settling in to beautiful Cornwall in 2020 I set up Finnishing Touch to provide conservation and restoration services locally for museums, heritage organisations and local residents.

I trained in Furniture Conservation at Metropolia University of Applied Sciences in Finland graduating in 2016. Before and during my conservation studies I worked for 8 years as a scenic painter and decorator. I also worked on various renovation and restoration projects.

I am very passionate about conservation and traditional craftmanship and materials, especially painted, lacquered and gilded surfaces. I love challenges and I am always willing to learn more and want to expand my conservation skills to new materials and techniques whilst keeping myself up to date in the conservation field.

During my free time I love to explore stunning Cornish coasts by foot or on a paddleboard and hunt sea glass on the enchanting beaches of Cornwall!