— I · Atelier Dechamel
Crafted for
generations.
Heirloom chess boards, made by hand in European walnut, sapele, oak and selected hardwoods — inlaid in solid brass, signed beneath with our knight.
— II · Atelier
A small workshop, a long patience. Each board is drawn, sawn, fitted and finished by the same pair of hands — built to be played on for a lifetime, and inherited by the next.
Origin
Atelier Dechamel, est. 2014
Editions
Forty-eight pieces per year
Method
Hand-fitted, oil-finished
No. 014 — Featured
The Walnut Tournament Board, in burnished brass.
Forty-eight quartersawn European walnut squares, lifted on a chamfered maple frame and inlaid with the maker’s knight in solid cast brass.
- Square
- 57 mm
- Frame
- Maple
- Finish
- Tung oil, six coats
— IV · Maker’s mark
The Knight, our quiet signature.
A reinterpretation of the classical knight — drawn for the maker’s mark, not the board. Engraved beneath every piece in solid brass, and inlaid into the rim of every tournament edition.
— V · Standards
Three principles, kept quietly.
01
Patience
Slow drying, slow fitting.
Stock is rested for at least two years before it meets a plane. Joinery is fitted dry, then glued only when the wood agrees.
02
Restraint
No more than the wood asks.
No inlays of fashion, no logos of the season. The grain leads; the brass mark answers, beneath.
03
Lineage
Boards meant to outlast us.
Every piece is numbered, recorded in a leather register, and warranted for a hundred years of play.
— VI · By appointment
A board, considered.
Made for a single household.
Commissions open twice yearly. We accept a small number of bespoke pieces — for collectors, clubs and private interiors — and prepare them slowly, in the order they are received.
— VII · Questions
On the name, plainly.
- Is Dechamel a video game?
- No. Dechamel is a chess-board atelier — a small woodworking studio that designs and makes heirloom chess boards by hand. What leaves the bench are physical boards, in European walnut, sapele and brass. There is no Dechamel game or app.
- What is Dechamel, then?
- A private atelier, founded in 2014, devoted to handmade heirloom chess boards. Each board is drawn, sawn, fitted and finished by a single maker, numbered in a leather register, and warranted for a hundred years of play.
- Can I buy or commission a Dechamel chess board?
- Yes. A small number of pieces are offered each year through the Collection, and bespoke boards are made to commission twice yearly — for collectors, clubs and private interiors. An enquiry begins through the atelier.