M Shields Ltd

Mr. Shields has a wonderful way with each piece you bring in.
He needs our support we may lose him since he has a small business. His rent is going up and he may note able to stay where he is.
Anyone looking for unusual lighting, antique lighting should see him first.

I almost never write a Unilocal comment, but as I sit in my den reading by the light of a lamp that Matthew created for me, I just had to let it be known what an artist he is. His shop is better than most museums I have been in, and the creations from artifacts is beyond words.
He has worked on 3 projects so far, and each one is astonishing. First time, I brought him 2 antique lamps that needed fixing up. Perfect! Another opportunity was to bring in an antique lamp that was barely able to standon it’s own. Matthew made it look as good as it did when my grandmother bought it many years ago.
The most astonishing work of brilliance by Matthew was his creation of two (2) wrought iron horseheads from an old southern plantation. Matthew took a long look at them, and the artist created the base, wired them, and even help me find the perfect shade to enhance their beauty.
If you are looking for museum quality work, an artist that can envision your ideas and thoughts, has a mind of his own, and enjoy hearing a bit of history, then Matthew is your man.
I cannot say enough about the work and the person. I am looking for new projects that he can create for/​with me !

Mom’s 1960’s vintage Waterford Crystal Chandelier was her pride and joy! Unfortunately it was in sorry shape, aside from needing professional cleaning, the lights no longer worked due to old wiring and broken sockets. We needed an expert who had experience with vintage light fixtures, so after calling several lighting stores I was beginning to worry that I would not find anyone who was up to the job. I discovered Matt Shields via Unilocal (he prefers phone to email). Matt came out a couple of days later, dismantled the chandelier, brought it to his shop. He rewired the chandelier, replaced sockets, new bulbs and other parts. He returned 3 days later to assemble and install a much improved chandelier, restored to its former glory. This was an expensive job, but worth every penny. Matt is a one man show, very knowledgeable and a real craftsman (few and far between these days). He also repaired and rewired a 1930’s gooseneck lamp, I am so glad we found him!

Matt is extremely professional & knowledgeable. He rewired two of our mid-​century cork lamps (plus supplied us with the perfect period-​appropriate vintage finials) and did such an excellent job. I would recommend him to anyone looking for someone who is a true craftsman –a rare find these days!

Three years ago I bought a lovely 1920’s historic home on the Peninsula that had not been touched in over 60 years. When we finally closed escrow and SG Builders took over the restoration of the home, I was stumped as to what to do with a dozen vintage lights that were old, broken and in need of wiring. They laid in a box for over six months while I pondered their fate. Finally, my builder told me he had come upon someone who could restore the lights and packed the lights off to Matthew. A week later we went to visit Matthew and my eyes were opened to the beautiful and fascinating world of light history! It was a day of learning about bobeches and the difference between Austrian, Czech, and French crystal. It was an amazing global and historical tour by a lovely, unpretentious and fascinating man who is a treasure himself.
In the end, he masterfully restored every single light in stunning detail by rewiring, repainting, finding new crystals, and painting or making candle covers, all with exquisite workmanship. I became an addict and went back for more matching lights from his immense collection. My addiction moved on to vintage Italian Murano lamps, antique Chinese cloisonné lights, outdoor lights, sconces, — you name it, I now own it! Here is the best part… Matthew is a fair person and charges a very reasonable price for his work. I recently saw two of the exact same restored antique lamps that I purchased from Matthew in a SF antique store for 10X what I paid for them.
When it was time to install, Matthew came to my home and helped me determine proper installation for each light. He is truly one of the most special people I have ever known and his work will make you happy every single time you flip the switch.
Strongly suggest an appointment and give yourself two hours to enjoy this unique place and man!

Matt truly is an expert craftsman. I’ve had him restore an antique floor lamp and had 2 bedside table lamps custom made. The floor lamp came out spot-​on. He’s truly an artist and it’s obvious he takes much pride in his work. The lamp looked better than I think it ever originally could have looked. He not only restored the piece, but also IMRPOVED it! He added weights to the bottom, which was a great idea because the lamp is in a home with 2 teenage boys. He knew exactly what I wanted & needed without me really need to explain much, which was helpful because I do not know a great deal about antique lamps.
The 2 bedside lamps he custom created out of 2 antique candle sticks, mounted on square marble slabs. He added a soft microfiber on the bottom to protect scratches. He found the most beautiful, unique champagne lamp shades to top it all off. Gorgeous!!! Will post pics of the pieces in the home once complete. Never could have found this type of perfection from any other source. Myself, my boss, and the clients couldn’t be happier.
Thanks Matt!!!
PS– Going to him for our next project, re-​lamping a chandelier. I know he will do excellent work.

I brought in four small boudoir lamps. Mr. Shields took great care in cleaning all lamp parts, re-​nickeled the small metal details, created sturdy columns out of formerly wobbly glass shafts and even suggested new shades. The guy is the best in the Bay Area. Someone get him an apprentice!

He works magic. I brought in this small angel antique lamp that was originally a candlestick jerry-​rigged to be a lamp. It tipped, had old wiring, was missing some details and the fixture was wobbly. As this was for my daughter’s bedroom I needed to make sure it was safe and not so fragile. He made the most perfect brass base for it – looks like it came with it the exact same patina, made a chain-​link for the base that was missing, repaired the wiring and found the perfect shade. He made a work of art! Also the antiques there are very unique. He’s passionate about his work. Best to call in advance

I have been doing business with Matt for over 30 years.
He is the best restorer of lighting there is.
You are sure that everything is restored to perfection and is UL safe.
He hand crafts custom bases for lamps and his finishes are perfect for the lamp.
He is a master of his trade.
My showroom sells to designers and we only want the best.
Ambiance Antiques San Francisco.

If you like antic lights, this is the place to go.
I read the review below (from Rama K) and the review was so live so I decided to check it up.
This is one man shop (feel like a garage) so you need to call beforehand to make an appointment. I went there 4 times until I locked down to one about 50 year old brass lamp. It is old but the owner Mathew completed redid the electronic part so I believe it is safe. I can definitely see that he is very knowledgeable on all lamp stuff including history. So fun to talk with him.
Just a great experience in visiting such place where all old stuff is and having pleasant conversation with the owner.

Every once in a while, you come across someone who is a master at what they do. Matt Shields is one of those rarities. I gave him a battered pair of good-​sized 1930s alabaster lamps that my grandmother had passed down to me. They are very precious to me, and they needed a lot of help. On one, the base had broken off, and they were both dull and somewhat unstable. Unilocalers had recommended Matt, and they did not disappoint! After seven days, these lamps looked absolutely stunning! They are also perfectly authentic to the period. He took tremendous care to re-​stack and secure the pieces (gently shaving the connecting areas, as needed) so each fitted perfectly on top of the other. He used the best possible materials for securing each piece, replacing certain metallic parts with period-​authentic items from his inventory, and re-​wiring the whole. As someone with a keen eye for detail, I was enormously impressed. He is a true artist, someone who really cares about even the smallest detail. This is the kind of expertise and work ethic that renews your faith in humanity. I could not be more pleased.

My stepmother is very meticulous. She had been looking for the perfect matching chandelier for her new stained glass window. I got dragged into a day long adventure (because i have a pickup truck) going to every store, antique shop, big box store in order to find it. The craziness we put up with for family.
She had been recomended to try this place, I was reluctant as we are from the east bay and the drive to Redwood City is not on my top 10 list of things to do. Much to my surprise I found this place to be unique, clean and full of antiquities that you simply wont find at any big box store. Matt is very courteous as well.
My stepmom found her precious chandelier, liked the place so much that she called my wife so the two of them can go browsing.
I never really get into this review thing, its sort of new to me. Though it sure was nice to see a small business sticking it to the mass produced companies and makes it worth my time to write it up.