Itʼs no wonder the AUGUSTUS could never meet modern SOLAS requirements with all of that handcrafted woodwork lining her public spaces and accommodation. Her first class cabins and suites were paneled in avodire, a lustrous West African wood that is also widely known as African Satinwood. Avodire has a beautiful sheen and patterns that appear to change when viewed from different vantages. On the back of each is the cabin number and some even sport detailed diagrams and instructions for their installation on Cantieri Riuniti dellʼAdriaticoʼs hull number 1757, which, of course, became the AUGUSTUS.

In 1999, when she was at Manila undergoing a conversion to the never fully realized MS PHILIPPINES floating hotel, workers were busy applying a cheap dark varnish over the original wood and replacing some fittings such as the bedboards, carpeting and curtains in an attempt to make the ship look more modern.

I rescued a quantity of this paneling from Alang, which arrived in good overall condition, save for the cheap varnish which may have been a blessing in disguise for its extra coat of protection. All of the panels on this page have been painstakingly stripped, stained and re varnished and look as beautiful as ever. There are some tiny screw holes, scratches, dings and nicks as one would expect with any piece of 60 year old wood but overall, each shines anew. They are priced by size and condition and I have taken into account cut outs, patches and other minor flaws in the the process.

This is a rare, one-time opportunity to panel a favorite wall or even an entire room with woodwork from a classic ocean liner. Limited quantity. 

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