Beautiful things for the everyday

One of our goals when we formalated the idea for creating our own gallery was to make beautiful small items for the home, and to have beautiful things in which to entertain.

Simple, classic pieces that are visually appealing and easy to use, things that wont date or age or seem fadish but just beautiful sustainable pieces that you would want to use again and again

Making the everyday an occasion a celebration is what we firmly hold dear, so why not use something beautiful to celebrate a Monday Night Takeaway …

Simply classic entertaining

Easy ambience

Everday Luxury …

Sushi time

Just some of the beautiful home accessories we have, slowly we are uploading items to the online shop, but we invite you to pop down and peruse the wonderful colurful textural Qld Made items we have

Custom making Media Units ...

A wonderful finished product on this custome made TV Cabinet …

Our client required a modest cabinet to accommodate a DVD Player and accessories , and it also had to fit within the room parameters , so as not to overpower the other gorgeous furniture in the room .

Stuart designed this sleek cabinet with ample storage for all components as well as the inclusion of grey speaker mesh to emphasise the quality of sound as well as harmonise with the 2 Pack finish.

We chose Dulux Snow Season a sophisticated white neutral to highlight the gorgeous timber flooring.

The chrystal handles ( a client love) was the final embelishment on this elegant minimal yet functional cabinet.

A fresh new look for the corner of the living room

Classic clean lines with ample storage

The wonderful finished product

A gift made from the heart ...

Our woodworking students always give us great joy when it comes to their dedication and persistence.

Bill , a Monday night student has worked tirelessly over the last few months working on a beautiful coffee table for a wonderful surprise birthday present for his wife.

Made from Melaleuca , which is part of the Myrtle tree family this elegant table uses resin as a centre feature to highlight the wonderful warm patina of the grain .

Finished off with light coats of lacquer, this gift made from the heart is one we are sure will be a treasured heirloom for many years to come.

Congratulations to Bill on such a wonderful achievement.

Silver Ash coffee tables

Using Silver Ash for a base and featuring Laminex in contemporary shades, these coffee tables are the perfect addition to this beautifully appointed Brisbane home.

Using Laminex in Cosmic Grey and Alto these tables provide an avant garde atmospbere to this wonderful lounge room.

The finer things ...

Our gallery is taking shape…

With lots of special pieces, where the emphasis is on innovative design and excellence in craftmanship.

Silver Ash Bow and Arrow Shelf

Qld Maple Side Table

Recently installed, this elegant Qld Maple Display Cabinet, is just perfect for apartment living.

Featuring adjustable glass shelves, undercarriage runners, dovetails and back lighting, this sideboard is both practical and refined

African Teak Outdoor Furniture

Matching existing pieces we made 6 years ago, these African Teak outdoor chairs are made to last.

Just add cushions and a cocktail and the hours will just float by…

African Teak ready to weather naturally

Custom made dining chairs...

Dining chairs have a tough gig, over the years they are put through constant stress and strain.

Used several times a day, they are certainly put through their paces.

A chair has to be strong to be able to carry various weights, and it has to be comfortable to make the owner want to sit in it with ease for hours.

With these aspects in mind, we design and make our dining chairs for durability, for beauty and for comfort.

A place for books

Being avid readers, we know all too well the problem of finding a suitable home for all the books we have collected over the years and do not want to part with.

It is a wonderful thing to pass them on to someone else to read #payitforward but there are numerous times and occasions when you do not want to part with them.

Art books for instance , often heavy and large are a must have for reference and to keep going back to time and again, coffee table books - for when the collection becomes too high to keep on the coffee table and of course well worn much loved fiction books that hold sentimental value.

Our client came to us with this conundrum , so many wonderful books but nowhere to store them and to reflect back on them when needed.

We designed this clean, streamlined bookcase to house such important items. Custom made to encapsulate the assorted heights and weights of different books.

Simple in design and colour so as to let the wonderful assorted colours of the books take precedence and be the show items as they rightly are…

Starting to come together

Ample space for lots of wonderful books

A beautiful complement to stunning art work

A room without books is like a body without soul.

Making a dining table out of recycled timber

There is a lot to be said for using recycled materials, and in particular recycled timber.

Less waste, and more often than not the character and grain of the timber is exceptional.

Age does provide beauty.

For this classic style dining table we sourced blackbutt, red iron bark, grey iron bark and spotted gum, iconic Australian timbers that were once used as timber beams for a house of over 100 years. Now this timber will serve another wonderful purpose and will stand the test of time and will look even better with age.

The beauty of the grain …

Gorgeous Australian timbers feature in this classic style dining table.

The glorious colours of timber. A natural beauty

Custom made furniture for retirement living

Moving into a retirement living complex is a new beginning ; a chance to make some fun new changes.

Furniture that once served a great purpose for a larger family may not be so practical now, and sometimes the spacial features of the new abode do not marry well with the existing furniture.

These are a few of the reasons why our client came to us, seeking custom made furniture that would fit beautifully into their new home.

We designed and made the new dining furniture to blend seamlessly with existing furniture, to have the correct proportions so that it wouldnt overtake or be too large to manoeuvre around .

The richness of Jarrah was an ideal choice for the clean classic lines of this dining room furniture.

The wonderful deep patina of Jarrah makes a striking choice for apartment living/

Sleek and sophisticated

Custom making an obvious choice

The perfect size coffee table

The end result, very happy clients who are thrilled with their new way of life and their new furniture.

Custom Making Hoop Pine Cabinets

The over riding advantage for custom making is that it solves problems and provides solutions.  Furniture is tailor made for each individual circumstance. As each family is different so are their furniture, storage  and lifestyle requirements, there are  no cookie cutter solutions.

Our current project provides ample storage, reducing clutter and is classically designed to enhance the existing decor.

We are in the final stages of completion of Hoop Pine Cabinets with an accompanying wine rack.

sketch of timber cabinet

concept drawings for timber wine rack

Making a hoop pine wine rack

The team in action, custom making a timber cabinet

Once initial sketches are approved by the client tech drawings are made to ensure accuracy ,precision and a smooth production process.

After production, the polishing begins, once again our polishing is colour matched to existing client pieces to ensure a seamless transition into the home.

We also offer gloss, satin and various sheen  options to our clients so once again each piece is an individual and is specifically made to the clients wishes right down to the last detail.

Custom polishing of timber shelves

Timber detail in the grain

With polishing nearly complete, the next step is assembly where we get to put all the beautiful pieces of the puzzle together ...

Stay tuned !

Working with Wood Show - Brisbane 2015 -

It was all very hands on at the recent Working with Wood Show at the RNA last weekend...  

We had an overwhelming response and interest in not only our Wooden Surfboard and traditional woodworking classes, but also our custom making and furniture restoration services. Thank you to Carbatec for making this possible. Much appreciation to Michael Hoffman and David Wardrop for their invaluable help and enthusiasm over the weekend.

Silver Ash Chest of Drawers

The original Chest of Drawers as seen below was made in 1995. Constructed from resalvaged Qld Maple and English Oak, this stunning chest of drawers comprises of 106 hand made cut dovetails...

The English Oak legs were made from a deceased tree in Canberra, the oak was then sandblasted for a weathered effect.

The drawers ran on brass rails and there were no sides or back to the cabinet , except for the N profile.

The structure was held together with the top and bottom drawers attached to the N profile legs.

Fast forward to 2015 and here is the 21st century version of the chest of drawers...

Dovetailed drawers throughout

Hand shaped bowed front

same style as the original but with the luxury of full extension and soft close runners.

Its all in the Detail...Why is Custom Making is always a good idea

One of the many benefits of having an item  of furniture Custom Made is the wonderful array of fine details in the design that can make that piece of furniture essentially yours. Whether it is the addition of dovetails, a shadow line, a rebate in the table top, the inclusion of these fine details enhance the classic design that you have chosen.  Creating an individual style customised for your home décor and lifestyle.

Media Units ~ Entertainment Units ~Media Consoles

TV Units, Media Units, Entertainment Rooms, ,whichever name you call them, they all contain  the ever extensive array of media components we accumulate, be it for viewing, gaming or listening , the media unit is an integral part of the home and care and thought should be given to this investment. Not only do they hold and hide all this equipment  a good entertainment unit should highlight and improve your viewing and watching experience.

With proper ventilation,  appropriate height and depth, a custom made entertainment unit will take into account each individual component you have and store each and every one in a solid yet well ventilated area.

In addition the unit will allow for future purchases ensuring all your components will last maintaining  their longevity.

Just a brief sample of the wonderful custom made entertainment units we have recently completed for very happy clients.

French Style Writing Desk

With over 300 hours of labor, this French Insprired Writing Desk was a journey of time, patience and fine detailed work. Our lovely client was inspired by a similar desk at The Lourve and wanted to emulate the fine work, and all the fine details that encapsulate this wonderful writing desk.

A rich warm timber was needed to enhance the soft design of the desk whilst blending in with the existing décor so Qld Maple was used for these beautiful qualities

The design of the desk evolved after extensive collaboration with the client and included such wonderful features such as;

handcrafted dovetailed drawers ,

Custom Brass beading , to highlight  the panels and brass  fretwork around the marble to embellish the design

Roll top curved timber panel door

Internal locking doors, to ensure individual compartments could be closed for privacy

The style was to emulate Louis XV opulent, yet discreet,

Marble top in keeping with the style....

Once the writing desk was made it was then hand  polished and rubbed back to a 60% gloss to enhance its patina

Custom Made Games Table

With a love of fun , including , poker, board games and jigsaw puzzles, our clients wanted a square classic looking table that would easily house a 10,00 jigsaw puzzle, or stage a long night of poker or some family Monopoly Fun.... We created this Stylish Qld Maple table, with frosted glass for ease of cleaning and maintenance. In addition to the hidden drawers on one side to accommodate decks of cards, dice and all the other important accessories for games night !

The leather back chairs were also exclusively designed for comfort and practicality.  Using cream leather, as upholstery these dining chairs make for a chic addition to the table.

White 2 Pack Entertainment Unit

With a myriad of consoles, discs, and other media components, this family room area was in dire need of streamlining. Tidying up the area, being able to house all the various components, this multi functional storage area would provide all the necessary space to do just that as well as work in effortlessly with the existing decor

Using 2 pack as the finish, the patchwork effect provides personality and quirkiness to an otherwise white bland wall.

The ample storage makes cleaning a breeze.

And of course all our drawers are dovetailed and run on undercarriage soft close runners which provide effortless and whisper quiet operation.

White Entertainment Unit

After refurbishing the entire room, it was time to give this little pocket of the room  a makeover;  creating an area that would blend seamlessly into the rest of the home but also function as an area to house television and media components.

Using traditional details  to highlight the architraves a white built in entertainment unit was designed and installed.

Hoop Pine was painted to a high white gloss to happily co exist with the existing furnishings

Retractable doors were used and under carriage runners to keep the entertainment unit tidy and house all the myriad of dvd's, blue rays, cd etc...