Autumn ...The mellow time

Autumn, you have been a long time coming.

You are officially here but your’e not. The days are still hot and the nights humid.

But , we notice subtle changes …

The light has changed direction

Natives begin to blossom

Days end a little sooner

We are treated to spectacular sunsets

Good days are coming, Autumn in Brisbane really shines !

Its all about the subtle nuances , the slight drop in temperature , shadows cast early in the day.

An ever so slight crispness in the air

The changes are understated , but so very welcome

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

Beautiful Restoration of a Chiffonier

We take so much joy in the process of restoration.

To turn something broken, old, and in dire need of some TLC into something beautiful and serviceable once again is a joy and a privilege for us.

Fresh out of the workshop last week was this gorgeous old chiffonier ; in need of a makeover.

We removed the old finish, repaired the veneers and the drawers and other areas that needed some adjustments.

We then sanded and polished and colour matched to blend in with the clients existing decor.

Beautiful once again , restored chiffonier.

Restored to its former glory, the restoration process has given new life into this wonderful piece.

Restoration of 1920's Hat Stand

Bringing the love back into this 1920’s Silky Oak Hat Stand

We removed the old finish

Repaired and made new support

Repolished to bring it back to its original glory.

Beautiful result after restoration

Hat Stand pre restoration.

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

Beautiful sunsets...

Some days all the elements are just perfect for a picturesque end to the day.

Colour filled , dramatic sunsets are a wonderful conclusion and a nice little reminder, to stop take a breath and just be for a while.

The first surfboard class for 2019

Despite it being the beginning of Autumn, Mother Nature decided to put on a last hooray of perfectly warm sunshine days for our first board class for the year.

Our enthusiastic students came from Sydney and Brisbane Surrounds, to learn the noble art of surfboard making and shaping… and what a fine job they did.

And at the end of the four days, our amazing students produced some awesome boards.

You just cant wipe the smile off their faces, such a great feeling of accomplishment!

Well done guys

Such a great achievement , stunning looking boards !

The elegance of Mahogany

With its reddish brown hue that enriches over time, Mahogany Timber is the ideal choice for dining room furniture.

Its warm tones heighten the design aesthetic and impart a warmth and and ambience that only timber can supply.

The side table we recently custom made is a wonderful example of this.

Understated elegance , the mahogany side table is the perfect addition to this dining room

Beauty in the detail

Creating a sideboard for the home

The sideboard or buffet or chiffonier is an integral part of the family home.

Its a place to store our beautiful crockery, silverware, glasses and all the other wonderful pieces we accrue and keep “for good” or theoretically use more often , to make every day special.

It is a really a happy storage unit, as it ideally contains all the things we hold dear and with which we use to celebrate special occasions .

The design , look feel and timber choice of the sideboard is such a personal decision.

But the end result is always stunning, a beautiful blend of craftmanship, design and ambience that

brings all the elements of a heirloom piece of furniture together.

A modern twist on sideboard living. Beautiful clean lines with a crisp white finish.

A traditional theme in this Queenslander is carried through with the use of Queensland Maple for this sideboard with frosted glass

Using the richness of Jarrah this sideboard featuring ample storage is a wonderful addition to this dining room .

Using curved legs for the feature of this Sideboard. Once again Qld Maple is used for its striking detail

What a grant statement this restored red cedar chiffonier makes. With an impressive marble top this show pony certainly has the wow factor.

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.

Around the Bywater Design Workshop this week ...

Always a fun and productive week

Ucyling teak to make a beautiful bedroom ensemble

Wanting to make use of an old Teak Malaysian Wall panel,our clients were keen for us to make a new bed out of this 300 year old beautiful panel.

A wonderful way to upcyle, and re use a piece of history, we made a new bed head and footer.

A wonderful result…

Character and ambience abounds in this wonderful bedroom

The teak bedroom ensemble blends in beautifully with the existing decor

Weekend vibes...

Perfection is attained by slow degrees, it requires the hand of time.

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.

Summertime

Summertime is always the best of what might be …

IMAGE; DANIELE BYWATER

Restoring a Georgian Rocker

What a delight it was to be able to be a part of a wonderful birthday surprise between two sisters.

This quaint rocker belonged to two little girls and was used often to listen to bedtime stories

Fast forward 50 years or so and this little chair was in need of repairs and repolishing and what could be a better present than having it restored for a surprise birthday present ?

We repaired and restored this gorgeous piece including painting it white, and adding new rattan as well as a duck egg blue fabric to contrast with the freshness of the white .

A glorious result for this wonderful old rocker full of cherished memories and now it will go on for many more generations.

Just one of the reasons we love what we do !

Surfboard Calendar for 2019

In the blink of an eye, Christmas is over and we now set our sights on an aspect of Bywater Design that is truly dear to our heart ( truth be told all parts of Bywater Design were borne from our passion of creativity ) but we gain immense satisfaction from our Wooden Surfboard Making Workshops.

Meeting people from all over the country and from overseas (hello our Papua New Guinea students) is a real privilege .

We gleam so much satisfaction in seeing the utter joy our students derive from making something beautiful with their hands.

So in a couple of weeks, we will throw open the doors to the workshop once again to eager students who will have a busy , challenging fun and productive 4 days.

They will learn to glue, sand , shape , use hand tools and machinery they may have never seen before.

They will be challenged, physically, mentally and be a part of a team , helping out when needed and making great friends along the way.

October 2018 Surfboard Making workshop

Pure Joy, a sense of satisfaction.

Happiness can be found in creating something new

Fabulous effort guys !

“Live for moments you just can’t put into words…

You just cant wipe that smile …Deb with the 2nd Wooden Surfboard she has made with us.

Phil a very happy surfboard maker taking his board out for its inaugural surf.

We have finalised the dates for our 2019 Surfboard Calendar;

MARCH 7, 8, 9 AND 10

MAY, 2, 3, 4 AND 5

JUNE 27, 28, 29 AND 30

AUGUST 22, 23, 24 AND 25

SEPTEMBER 26, 27, 28 AND 29

NOVEMBER 14, 15, 16 AND 17

If you would like to put a massive smile on your face then come and join our amazing Surfboard Making

Workshop.

For all the good details please contact us and we will get back to you asap !