Learn about Custom Furniture
Furniture plays a critical role in how we interact with space. This is something that we try to consider as early as the initial Concept stage, and not as an afterthought.
For example, at our LAMA House project it was always intended that a large, round family dining table with integrated turntable would sit at the key intersection of the home, and function as the very centre of gatherings, conversations and family living. Since off-the-shelf items were not suitable, we worked with JD Lee Furniture to bring the idea to life.
Image (c) Tammy Law Photography. This piece was a custom adaptation by JDLee Furniture.
In the Guest Bedroom the platform bed was another custom commission, again crafted by JD Lee. The idea was that two king single beds could be joined into a larger, super-king sized bed to allow some degree of flexibility of use. Being a good platform for play was just a bonus effect!
Image (c) Tammy Law Photography. This piece was a custom adaptation by JDLee Furniture.
Mass production and cheap products have taught us that furniture can be a throwaway item, interchanged when trends fade or desires change. This is not a good outcome in a world of depleting and finite resources, so on that level it is worth challenging the prevailing culture.
There is also a proliferation of “replica” products which we, as creatives, would argue is unethical and a legalised theft of intellectual property. Best to stay away from those.
Instead, we would strongly encourage our clients to invest in quality. A good bespoke piece, though expensive, is an investment in a quality outcome that will hopefully outlast our lifetime.
Those with stricter financial constraints would need to be more creative. Our country has a long heritage of furniture-making, and sourcing second-hand items, adapting them and giving new lives, could be an inexpensive, rewarding and fun journey for all involved.
I found a Fler mid-modern couch set (4 seater with 2 armchairs) at a Salvo’s store for $180 when we were young newlyweds. It’s still one of our favourite purchases of all time.
Our video series with Tov & Co
We recently had the chance to learn more about custom furniture with Bek Hawke from Tov&Co. Billy and Bek used to be workmates in an architectural office - and today she runs a small, bespoke timber furniture making business in Brisbane. It’s always amazing to catch up and see friends sharing the same values and doing great things!
In Part 2 of our video we talked about the process of ordering custom furniture, how you would go about getting a piece customised, service and warranty, and also what “Tov” actually means. Turns out it’s a Hebrew word loosely translated as “good” - but there’s so much more to it than that.
Our earlier Part 1 chat was longer and more in-depth chat about our work, why it is meaningful, and also how we deal with not meeting the stereotype of what an Architect and a furniture craftsperson should look like.
We hope you find these videos helpful - and are planning to add more to our free resources area over the next little while. Stay tuned!