The Story of Furniture: How Custom Made Furniture Unlocks Stories For Maker, Buyer And The Materials Themselves

With the world seemingly overrun with mass produced items from furniture to houses to fashion, one could be forgiven for thinking the ‘one size fits all’ mentality is killing creativity.
 
There are however, a group of designers and consumers around the world who are turning their backs on the mass production market, and searching for true artisans who are able to create bespoke designs that offer far more than ‘function’.
 
One such artisan is Durwin Lambe from Custom Industrial, a unique furniture and lighting design company who literally breathes life back into materials by creating bespoke designs and high-end, custom made furniture for more discerning home owners. www.customindustrial.com.au
 
Durwin says. “Flat-pack furniture and a ‘need-it-now’ society have pushed handcrafted and timeless skills to one side for a number of years, however recently there has been a strong movement starting to embrace craftsman and personalised, bespoke design.” www.customindustrial.com.au
 
On occasion, Custom Industrial will use recycled material to create unique furniture and lighting pieces, much of which has a link directly to the client for whom he is creating the piece.
 
Here, Durwin shares some of his favourites in the hope of inspiring others to explore one-off custom industrial furniture:
 
The drake desk:  http://www.customindustrial.com.au/the-drake-desk.html
 
Brisbane photographer, Ken Drake has a love of industrial design and bespoke so wanted something that fitted this. As an animal photographer, he loves animals but found that when his cat climbed all over his desk his productivity was compromised, so he wanted a tilting mechanism to make the cats gently slide off so he could do the work he loves so much! “I had a previous connection with Ken and Rebecca as he photographed our dogs.  His new desk now takes pride of place in his Brisbane photo studio, Zoostudios.” Durwin says.
 
Fish Cubes:  http://www.customindustrial.com.au/fish-cubes.html
 
When working on the rebuild of Andrew and Judy’s much loved Point Leo home, Durwin discovered an old industrial bench upon which Andrew’s grandfather used to prepare and tie fishing lures for his sons and grandsons.
 
Durwin knew that timber had another calling and so made two side tables for the home owner without them knowing what he was up to.  The joy of seeing such history-laden timber that had been on the property for 50 years and thought lost in the ‘renovation’, refashioned into such unique and beautifully crafted pieces was a significant moment for the property owners.
 
“Good design should move you.  I was moved by the passion Andrew and Judy had for their new home and I was able to replicate this by using that old wooden bench which held so much family history and memories.”
 
The bone lamp: http://www.customindustrial.com.au/the-bone-lamp.html
 
Creating a large-scale floor lamp with a base heavy enough to support a cantilever and be fully adjustable on all axis may sound complex…  and that’s because it is! With the use of Victorian Ash timbers, an industrial cog weighing 25kgs and x-rays from the client’s own spine, the bone lamp illuminates not only the room in which is sits, but the heart of the client for whom it was made.
 
“Unique design for unique people… now THAT’S what custom industrial design is all about,” says Durwin.
 
At the heart of all these designs is a selection of materials that have lived a previous life.  Working closely with people to bring their ideas, desires and light bulb design moments to life is what custom furniture should be about.
 
“Taking something that had a previous life and purpose and crafting it into a new form and new purpose offers people something truly special – a unique piece that will always be yours. However, the furniture’s soul and its character is something that only time and use can create. Our custom made industrial furniture never stops evolving.” Durwin says. www.customindustrial.com.au
 

About Custom Industrial
 
Custom Industrial is a unique furniture and lighting design company and one aspect of their work is re-purposing of old machinery, parts and unusual items into exclusive pieces. Everything Custom Industrial creates is individual, using timeless craftsmanship. Their products are made to last using the best measure of both time-honoured techniques blended with modern day efficiencies.
 
The business was born from a love of the unique and interesting, and influenced by the founder’s family history working in and around the wharves, surrounded by patina worn, heavy industrial machinery. Combining this with skills gained in the building and timber industries, a passion was fuelled for turning the unusual and unique into custom pieces of furniture and lighting that captured the feeling of those childhood memories.

Contact Information

Durwin Lambe

Founder

Custom Industrial

(61) 0438 805 522

durwin@customindustrial.com.au