Lisa Elliott Interior Design

Is your current home office setup a temporary make-do situation like the one above? It’s worth taking some time to investigate local furniture manufacturers before purchasing a new desk. When you’re looking for something special for a project, something a little unique, it’s quite hard to find the perfect thing when there are soooo many suppliers importing products that look almost identical. I’m always on the look out for Australian made furniture manufacturers & suppliers as they have so much more to offer.

…..it is impossible to match the price of seasonal furniture manufactured overseas and sold in mass…

JD Lee Furniture

Locally available – generally shorter lead time than over overseas

When you buy Australian made furniture, the offerings are unique and often by local award-winning furniture designers, who in many cases use local materials and often have an eco-friendly policy that cheap imports lack.

Australian made gives you more choice in options for customising your furniture, be it size, stain, paint finish, timber species, etc. When a desk is imported, you’ve got the chose of going to suppliers that stock product in Australia in a limited chose of colours (in some cases, you can choose from black, or black, or even black!). Other importers (especially those of better quality from Europe) will not stock in Australia, and there is a 12-18 week wait time for your purchase to arrive, as well as a limited selection of colours and finishes to choose from.

Note many desks have no or limited storage; built in storage like drawers increase the amount of material required & the complication of manufacture, so expect to pay more for storage.

Over the last 10 years I’ve made a conscious effect to search out local manufacturers and compile a database that I go to for each project. Here is a selection of Australian made desks:

NOMI, Dove Desk is a minimalist dynamic design that is customisable by size, timber or laminate top, stain or colour. Photo: NOMI

Tuckbox, Navigator Desk is a small, light and easily moved desk. It’s small size is great for smaller homes and makes it more suited for laptop use or the traditional pen and paper! Tuckbox offers different options for desktop and frame finish so you can tailor the desk to suit your space. I’ve specified this company for previous projects specifically for their smaller footprint designs and the customisable finishes. Photo: Tuckbox

So Watt, Archibald Writing Bureau, is a beautiful desk with storage incorporated into the design; one of my favourites and a modern twist on a traditional design, in a surprisingly good price bracket. It’s customisable by colour inside and out. This is my favourite so far in the search of an Australian made desk. Photo: So Watt

Plank & Trestle, Trestle Desk is customisable with 2 leg styles, a selection of top finishes, leg stains and colours. Photo: Plank & Trestle

Pierre + Charlotte, Stuga Desk is customisable by size, timber and finish. Photo: Pierre + Charlotte

Anica Studio, Hugo Desk is customisable by top & base finish. Photo: Anica Studio.

Tide Design, Mollino Desk is an executive style at the higher end of the price scale. A classic mid-century inspired design. Photo: Tide Design

DesignByThem, Partridge Desk is available in various sizes and colours. Photo: DesignByThem

Studio Pip, Phil Home Office wooden desk comes in a variety of sizes and is customisable with a selection of different stains & paint finishes. Photo: Studio Pip

Heimur, Study Desk is customisable with or without the storage options, and in 2 different species of timber. Photo: Heimur

JD Lee Furniture, Stoke Desk is a good size for smaller rooms, however it has a longer than average lead time for locally made product. Photo: JD Lee Furniture

Relm, Claire work desk is made in Geelong and is customisable in a variety of ways, from the type of timber species, to varying the stain or the dimensions to suit your room. Photo: Relm

Like Butter, Flat pack standing desk is made in Castlemaine, is available at short lead time and at a great price. Photo: Like Butter

---

Photo: Jardan

Alright. Back to work!

OX,

Lisa