Written by Tony Wong
on 19 October, 2017

Jagger Table, timber furniture and homewares – designed and handcrafted by Huddle&Co

One of our most-liked IG posts of all time features a sea of Huddle&Co succulent planters, shared back in 2015! Read on see what furniture maker Tony has been up to since then, and be sure to say hello at our Melbourne market . Doors open Friday night 5pm and continue all weekend.

Remember when we interviewed you here? Tell us how you’ve evolved as a label since your first Finders Keepers stall?
In the last few years, lots has changed for us! Our philosophy is still the same- designing and making our own simple, natural and timeless pieces… But we’ve evolved into doing mostly furniture, for homes and for cafes. We’ve moved into a much bigger workshop, with new machinery and new tools, which has allowed us to really refine our pieces.

This has been a big focus for us, as we’ve found, it’s easy to get pulled in lots of different directions (there’s so many amazing things we’d love to make) but the best thing for us- and our clients- is to have a clear picture of what we do! Focusing on creating timeless, simple furniture pieces has been a real joy, and we’re enjoying the challenge of constantly adding new pieces to our range.

timber furniture – designed and handcrafted by Huddle&Co

A-frame side table, Sade sofa and homewares – designed and handcrafted by Huddle&Co

What has been some highlights for Huddle&Co since then?
Highlights have been meeting more and more creative and inspiring people. It’s a different world you open yourself up to by going out on your own. We constantly meet people who are adventurous and daring and talented.

The best jobs that come in the door are those clients who are trying to achieve something unique. We’ve loved working with new cafe ventures, trying to perfect the space, and use our combined vision to create something memorable and unique.

How much time a week do you dedicate to your label and what does a typical day working involve for you?
We honestly devote too much time to our label… this has been a real balancing act the past few years, and something we’re still working out. There’s always more we can be doing for Huddle&Co, and it’s such a big passion, but priorities like family need to come first, so we’re always in the throes of navigating this!

A working week for us would involve 10-12 hours in the workshop each day, 5 – 6 days a week, with some trips to site and the lumber yard within that. Oh, and maybe a few trips to the cafe down the road too 🙂 We share our workshop with a few other local makers/legends, so that’s a great community we’ve got going there.

Abbey Gabi bar stools – designed and handcrafted by Huddle&Co

Abbey Bed frame – designed and handcrafted by Huddle&Co

Luca bench seat- designed and handcrafted by Huddle&Co

What would be one piece of advice you would give a first time seller at The Finders Keepers?
For a first time seller at the markets, we’d recommend making a decision early for what you will try and achieve before the market and sticking to it. It’s so easy to get caught up in a market frenzy where you try and create piece after piece and by the time the market comes around, you might not be in the best frame of mind!

What goals do you have for your business over the next five years?
In five years, we hope to be the ones in control of the business, not the other way around. We started Huddle&Co because design and furniture is a passion of ours, but it’s so easy to let it consume us. We love to design and build and we want the business to fit into our lifestyle, not govern it. We’d hope to be running a well oiled machine, that allows us to explore our creative side, whilst practically achieving our business goals and needs.

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Skateboard cruiser – designed and handcrafted by Huddle&Co