Buying Australian Made

We think all Australian’s should want to keep our economy healthy, right? Supporting local provides jobs and careers. Skills and amazing techniques will be lost if we continue to buy from overseas.

Buying quality, locally made furniture, minimises the need for landfill. You are buying an item once and have it for a lifetime. Fast Fashion is not fashionable.

Another benefit to buying Australian Made furniture, is the turn around time and the ongoing support if you require any repairs or refinishes.

Timber is a natural material. You may see natural defects like knots and medulla rays. Solid timber can warp, shrink, twist, swell, crack and move.

As timber is a natural product, it will react to the change in weather, temperatures and humidity, just like us. Check out our Article “Protecting Your Timber Furniture” for more information and care advice before making the decision to purchase a timber piece.

Hardwood and softwood are distinguished by the way they reproduce. Hardwood is not necessarily harder than softwood.

Most hardwood trees grow slower than softwoods. So they tend to be denser. This is why hardwoods are more suitable for furniture. Hardwood furniture can take the abuse of daily use. While performing well and looking great, year after year.

Softwood trees tend to grow faster than hardwoods. As a result, they’re lighter, less dense and are easier to cut. So they’re more economical then hardwoods. And you’ll find softwood trees being used for telephone poles, decking, flooring, and veneers.

At Artifex, the three timbers we work with are all hardwood.

Solid timber is aesthetically pleasing. Long lasting and suitable for all woodwork joints, solid timber also offers a range of colours, textures and grains while taking to adhesives and finishes well. Solid timber is also easier to repair as there is more timber to work with.

Timber Veneer is very thin timber, cut around 3mm or less and is applied to a substrate, generally particle board or MDF.

Solid timber is more expensive than veneer, however, depending on the furniture product, pricing can be similar when there are veneer components, due to the work involved.

At Artifex, we use both solid and timber veneer options. Our dining tables are constructed ONLY in solid timber.

Other products such as chests of drawers, bedside tables and sideboards etc, will have timber veneer applications. There are many reasons for this:

• Solid timber can warp, shrink, twist and swell as we have previously mentioned and cannot be bent
• Crafting your furniture with a combination of both, reduces the risk of movement which in turn can increase longevity
• Timber veneer offers you the option to explore more diverse designs as you can manipulate the veneer
• Timber veneer is lighter, more cost effective and is eco-friendly, less trees = more furniture
• Higher skill set is required when working with veneers

Hands down, Tasmanian Blackwood.

Tassy Blackwood is an Australian hardwood Timber. It is beautiful to work with, a true cabinet timber.

There is a lot of enjoyment for our Master Craftsmen working with Tasmanian Blackwood. They are challenged to get as much out of the colour variation from the genes as possible, it is a way for them to showcase their skills.

The owners of Artifex Interiors, Scott and Anthony are hands on, designing and making your furniture, 5 days a week from our Balgowlah factory.

Our Team consists of two Master Craftsman, a Furniture Maker, an Apprentice Furniture Maker, our three Designers managing the office, Artifex Showroom and all things Artifex Interiors.

We make everything by hand and don’t work with CNC machines. Old school craftsmanship, done well. Owner operated for nearly 30 years, and always located at our factory in Balgowlah, we have built a brand, long term partnerships and a name in the industry for producing quality products.

As a small business, we have the capacity to maintain relevant in the market and survive economic downturns.

With 6-10 week turn around times, you are not waiting long for your stunning new piece.

We also have a Master Craftsman who is an Antiquity specialist, meaning knowledge and skill. We often repair and restore beloved Antiques.

At Artifex, we do not use oil or waxes. We use a commercial grade 2 Pac Polyurethane for longevity, moisture resistance and UV protection. Artifex will never compromise on this as we are all about ‘Made Local, Made to Last’ and we cannot guarantee longevity using other products. We also have a selection of custom stains that can be applied to Oak, Walnut and Tasmanian Blackwood to create different colours and tones. Check out our Materials page for more information.