FK chats to Tony, who brings his amazing skill and experience to creating handcrafted furniture and designs with his label, Huddle & Co!  Don’t miss Huddle & Co’s beautiful range at the upcoming Brisbane Markets!

Tell us a bit about Huddle&Co and what products we can expect to discover?
Huddle & Co is a design and build company, dedicated to making beautiful, simple and environmentally sustainable products.  Huddle & Co has a range of products, including recycled cardboard lamps, a hardwood jewellery range, hand-stitched notebooks with wooden casings, custom made stools and hardwood finger-jointed succulent boxes.  Huddle & Co is constantly evolving, as I design new products as often as I can.

What was the motivation behind starting your label?
After completing an Architecture degree, the thought of designing for someone else was a little unappealing.  I had a head full of ideas and loved the idea of actually making the things that I envisaged.  I started making furniture and quickly, interest sparked.  Before long I was working full time designing and making products that I had conceived and designed.  I love the idea of well-made, well-designed, environmentally sustainable products.  It brings me joy to create.

How has your creative style developed over time and what inspires your work?
My designs have become a lot more refined over the last two years.  As I understand materials more and learn to use new skills, I am constantly refining and changing my products.

I am inspired by the work of others that I see, at markets, in magazines, on blogs and by the friends that I work with.  There are so many creative designers and the possibilities for collaborating are exciting.  I am always striving to create new, innovative and beautiful products.

What is your workspace like? and what is your creative process?
I share a warehouse workspace with three other like-minded creatives in Woonona on the South Coast.  It’s a real privilege to work there, and I really enjoy being part of something bigger- just being able to work alongside others is great.

My creative process begins with an idea and lots of chats with my wife and a few sketches.  Once I’ve designed the product, I usually make one prototype and go from there.

What challenges have you faced starting your own label, and what are some things you love about it?
It’s been really hard to know where to focus my energies.  My interests are wide and I’ve taken on lots of different work.  I’ve done some work renovating cafes and this has been an amazing experience, as well as doing custom furniture and my designed products.  Between each of these it has been difficult to know which path to pursue.

I love the freedom of working for myself and designing and making the products that I am passionate about.  We live in a beautiful place, and I really love the flexibility of working for myself (it’s amazing to go out for a surf when the swell is up!) and also to work really hard at times when things are busy.

What can we expect to see from Huddle&Co at the upcoming Brisbane Markets?
You can expect to see one smiley Chinese man (that’s me!) and his wife, ready for a chat.  Huddle & Co will be selling a range of wooden products as well as some recycled paper-based products.  The market store will be full of jewellery, succulents, notebooks, stools and lamps.  All products are made by me and use environmentally sustainable materials.  I hope to see you there!

www.huddleandco.com