If we were able to transport you back to 2012 and give you a glimpse of Mast Furniture, it would bear no resemblance to the business it is today. We had humble beginnings (a single DIY piece of machinery and a shed with a dirt floor). Mast Furniture started with no plan, no goals, and no money. It did start with a desire to design and make furniture, which became an obsession with the making process, in particular, how to make things well. 

Our initial thought was to build flat-pack plywood furniture. Being a young couple, we wanted affordable and fun furniture for our tiny apartment. But as our knowledge of furniture making grew, our direction quickly changed. What was the point of putting time and effort into making something that is basically disposable? We soon started to look at the bigger picture and became immersed in the world of furniture. And I mean, immersed- thousands of hours of youtube tutorials, machinery research, design prototyping, all while holding down full time jobs. 

This may be over-simplifying the story, because there was a huge amount of trial and error early on, but because Mast started out as a hobby, it felt more like experimenting with some ideas and less like building a business. So we kept going, started making furniture for family and friends for free, which led to being able to charge (a tiny amount!) to friends of friends. From there, our machinery set up improved, and we got our own workshop with a concrete floor and cut back to part-time work. We grew our business slowly, with care and thought going into each step and each piece of furniture. 

When our business really started taking shape, we knew this was our time to establish a clear direction. With an interest in both Architecture and Industrial design, we wanted to use our talent for good design to differentiate ourselves in the furniture industry. We developed some key pieces which shaped our first range. We were so proud (and still are!) of these early designs, and thankfully our clients approved too. Soon after, leading Architects and Interior Designers started to take notice and we began making furniture for some of Australia’s most beautiful homes. 

As our profile grew, we forged creative collaborations with some of Australia’s best Industrial designers, living both locally and internationally. This work has been shortlisted in prestigious design awards and showcased at International design fairs. 

In our growing business, our ethos remains the same-- to create quality, design-focused furniture. It’s important to us to remember that the materials we use come from nature, were once living, and took a long time to grow. Our intention is to design timeless pieces and make them in a manner that will see them last well into the future.

Mast Furniture is a furniture design and manufacturing business based in Brisbane, Australia.