The evolution of Bombora Custom Furniture
We often get asked how our custom furniture design business was born, and how we were able to transport it to the incredible surf breaks of Torquay. So here is our story....
We moved to the Surf Coast from Melbourne, Easter 2012. We had been dreaming for years about ‘doing the sea change thing’… and so, on a whim whilst on holiday post baby number one, we just decided to take the plunge, and have never looked back. With a four-month-old baby in tow, we were excited for our future but were not quite sure how it would all pan out!
Luke’s passion for furniture making and design grew from a love of the timber itself. Having walked into a reclaimed timber yard one day, Luke just had to buy some of the beautiful wood…creating furniture from it just seemed like the next logical step given the stark state of our house (with me as a uni student studying Osteo). Once our house was full of Luke’s creations, a friend suggested putting an excess piece up on gumtree. This table sold quickly but also generated a surprising number of calls and emails asking if Luke could make this or that. Loving a challenge, Luke jumped in head first, working things out on the fly with common sense, natural handiness, an unexpected eye for design, a bit of luck and the wonders of YouTube. Word of mouth soon spread, and previous customers kept returning for bespoke beauties for their homes.
Spider infested Brunswick workshop
Space became an issue and Luke moved from the backyard of our rented converted stables in Moonee Ponds to a spider infested three car garage out the back of a house in Brunswick. When we decided to make the move to Torquay, top of mind was choosing somewhere that had a large garage for the Bombora creations to come to life. The business quickly outgrew this new space, and the hunt was on for a new workshop. As luck would have it, the answer came from an unexpected source… the fast track delivery guy.
Make shift workshop in our Garage in Torquay
Ashmore Arts was the perfect place. Surrounded by other creatives, an amazing view and a purpose built workshop. Bombora grew and grew. We are now very lucky to have two fantastic furniture makers on board and a crew of other people helping here and there. A month ago we renovated the workshop by pushing out a couple of walls to house Luke's ever expanding collection of big boy toys as well as giving everyone a bit of room to move!
Bombora is the perfect business for us. It allows Luke to be creative, get his hands dirty and do “stuff” all day at his crazy break-neck speed. He gets to work with amazing recycled timber, converting a piece of wood from its past life as a bridge or pier into something with purpose, beauty and permanency. I, luckily, love all the other stuff that is part of running a business, even the bookkeeping. I enjoy the writing; the contact with our clients and getting swept up in the excitement of their ideas for their homes; staying up to date with the trends, and most of all, bossing Luke around! Luke has the freedom to surf when it’s good and as a family to head off for weekends together down the coast for a road trip when the sun is shining. With two small children, freedom is everything as every moment spent together is so precious.