Darren is a fine furniture designer/maker based in the Hawkesbury and has been working with timber now for over twenty years. He divides his work equally between commission work and his spec pieces which are shown in galleries throught New South Wales.
Darren is pragmatic, though not utilitarian, in his approach to furniture design. He considers both form and function to be vital. From a personal perspective, he doesn’t see any point in investing the amount of time he takes in making a piece if it can’t be used by its new owners. At the same time, he recognises that form has to come into play or the piece won’t attract a buyer in the first place. He believes in traditional joinery, but is not a purist. If he can make an extremely strong joint using a jig or machine, then that is what he will do. People are purchasing his furniture because of its design, not because it has hand-cut dovetails. Responsible timber sourcing is also important to Darren. Most of his pieces are made from reclaimed Australian native timbers. These are trees that have been cut down to make way for developments – usually housing estates, roads and highways, industrial and commercial sites. Most of this timber is destroyed but there are a few people around with portable timber mills who harvest these beautiful trees, which allows him to make beautiful furniture with it. When he not using this, Darren tries to use Forest Stewardship Council accredited timber. A lot of Darren’s furniture involves the use of curved elements, the majority of these being bent laminations. Darren tries to keep the lines of his furniture simple but also design pieces that will not blend into the back ground. In essence Darren is aiming to produce collectable antiques for the next century to come.
Unfortunately due to health reasons Darren has had to restrict commission work to small pieces,
these being Hall Tables, Side Tables and Coffee Tables. Depending on the size a writing table may be able to be made. If you would like to commission Darren for a piece of furniture please contact him on:
Email: darrenoates@gmail.com
Mobile: 0416007629
Instagram: @hawkesburyfinefurniture