Originally from New Zealand, furniture designer George Harper has been based in Melbourne since 1999. His passion for furniture making started with a simple storage bench/table unit made for his own home. Next birthday, friends gave him a set of basic hand tools and he was away – ‘feverishly knocking out bits and pieces without much refinement, but full of enthusiasm!’ he says! A couple of years later, in 2006, George decided to take the plunge and leave his desk job behind, enrolling at Box Hill TAFE to study furniture design. He launched TIDE Design midway through his studies, and hasn’t looked back.
Based from a workshop in Huntingdale in Melbourne, George describes his design process as ‘hands on’ – ‘I go from (very rough) sketches to the computer, to full scale prototype pretty quickly’ he says. It’s in this final stage that the design really comes to life.
George strives to make furniture that has a timeless appeal. He tends to stick to three key timbers – Tasmanian Oak, American Oak and American Walnut, and prides himself on the ‘human’ element in all his work. ‘I’d like to think that all the pieces in our range share a few common elements, those being quality, refinement, honesty and warmth’ he says. ‘We’re also big on detail – we don’t know any other way.’
Our personal FAVE in George’s collection is his stunning Tana Shelf Unit (pic below). With a distinctly delicate profile, this piece has an almost Japanese feel – beautiful from every angle.
The full TIDE range can be viewed online here – however because every item is made-to-order, custom enquiries are also welcome.
