Growing up in Lennox Head, NSW, Nathan Lawrence was a self described ‘kid with too many hobbies.’ He explains ‘from building skateboard presses and tree houses, to bicycle powered generators, I would entertain myself through making.’ After traveling and living in Scandinavia, and discovering the world of furniture making, Nathan returned to Melbourne and began to teach himself the craft.
Alongside Luke Van Aurich, Nathan co-founded Heimur in 2015. What started as a passion project led to commissions from friends, and finally the shift to full time work. Nathan highlights ‘I’m still pinching myself a little that furniture making is my full time job!’ The duo work from Ironside Studios in Kensington, surrounded by ‘some of Melbourne’s greatest creative talent’ who they call upon frequently for ‘advice, wisdom and support.’
The latest range from Heimur is called ‘Rattan’, and puts a contemporary spin on this distinctly 70s technique. The bed, side table, stool, bench seat, room divider, entertainment uni, mirror and coffee table in the collection are also influenced by Nathan’s interest in boat building techniques. He explains how the collection ‘revisits bentwood furniture with a contemporary approach. All Australian timbers are bent around weaves of cane and cord.’
While the final products appear effortless with their sweeping curves, Nathan reveals that the process took a lot of trial and error. He describes how ‘the grain structure of Australian timbers can be some of the hardest in the world to bend.’ The first successful bend took three months of trying (!), but the difficult process has paid off, with an elegant and resolved range, available to order now!
