Family owned and operated custom timber furniture manufacturer Beclau boasts quality European products and Australian designed pieces tempered with an environmental sensitivity.
After the original Netherlands-based company moved to its Waterloo, New South Wales site in 2002 the company has garnered environmental certification, continued to manufacture bespoke furniture but it has also taken on commissions for several large domestic and commercial fit-outs.
Beclau’s Dominick ter Huurne says the company has recently completed the fit-out of new bar, Tokonoma in Surry Hills, Sydney; a project that echoes Beclau’s famed practical timber aesthetics.
“The bar features highly detailed joinery in solid timber and veneer that strives to create a harmonious, natural feel,” ter Huurne says.
“The emphasis is on soft lines and curves, and the fit-out required over 30 moulds to create each unique form. Working with curves rather than straight lines meant rethinking the possibilities of solid timber, and producing innovative solutions that satisfied both the aesthetics as well as the demands of a high impact space such as a bar.”
Its environmental considerations have meant that in 2008 the company received Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and Good Environmental Choice Australia (GECA) certification for its products.
“We were the first solid timber manufacturer to receive FSC certification in Australia,” ter Huurne says.
“This ensures that clients can select a timber for their furniture that they know comes from a well managed forest. Compliance with GECA standards also guarantees that all remaining inputs of Beclau pieces are environmentally friendly.
“We use water-based polyurethanes, low-VOC glues and recyclable packaging, amongst other initiatives. Unfortunately, there are as yet very few timber species originating in Australia with FSC certification owing to the slow uptake of this standard within the Australian timber industry, so, most accredited timber tends to be imported from overseas,” he says.
“I…think there is a need for companies to be as carbon neutral/ environmentally friendly as possible. It requires very little effort and has a marginal impact on price. But, in order to do so we also need support from Australian primary producers to supply raw materials.”
Beclau
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‘Cassandra’ sideboard from Beclau
‘Koko’ table from Beclau
Tokonoma fit-out with timber by Beclau