Sydney-based furniture maker Pete Gardiner is passionate about old timber, using reclaimed wood to create beautiful pieces of furniture. His passion to see the timber ‘live on’ inspires him to use reclaimed wood from home renovations to create a unique furniture range for both indoor and outdoor settings.
As the owner of a building company, he occasionally has to remove timber elements from homes during renovations. Instead of throwing them away, Pete transforms them into usable furniture. Decking joists, stair stringers, old palings and Oregon house frames have all been reclaimed and transformed, every plank and joint telling a story of rejuvenation.
His collection includes sleek pine bookshelves from old staircases, smart garden benches from old palings, and precious hardwood buffed to house mirrors that will last a new owner’s lifetime. Among the unique creations by his new furniture design label Le Bench are a barn style table and chairs made from decking reclaimed from a Clontarf house on Sydney’s Northern Beaches.
After removing the rotten wood using the wire brushing technique, he added frames made from marine-grade stainless steel for the table and chairs. He also managed to craft an iron bark table made from fence palings from the same house.
Le Bench operates on Sydney’s Northern Beaches with its furniture collection taking inspiration from the relaxed beach lifestyle. All the furniture is handmade in Australia with even the hardware sourced from local small businesses.
