Rory Morgan from Mast Furniture
What started as a creative outlet has evolved into an inspiring Australian furniture brand making pieces of the highest quality for Rory Morgan from Mast Furniture.
Photography: Courtesy of Mast Furniture
H&F: Hi Rory, tell us about how the Mast Furniture journey first came about?
Rory: From a desire to fulfil a creative outlet outside of work. About ten years ago, I was working as a draftsman wanting to study architecture. I had always had a passion for architecture and design in general, and designing furniture proved to be a way of having my own creative outlet outside of what I was doing for work. It started out as a hobby and slowly evolved into making pieces for friends and family and went from there.
What does a ‘normal’ day at work look like for you?
At the moment my days are incredibly varied. As the owner of a business with a small team there are lots of jobs that need doing. It can often feel a bit hectic juggling it all, and my favourite days at work are when I can focus on a specific task and give it my full attention. Most days start with a meeting with the production team to check in with what’s happening in the factory and see where the current orders are. From there, plenty of emails with clients and suppliers and helping out in the factory when needed. I also have to carve out time to design new pieces for clients or our range and for photography, etc.
Tell me about your design process?
Originally my design process was designing and making pieces for our own house. The process itself is still similar, however now we have a much more focused intention on what we’re designing and making and sit down as a group to look at opportunities for products that we think will work and have a much more back and forth concept design stage. Basically it starts with putting an idea down on paper with sketches, and then moving onto 3D models which is where we sit and critique the sketches and models together and perhaps make some changes. Once we’re happy with how the 3D model is looking, we take it down to the factory to do the initial prototype. Rarely are things perfect at this stage, so that’s when we use the prototype to refine what we’re doing a bit more. We continue producing more refined prototypes until we have a finished piece we’re happy with, which will then become the production piece.
‘I love it when people respond positively to what we’re doing and are prepared to spend their money to support us,’ says Rory Morgan. Photo: Courtesy of Mast Furniture
“I love the creative freedom that I have to be able to produce, design and manufacture pieces in our workshop.”
‘I love seeing how far we’ve come from where we started as a hobby to having equipment and a workshop that is capable of producing the highest standard of furniture possible,’ says Rory Morgan. Photo: Darcy Starr
Title Desk from Mast Furniture.Photo: Courtesy of Mast Furniture
‘Sending orders overseas is something that’s really cool, knowing that people all around the world are seeing what we do and like it enough to reach out to a little company in Australia.’ Photo: Courtesy of Mast Furniture
Lune Side Table in from American oak and brass from Mast Furniture. Photo: Courtesy of Mast Furniture
What do you love most about what you do?
I love the creative freedom I have to be able to produce, design and manufacture pieces in our workshop. I love seeing how far we’ve come from where we started as a hobby to having equipment and a workshop that’s capable of producing the highest standard of furniture possible. I love it when people respond positively to what we’re doing and are prepared to spend their money to support us.
Where do you gather inspiration?
From the beginning it has almost solely been from travelling. Changing my scenery and seeing things abroad is always inspiring. That might be pieces of furniture, architecture or a beautiful store fit-out or art. With travelling not happening, it’s been different, although I’ve still been seeing all those visuals, but through a screen.
What’s been your proudest work moment to date?
There’s probably not one single big moment, but anytime our furniture gets specified in projects by architects and designers who we admire, it’s pretty special. Sending orders overseas is something that’s really cool, knowing that people all around the world are seeing what we do and like it enough to reach out to a little company in Australia and purchase furniture unseen (apart from images on the internet).
What’s your favourite material to work with? Why?
I think all the timbers we use are all really beautiful furniture making timbers. There are a few that are particularly nice when you’re working with them, like walnut - it’s a timber that works with both machinery and hand tools really well. It’s not splintery or not too heavy. It's an ideal timber for furniture making, and it looks beautiful when finished.
What was the inspiration behind your new Park range and how is it different to other collections?
With the Park range, we wanted to make some storage pieces that were really simple and modern but put something out there that was a bit different from the usual cabinetry you find, which is generally made from timber veneer. So we designed it to be all made from solid timber, using some more traditional techniques to make a really solid, long lasting piece.
What’s coming up for Mast Furniture this year?
We’ve got some really exciting design collaborations – we’ve been working on some pieces designed by Adam Cornish which should be launching in the first six months of this year. The first is a dining chair and the other is a range of sofas and armchairs. These have been in the works for quite some time, so it will be great to see them come to life.