Is the age of authentic craftsmanship dead? Western Australian timber designer and maker Nathan Day proves bespoke woodwork is very much still alive.

Timber craftsman Nathan Day of Nathan Day Design resides in a small coastal town in Western Australia, where his family home is as authentic and honest as the inspiring furniture he creates, using production methods from the past and present.

Before he set up shop in Dunsborough, Nathan went on an expedition to England in 2003 to track down and hopefully work with famous furniture designer and maker John Makepeace.

“I flew to England and called him a couple of times, but he wasn’t getting back to me, so I borrowed a car and drove for three hours to the English country side to track him down – I didn’t have an address, so my mate and I just started asking people on the street if they knew where he lived,” explains Nathan.

Nathan and his partner of nearly 20 years, Savanna, built their home three years ago on a suburban block in Dunsborough, where they live with their daughters, Lolah, six, and Josie, three.

The open planned living evokes a sense of space, so much so that Lolah and Josie often ride their bikes throughout the home.

“When we moved in we still had the concrete slab down. We weren’t too hung-up on looking after it, so we let the girls ride around. Now we have timber flooring and we still let them enjoy themselves, to a degree,” says Nathan.

The bones of the uncluttered home are white walls and dark timber floors. This minimal colour palette highlights the clean lines of Nathan’s furniture designs, allowing the pieces to sit harmoniously in the space.

Read the full story in Habitus issue #34, available now.

Nathan Day Design
nathandaydesign.com.au

Words by Clare Ryan

Photography by Lajos Varga