Carpenter Turned Furniture Maker, Al Roberts
Chippy (which is a carpenter for those outside of Australia) turned Furniture Maker; Al Roberts - one half of Al and Imo answers a few questions about his journey switching from tradesman to business owner, what it's like to work with his wife and exiting new projects on the horizon.
What’s important to you?
My beautiful wife; Imogen, my daughter; Marigold, my family and the people around me. LIVING - doing things everyday that make me happy.
How did you get into furniture making & what inspires you?
I was a carpenter for 8 years before I moved into furniture making. In 2015 my wife Imo and I designed and made ourselves a bed out of our share house carport, I remember I loved the feeling of making something from start to finish in a short amount of time. After making that first bed we made plans to find a house that had a space for us to explore more making. We moved to the Surf Coast in 2016 and it was a slow, natural progression from there. At first I made furniture on weekends, then I started taking Monday's off and before I knew it I was woking on Al and Imo from home full-time. I think it took about 3 months for it to really hit me that I was getting paid to do what I love! I haven’t looked back since. If you have a passion - you go for it.
I think my background in carpentry definitely influences our designs - practical and robust. I also come from a family of designers and artists - my grandfather also makes furniture so I think it's embedded in me - thanks Pa!
What does typical day looks like for you?
My alarm will go off at quarter to six, I leave my phone outside our bedroom while we sleep which means I have to jump out of bed to turn it off. I'll get up and make coffee, while it's brewing I stretch and check the surf. Once the coffee is brewed I jump back into bed and wake up Imo, unless the surf is pumping and then I'm out the door. Our bedroom has nice big corner windows which have a view out to the paddocks, our morning ritual waking up with the sun is my favourite time of the day, if we’re lucky our daughter Goldie gives us time to wakeup. I’ll make breakfast and usually while I’m cooking i’ll hear Goldie and get get out of bed. Imo and I will have a chat about what we’re both up to for the day within in the business then I head out to the workshop. We work / live together in the same space with each other - it can be hard to seperate personal and business so it's important for us to have a dedicated time to talk about out business, so we hold a business meeting every Monday with a strict agenda to keep us on track.
I love what I do so walking into the workshop every morning is a treat and anytime I have a bad moment I think to myself "What would I rather be doing...?" My current workshop is 3.5m x 6m - it's a small space but some of my best memories are between those walls. We're in the process of building a new house with a large purpose-built workshop which is really exciting. During the day I listen to podcasts and music. Imo and I have lunch together and in the afternoon i'll do a workout at home where I have weights then take our dog Edwina for a run.
Imo and I love to cook so dinner time is always fun, we listen to music and make dinner together and most nights eat with Goldie (who also shares our love of food). Often we have friends over - tonight we have friends coming over for Sri Lankan curries and rice which we learnt at a series of cooking classes on our honeymoon. On Monday nights we record out Podcast which is called Talkshop The Workshop Talkshow, Imo and I chat about running our making business - we really believe what you learn should be shared. We' have makers all over the world now listening which is awesome, we created a Facebook group to bring everyone together so we often jump in there an engage with our community. On Tuesday nights you’ll find us on Zoom meeting with our students from the Successful Furniture Makers Course, we do weekly live Q&A’s over 12 weeks. I really look forward to Tuesdays, it’s amazing to catch up with likeminded people from all corners of the world and hear about their stories. We're in bed early and usually asleep by 10pm.
What are you currently working on?
In the workshop I am currently working on a Bookshelf Ledge Bed, however I am splitting my time 50/50 with our new house build! We’ve worked with a local builder and architect to design our first family home. Buying & building is a huge achievement for us, we’ve worked so hard to get here and it’s all due to the success of our business. Being a carpenter by trade I am building it myself. It’s by far the biggest project we’ve every taken on but we’re super excited about it. As you can imagine there will be a lot of timber detail throughout the house. We’ve designed and will be making all of the joinery and furniture too. If you’re interested in following that project check out The Good Day House on Instagram and subscribe to our YouTube channel.
How do you unwind?
Playing with Goldie, surfing, exercise, sharing a meal with family and friends, cups of tea on the couch, walking in nature. We also like chucking the mattress in the back of our van and heading down the coast. We live right near iconic Bells Beach and the Great Ocean road, so we have access to some of the best coastline in Australia.
How do you find working with your wife?
To be honest - working with Imo is the best and I wouldn't be doing what I love everyday without her. She's my biggest support and the driver behind our business. She’s a visionary, has a really clear idea of what our dream future looks like and is determined to get there. She’s very hard working and she is constantly pushing me out of my comfort zone - she makes me a better person and I feel very lucky to share life and business with her. It took us a while to establish our roles in the business and at first we both tried to do everything (Imo on the tools and me on the computer) it didn't go well. Now that we've figured out our strengths, stick to them and trust each other everything works smoothly.
Advice for someone wanting to pursue their passion?
“If you're thinking about moving or trying something new - do it. The worst that could happen is you don't like it and you can go back. Don't waste your time wondering 'what if'.”
Ready to trade the worksite for the workshop?
