boyandgirlco rehome

Posted on 15 February, 2015

Sometimes a cracker of an idea pops into your head and there’s no going back.

And a cracker it was when partners Anita Jones and Carlo Angelo Malaca decided to sell their beautiful, Balinese-style furniture, made of teak and mango woods, and replace it with furniture they would make with their own hands out of recycled wood shipping pallets.

The idea began when Anita and Carlo were dining at Kitchen by Mike in Sydney, which has stripped traditional dining back to a canteen-style experience that is simple, honest, local and organic. The brainchild behind the operation is Mike McEnearney whose impressive career includes time as Executive Chef at Rockpool.

“We fell in love with Kitchen by Mike—the look and feel of the place and the vision,” says Anita. “We especially loved how the décor incorporated raw wood pallets from a former art installation. Driving home we decided to change our lives by adopting a similar philosophy. Reuse, recycle and lead a more sustainable, satisfying life. It seemed so sensible and so right.”

[pe2-image src=”http://lh6.ggpht.com/-3FKsVzsN6uU/U_UPgqoqGVI/AAAAAAAAHew/MNV_wrb0lJo/s144-c-o/%2525231%252520-%252520b%252526gco%252520table.jpg” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/108454826374315674707/Boyandgirllco#6049758728317180242″ caption=”Table made from recycled wood pallets” type=”image” alt=”#1 – b&gco table.jpg” pe2_single_image_size=”w614″ pe2_caption=”1″ pe2_img_align=”center” ]

Neither Anita nor Carlo had any carpentry experience to speak of but that didn’t hold them back. They researched carpentry on the Internet, bought basic tools, found some wooden pallets and embarked on their new journey, creating their first piece by hand.  It didn’t take long for friends and family to start placing orders. The next logical step was to sell to clients who shared a similar philosophy and had a love for handcrafted furniture. And so it was that Anita and Carlo left their respective day jobs and regular pay cheques to co-found boyandgirlco.

Soon after, the team expanded (and so did the tool box, which now features power tools). The minds, hearts and hands behind the company now include Graham Rose, who designs and is head builder, and Vic Tawagi, who handles marketing and communications.

Like many small start-up businesses, boyandgirlco began by working out of a small garage and selling at markets. Today there is a much larger space in an arts precinct in Mitchell, a perfect environment for designing and building and coping with the growing number of orders; and now they’ve just opened their first shopfront at The Hamlet.

[pe2-image src=”http://lh4.ggpht.com/-X6sq7NQjRGc/U_UPgmTMasI/AAAAAAAAHes/zqEtKh5UnGw/s144-c-o/%2525232%252520-%252520b%252526gco%252520lightbox.jpg” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/108454826374315674707/Boyandgirllco#6049758727153412802″ caption=”An ingenious ‘light box’ design combines a lamp and shelving” type=”image” alt=”#2 – b&gco lightbox.jpg” pe2_single_image_size=”w614″ pe2_caption=”1″ pe2_img_align=”center” ]

The team are fussy about the pallets they’ll accept. In line with their philosophy and design aesthetic, the team will not touch any treated with chemicals.

And where do the pallets come from?

“It’s not difficult to source them from importers who find them challenging to dispose of anyway. It’s expensive for importers to send pallets back, or to take the time and spend the money to de-nail and then crush or chip them,” says Anita. “We provide a service by picking them up and everyone thinks it’s great that the pallets are reused.”

Next the team gets stuck into it, ripping the pallets apart and removing the nails. It’s super physical, but rewarding knowing that they’re going to better use. The furniture pieces made at boyandgirlco aren’t mass fabricated and all have a raw look and feel to them.

The standard product range includes coffee tables, an eight-seater dining table, a multipurpose table and planter boxes. “The Osprey” table (named by a client through a competition) is beautifully finished with natural oil and wax. It’s a great conversation piece and suitable for home or office. Although “standard”, no two pieces are alike. Each has its own character and can be made to any size, shape and colour.

Custom pieces, made in close consultation with buyers, have so far included a sofa table, a tripod stand side table with storage, an entrance table, a light box with shelf, and a queen size bedhead with room for storing lots of little things.

The turnaround time for orders of standard pieces is two weeks and up to four weeks for custom pieces.

[pe2-image src=”http://lh4.ggpht.com/-Cwh_xpVF0Bs/U_UPgqNUYEI/AAAAAAAAHe0/8dXIGHgyDes/s144-c-o/%2525233%252520-%252520b%252526gco%252520main%252520shot.jpg” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/108454826374315674707/Boyandgirllco#6049758728202510402″ caption=”boyandgirlco’s sustainable, beautiful design” type=”image” alt=”#3 – b&gco main shot.jpg” pe2_single_image_size=”w614″ pe2_caption=”1″ pe2_img_align=”center” ]

“We believe there is purpose in everything … you only have to look a little deeper to find it,” says Anita.

the essentials

What: boyandgirlco
Where: The Hamlet, 16 Lonsdale Street, Braddon
When: 10-4 Thursday, Saturday & Sunday; and 10-7 Fridays.
Web: www.boyandgirlco.com.au