Andrew and Melany-Jayne Davies have high-end furniture making in their veins. Here, Andrew discusses Canterbury-based Tréology’s DNA.
Tréology traces its furniture-making legacy back to 1852. Tell us about the history and how it influences what you do.
My great-great grandfather Robert Norrie was a craftsman who created furniture for Sir George Grey. My father is also a master craftsman, and owned a furniture manufacturing business for more than 50 years. In the school and university holidays, I worked in the workshop – which had a huge influence on understanding the design and manufacturing processes – and also in marketing and sales. My wife Melany-Jayne’s father retired after a long career as an architectural builder. Melany-Jayne and I have both lived and travelled overseas and share a love of design and art. Having seen great architecture, some of the world’s masterpieces and observing how people use furniture, it continues to influence how we design.
Tréology Haast coffee table and Emerge side tables at Flock Hill Lodge, Craigieburn Valley
You have an impressive body of work in residential, retail, hospitality, arts and community spaces. What new commissions are you working on?
We work with some great clients, designing for private homes and collaborating with architects and interior designers on interesting projects. We recently completed several bespoke pieces for Flock Hill Lodge in Craigieburn Valley. This beautiful lodge was designed by Warren and Mahoney, with interiors by Jessica Close.
Tell us about the materials you work with.
We rescue trees from New Zealand rivers and craft them into beautiful objects that merge the line between luxury furniture and functional art. We love connecting people to nature through our sustainably sourced wood. When a log is rescued from the river, its GPS location is recorded and tagged. This travels with the wood through the manufacturing process and when complete, we insert a stainless-steel tag with the GPS co-ordinates into the furniture. Entering these co-ordinates into Google Earth will take you to the exact spot where the tree was recovered. Our furniture is our legacy. We breathe life back into naturally felled timber so it can be appreciated for lifetimes to come. We also work with American oak and walnut, chosen for its colour and grain, and sourced from sustainable forests. We integrate raw steel, leather, copper and brass into our designs. We work with incredibly talented local craftspeople who ensure that our finished pieces are handcrafted to the level of excellence that represents our brand and values.
Milford desk.
Talk us through the creative process of designing a piece.
Ideas usually come after we’ve spent time away from the office getting out into our beautiful environment. We are unapologetic when it comes to our passion for getting into the outdoors as a family. Among craggy mountains, rugged coastlines and dense rainforests, we find details that inspire new aesthetic directions. The result is furniture with a connection to one of the most beautiful places on Earth. Pieces are created to express an essence of the landscape, and in a manner not attributed to a defined design trend. Our challenge is to enable clients to absorb what we have created and contemplate nature’s narrative when they look at a Tréology piece. When we work with clients, we spend time listening to understand their vision. Throughout the process, we create concept drawings so that our clients understand what we are crafting for them.
Luna table by Tréology.
How do you apply sustainability to your work?
We’re very conscious about sustainability and on a journey to do the best we can. We look at what we do, what we use as a business and how we dispose of things. We recently moved to e-business cards, which may not seem significant, but hopefully little steps lead to great things. Sustainable manufacturing practices are as important as the use of sustainable materials. We use water-based adhesives and low-VOC natural plant oils to finish our furniture. Our pieces are intended to be heirlooms that are well designed, well-made, that stand the test of time, and are passed through the generations. Therefore, our aesthetic approach is never superficial, but one that we define as functional art. We are designing and making products that will be in use longer than we will be around. Each piece is designed and crafted with the preservation, conservation, and the celebration of nature at the forefront. We are committed to upholding our values of protecting natural resources and work with craftspeople who support these.
Tréology Scent of the New Zealand Forest essential oil.
What inspires you about your region?
We have some of the best that nature offers on our doorstep – beaches, mountains for skiing, rivers and hills. Our weekends are filled with adventures in the natural environment, whether that's staying in a mountain hut, mountain biking, or just taking our dog for a walk on one of the many trails in the Port Hills. We are spoilt for choice. We are also inspired by creative design minds, craftspeople forging their own paths and entrepreneurs that work across some of the amazing industries in our region. It’s a great place to live, work and play.
treology.co.nz
