35 Years In The Making

Design Furniture celebrated 35 years as one of Australia’s industry leaders in the design and manufacture of upholstered furniture in 2021.

The company has celebrated wonderful milestones of achievement but also has weathered its’ share of stormy times and come out all the more resilient and determined to remain a solid symbol of innovation quality and great service.

In 1986, Design Furniture first opened its’ doors to begin trading as a wholesale manufacturer. Some of its’ key clients were David Jones, Harvey Norman and Domayne stores nationwide.

New Beginnings

In 2005 almost 20 years later the original owners of Design Furniture retired and handed over the reigns to their Production Manager Sandro Magnera and his wife Lisa. With a background in Business Management and Design the couple began working tirelessly to re-brand the company.

At this time, the demand for Australian made furniture was steadily decreasing, and cheaper cut price imports were speedily increasing. The company discerned an urgent need to establish a point of difference. With this in mind, a niche market was created for designers, architects, retailers and informed clients who were passionate about quality, innovation and excellent service.

With a new marketing strategy, a new logo and a modern refurbishment of the showroom, Design Furniture was set to make a comeback!

Not only did Design Furniture survive the market slump, but it grew and flourished, and today is enjoying award winning success and prosperity.

A Family Affair

Today, Design Furniture is a family run business with Sandro’s brother Angelo and wife Jenny joining the company as joint owners, along with their daughters Emilie and Carla.

Together they take care of their seasoned team of skilled makers who have worked loyally with the company over many years.

They, along with the administration team have contributed to the company’s success.

”Our daughter, Emilie was only ten years old when we became the new owners of Design Furniture. She was pretty much raised by the whole Design Furniture family, learning important life skills from different members of our work team.

Through the years we’ve watched her grow into a beautiful and accomplished young woman and recently - new mummy!

We’re so proud to be new grandparents to our most treasured gift of all – our baby grandson Santino – the youngest member of the Design Furniture family.
Sandro & Lisa MagneraManaging Director & Senior Design Co-ordinator

”Before joining Sandro and Lisa as a co-owners of Design Furniture, I was managing another local manufacturing business. It was a demanding role with really long hours managing up to 60 employees and barely any time for personal or annual leave. As you can imagine – this job took its toll on me!

So, when the opportunity came about to join Design Furniture, Jenny and I didn’t hesitate. To this day we’ve never looked back.

After a year or so we were really excited to have our daughter Carla join the team. Carla first assisted with accounts but then found her niche in sales. She’s become a valued and vital asset and team member.

Yes running your own business obviously comes with a lot of challenges, but there are also many positives. One of those positives is having the flexibility to be able to travel and spend more time with my family, especially now since our son and daughter in law Adrian and Natalie have given us our greatest blessing, our beautiful granddaughter Ariana, something we are very grateful for.
Angelo & Jenny MagneraDirector & Manager

Proudly Australian Made

Here’s why we’re proud to say we’re an Australian Made business.

Uniqueness
Buying a custom-made piece of furniture from your local furniture maker allows you to buy with your heart and personalise all the details.

It reflects your taste and your needs. It becomes YOUR unique piece of furniture. Also, every piece is individually assembled by hand, so you’re going to get the highest quality hand crafted furniture that you deserve.

Quality Assurance
At Design Furniture, we make it a priority to use the highest quality materials available, according to the highest Australian standards such as:

Kiln Dried Plantation Timber
Our timber is not from sources that have contributed to deforestation and destruction of the natural environment.
Kiln dried timber is slowly dried of its’ moisture, producing a better grade of timber for furniture making.

Commercial Grade nontoxic foam
Many inferior furniture products (especially imported ones) use harmful toxic foams, which then slowly leach out causing potential damage to our respiratory and digestive health.
We use Joyce Foams which are endorsed by the Good Environmental Health Choice Association.

Quality fabrics
Quality fabrics responsibly sourced from certified fabric mills both in Australia and around the world.

After sales service
If there is a problem with your furniture, it’s certainly easier to follow up with a local business than to contact an international company.

Our Economy & The Community
Local businesses keep the economy going.
They are often owned by our friends and family, who are working hard to pursue their passions and provide innovative products and services to their community.

Being a local furniture maker doesn’t only benefit our client or our company; it benefits our neighbours, and our community.

Environmental Impact
As we know mass producing chain stores are known for using methods that involve the use of dangerous chemicals, unsafe materials, and greenhouse gas producing equipment. This ranges from production to logistics.

Overall, these production methods harm the environment and our health.
As an Australian business we use both materials and methods of production that ultimately reduce the impact on the environment.

Handmade Craftsmanship

Our experienced artisans are skilled at their craft.

Every piece is individually and carefully assembled by hand, so you’re going to get the highest quality hand crafted furniture that you deserve.

The 7 Stages of Creating Your Design

1. Design

2. Pattern & Framework Preparation

3. Draft & Cut Fabric Patterns

4. Sewing of Cover

5. Prototype Building

6. Upholstery

7. Quality Control & Despatch

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Built For You

Customising your own piece of furniture is a trend that’s been steadily growing over the years.

There’s a return to appreciation for quality, comfort, the process of craftsmanship and the desire to be involved in the whole creative process. You’ll experience a sense of satisfaction knowing you’re completely at home with your individual hand-crafted furniture.

When it comes to customisation, there are so many options available:

Adjust the depth and height your seat and back cushions
Select the type of foam you want
Want a wider sofa, chair or bed width – you got it!
Timber colour choice and colour matching option
Choice of leg designs – choose from our wide range of timber and metal designs
Fabric selection – we have an extensive international fabric library in house but if you prefer to source your own fabric the sky’s the limit!

Some of the fabric brands we carry

Restorations

Do you have a favourite piece of furniture that you just can’t bear to part with and wish you could bring it back to its’ former glory?

Here at Design Furniture we specialise in quality restoration of antique and contemporary furniture with the greatest of care to preserving the original elements of each piece and taking care not to compromise its’ character.