The compliments that I receive on my Montague furniture are numerous and glowing. Stuart & Brad are total gentlemen with the greatest of integrity and pride in their work. Their business is not just a means of making money but a labour of love.'
Milly Bosilkovski
The apple never falls far from the tree…
After working on the Queen Mary during WWII, Charles Dunning Montague returned to work as a foreman at Fairweather’s, one of the leading society furniture makers of the day. Charles was a qualified cabinetmaker who was particularly skilled at making chairs.
He opened his own workshop in 1949, thus beginning a tradition that has been carried down through three generations of the Montague family.
Charles’s philosophy was simple: to create beautiful, enduring hand-crafted furniture. It’s a philosophy that his son, Doug Montague, and grandsons, Stuart and Brad, are proud to continue.
The boys’ earliest memories are of visiting their grandfather’s workshop, not far from where the Montague showroom stands today. In those days the cedar dust was up to their waists, and the small factory was crammed with the tools of the trade and 40 years worth of pieces, with chairs and patterns hanging on the walls.
The boys remember the wooden benches, the pot bellied stove blazing away in the middle of the polishing shop, sliding across timber floors burnished from years of wear, and overhearing conversations about work, furniture, and some of the colourful characters who made up Montague’s early customer base.
Stuart joined the business in 1979, and Brad followed in 1984. The brothers have been running the show since their father, Doug, who had been in charge since 1966, retired in 1990.
Speaking of three generations…
The Pinkertons, Bob and Lesley, came to Charles for their furniture as newlyweds. Bob was a banker of the old school — not only was he a customer, he used to recommend us to his clients when they were taking out a home loan!
Then their daughter Kaye and her husband Geoff were sent to Doug Montague for their furniture and have been collecting ever since. And their son Gareth (pictured at right) came as well — not to buy, but to learn the skills of cabinet making. He has since completed his apprenticeship and is now a journeyman, on his way to being a Master cabinetmaker.
When people come into Montague’s they’ve often been searching for years for the kind of furniture we make and breathe a sigh of relief that they’ve found us. And like the Pinkerton clan, they’re likely to stay for a long time.
Individually different, individually perfect
We’ll let you in on a little secret — none of our pieces are ‘perfect’. That’s because they’re not meant to be. In fact, our aim is not to make perfect furniture — we leave that to machines. Our goal is to create individually beautiful pieces of furniture. The slight cosmetic ‘imperfections’ constitute the unique natural beauty and personality of the material, maker and owner. We believe perfection is not found in eliminating the character but in celebrating the uniqueness of the character.
We’re just doing our bit to make the world a more enjoyable place to hang out in.
How it works or Why Grandad never answered the phone
In these modern times of hard sell, it’s hard to believe our Grandfather’s idea of marketing was letting the phone ring out so people would be forced to come into the workshop. (Grandma had her own personal version of Morse code to communicate with Pop.)
But you know, he was right. A visit to our workshop is the best way to see and understand what we do and how we do it. You can feel the atmosphere, touch and smell the timber. We can meet each other and size each other up. It’s as important for you to like what we do and be comfortable with us, as it is for us to be able to satisfy you as a client. After all, it’s likely to be the beginning of a long and beautiful relationship. It makes sense to do it right.
A Montague piece is for life. So we want to be sure you love it…
When you come into the workshop, you will see a lot of different work being undertaken. Not only do we talk about what you want, how it will be used, how often, and where it will go, but you will see different ideas that you can include, making your purchase all the more useful. We’ll show you different styles to get an idea of your tastes. We can then visit your home, to see the spot you’ve picked out for the new arrival.
Only then do we make the decision about timbers and finishes, and sketch the designs.
A match made in Heaven
We also take care in choosing the right timber for the job. It’s a bit like a chef choosing seasonal produce; looking at the quality, and using the best ingredients we can find.
Some grains suit certain types of furniture — or certain people. It’s our job to bring the two together. Like the Redgum we rescued from a lumberyard which sat in the workshop until, 12 years on, a commission came up for a 24-seater boardroom table. It’s not uncommon for us to keep timber for 20 or 30 years until the perfect time comes to use it.
Stuart Montague — Master cabinet maker
Stuart always knew what he wanted to do with his life. Luckily for us, it was making furniture. After completing his cabinetmaking apprenticeship, Stuart studied woodcarving and received a degree in Fine Arts majoring in furniture design from the University of Tasmania.
He has had solo and joint exhibitions in the USA, Australia, and has work held in private and museum collections throughout the world including the prestigious Horn Collection.
You can view some of his recent work in the Gallery.
Brad Montague
Brad is the one you’re most likely to talk to on the phone when you call. (Yes, unlike his grandfather, Brad will actually answer the phone!) Brad’s background was in Graphic Arts, before he got in the family way. Apart from answering the phone he’s either polishing the furniture, preparing timber or out organising one thing or another. He has also done restoration work for Government House, and St Mary’s Cathedral in Sydney.
'For a recent bathroom renovation, I wanted to commission a French provincial vanity table and mirror to complement the Carrara marble walls and floor. None of the usual suppliers of vanity tables would make this, so I approached Montague Furniture. Though it was an unusual job for the company, Stuart Montague was happy to work with me to design and make it. His personal attention to all aspects of the project was fantastic, producing a result better than I could have hoped for. If you want something of quality and individuality I would highly recommend that you talk to Brad and Stuart Montague.' Delore Manolios
