A Sense of Place
Bryan Cush, 37 is a designer and maker of furniture whose earlier career as an architect is reflected in the structural and built nature of his designs. He doesn’t rely on the traditional hallmarks of fine woodworking – dovetails, veneer layups, frame and panel constructions – but the feel and ethic is all about quality and handcrafted.
When it comes to using Australian native species, this Irish-born maker is all about local. ‘A lot of designers specify American timbers on every job…but I like to offer local species. The only piece of foreign timber I’ve ever cut in this workshop is a piece of oregon to make a workbench,’ said Bryan. ‘Blackbutt is my alternative for American oak. You can soap wash it if you want to get it a bit paler. If you oil it, it goes caramel and beautiful.’ Mostly though Bryan uses spotted gum and
