Al and Imo are a husband and wife duo, building their dream life one handmade piece of furniture at a time from their home in Freshwater Creek, Victoria.
Al was born and bred in Melbourne and spent ten years as a carpenter but always had an interest in furniture making (like his grandfather). Growing up he had a passion for skating until injuries and work forced him to hang the skate shoes up. Not too long after Al discovered his love for surfing and spent his weekends driving down to the Surf Coast searching for waves.
Imogen grew up in Far North Queensland and studied fashion and marketing. After completing an internship in the fast fashion trade, she quickly realised the industry wasn’t for her. Imogen then found herself a marketing position with a Bridal House where she worked for five years and learnt great skills in selling high valued product. The skills she learnt in this position now assist her in the sales and marketing of Al & Imo Handmade furniture.
They were living in an inner-city share house in Melbourne when Imo first commissioned Al to build them a bed. One Sunday they spent the day building in their Elwood carport, at the end of the day Al turned to Imo and said “that’s the best days work i’ve ever done” it was in that moment they know this is what they needed to be doing.
Al and Imogen decided they needed more space to pursue their dream of making furniture. Their options were either move to the outer suburbs of Melbourne, or move down to the Surf Coast. The decision was easy for them especially with Al spending a lot of time down the coast already. They made the move to the coast in September 2016 looking for more space to create and both describe it as the best move they’ve ever made.
Up until August 2017, Al worked on the business in his spare time and continued to work as a carpenter. It was a good day when he made the switch to working on Al + Imo full-time and a move that came a lot quicker than expected. Al spends his days in his workshop meticulously hand-crafting custom furniture from recycled timber.
While Al builds, Imogen works behind the scenes - styling, photographing the products and customer communication. Recently Imo has been working in the workshop with Al to keep up with the demand and is really enjoying learning new skills.
Al and Imo firmly believe in only making what is needed which is why you won’t find their furniture in shops. One thing they love about their customers is that they are dedicated to sustainable living just like them. The two plan to continue to design and build furniture that is made to last a lifetime and hope by sharing their story they inspire others to follow their passions.
Their moto for life is good design and good people and encourage others to choose lifestyle above all - because what’s the point of building a life together if you can’t enjoy it?
For more information visit www.alandimohandmade.com.au and follow them @al_and_imo_handmade
