“There’s this strange connection that you have when working with your hands, particularly in woodworking. There’s a lot of time to sort of think about life and there’s something very honest about being able to do that.”
For furniture-maker and craftsman Nick Pedulla, building things came naturally.
From using cardboard and masking tape to playing with Lego and K’Nex at the age of three, Nick always gravitated towards the simple idea of putting things together and taking things apart.
Though this interest was inherently natural to Nick, a familial connection may have had a part to play. Quite literally “in his blood”; Nick’s Italian grandfather was an established furniture-maker and craftsman of over 70 years.
His interest in building things elevated when he saw his grandfather build furniture such as television cabinets and model boats, for his family during his retirement. It was he who taught Nick the age-old skill of woodwork.
“My grandfather noticed me taking a bit of interest in what he was doing. He took me on board at the age of eight and started teaching me all the little tricks of the trade in woodwork. I was just hooked ever since.”
When asked about fond memories of childhood pieces he’s made, nostalgia kicks in. Nick remarks that although cringe-worthy, he knew these pieces would be significant to his craft today.
The first thing Nick built with his grandfather was a small desktop clock with a love-heart shaped hole in the centre, sitting in his parents’ home till this very day.
“I look back at that clock now and think that looks terrible, but that was the start of something massive.”
It was in these moments as a young child helping his grandfather where Nick knew, then and there, that he was right in his element. This would later set the tone for his career in furniture-making.
“I always knew that I wanted to be a builder. I always knew I wanted to have a business from the age of eight.”
With such clarity on his life purpose, a feat rare for most eight-year-olds, Nick’s career naturally progressed from studying woodwork at school, through to going to TAFE and completing an apprenticeship in cabinet making.
After four years, Nick grew tiresome of the repetitive nature of his apprenticeship and left Australia to back-pack across Europe to recuperate and reflect on what he wanted in life. It was in Europe where Nick realised he missed building.
Upon his return, he started working for a kitchen installation company, but knew his heart was set on working with wood.
He soon found himself working for a custom-made furniture business. Despite having no creative control over the designs, this was a pivotal moment in Nick’s journey and growth as a craftsman. It was in this role where he gained business knowledge and learnt the ropes to ultimately give him the push he needed to start his own studio.
“When your mindset is on having your own business, working for someone else gets tiresome. I’m grateful for that experience. It was sort of the next stepping stone to start my own business.”
In 2016, with some money saved, Nick founded Pedullá Studio, a Sydney-based custom-made furniture studio. The studio uses a mix of sustainable woods and veneers with high-quality hardware to create bespoke, one-of-a-kind pieces of furniture built to last a lifetime.
With each project, clients experience Nick’s unique approach using traditional craftmanship partnered with modern designs. Each custom-made piece combines function and aesthetic, allowing the furniture to become stand-alone pieces of art, while also enhancing home surroundings.
Whether it be modern, contemporary or traditional, every single piece Nick creates is unique and one-of-a-kind – there’s nothing like a Nick Pedulla piece anywhere else in the world.
“All the pieces I build for my clients are one-off. That means something more to me and to my clients as well.”
Each project Nick works on is in close collaboration with the client from start to finish. The process begins with a client-led brief on the type of furniture, followed by measurements and what types of timber and finishes they would like. Nick then starts the design process, working closely with the client before a final design is approved, materials are ordered in and building commences.
Though Nick believes the journey is just as fun as the final product, he points out that the most enjoyable parts of the process is 1) the creative freedom to explore designs – a key reason he wanted to start his own business in the first place, and 2) seeing an idea start to come to life.
“To be able to think of something and come up with the design in your head and then see it as a reality at the end of the build… that idea is just unreal to me. To able to turn nothing into something, that’s never going to get old.”
For Nick, the inspiration to create bespoke designs comes from everyday life; like a certain shape he sees or the way a shadow falls off a building. He adds that seeing live music often helps give him the creative boost he needs.
Five years ago, Nick started documenting his craft on YouTube at @pedullastudio, allowing clients and a wider audience to get a glimpse into woodwork and furniture-making.
Now with over 184 thousand subscribers, Nick’s YouTube channel is growing, allowing clients to resonate deeper with their pieces and understand the journey behind Nick’s creations and his craft.
“I think (my videos) add to the story. I think it adds to the one-on-one that you have with the client. That’s what furniture making is about – the personal relationship and the fact that they can be brought into the build by watching one of your videos just makes it even better.”
In every project Nick always aims to push the boundaries of function and explore new techniques and ways of working, while ultimately creating an aesthetically eye-catching build.
An example of this is a recent table he created, which uses a unique construction method called stack lamination – a process in which you layer pieces of wood on top of one another to sculpt a shape. This technique proved successful, allowing Nick to take his craftmanship to the next level and expand his offering to clients.
“I always want to push forward and try new things which is the reason why in my business, I don’t build anything twice.”
His favourite designs are often sculptural in nature, due to its ability to be free-flowing, unrestricted from the confines of rigid lines and shapes.
“You’re taking a natural product, which is the timber, and you’re giving it natural flows and curves. It’s playing on top of a beautiful material.”
Since starting his own business, Nick’s studio has gone from strength to strength as he continues to build on his already astute business knowledge, design, client base and workmanship.
“Seeing hard work pay off, seeing happy clients and seeing yourself progress is a really rewarding feeling.”
With such successful endeavours, Nick plans to continue furniture-making through to retirement, just like his grandfather. He hopes to take his craft one step further by pushing himself to create new ideas, learn new techniques and make things as fun as possible.
“Designs, techniques and skills will change over the years, but this is what I want to continue doing for sure.”
“Eventually I want to be able to turn the business into being able to get those ideas out of my head. That’s the best part of woodworking and making furniture. At the end of the day, you can go home and you can actually see what you’ve created that day.”
Watch the full Artstry episode at https://youtu.be/gY2zuTUBigI to learn more about Nick’s craft. To find out more about Pedullá Studio visit www.pedullastudio.com.au.
