• Bamtino co-founders Adrien Taylor (left) and Jonathan Wong.
    Bamtino co-founders Adrien Taylor (left) and Jonathan Wong.
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It’s early days but with what appears to be a similar modus operandi, Christchurch start-up Bamtino Bespoke has today opened its online doors to New Zealanders via Bamtino Bespoke.

People who want to order or purchase handmade or custom made furniture and probably more can post a brief at bamtino.com, choose a maker, and receive quotes to fulfil those requests.

For New Zealand makers this is an avenue to definitely consider as Australian makers have reported finding new clients via local sites such as Handkrafted and Makers Lane.

“Buying furniture off the shelf is a painful process. It’s almost impossible to find something that meets your exact taste and dimensions. The stock stuff is generally pretty boring, plus it’s not built to last,” said Bamtino co­founder and CEO Adrien Taylor.

He came up with the idea for Bamtino while building furniture for himself and friends in his spare time around his reporting job in Auckland last year. He found that his friends wanted him to alter the furniture he made to fit their needs.

Bamtino has been working with furniture makers throughout the country to get a clear understanding of what it is they want from the platform. The start­up believes early buy­in from the makers is crucial to the platform’s success.

“We’ve already got a partnership with the Centre For Fine Woodworking in Nelson who are really getting behind what we’re doing. It’s great to have the support of the country’s premiere woodworking institution,” said Bamtino co­founder and Chief Technical Officer Jonathan Wong, a former vet.

Bamtino co-founders Adrien Taylor (left) and Jonathan Wong.

Co-founders Adrien Taylor and Jonathan Wong.

“We’ve both left our careers to make Bamtino happen because we truly believe in streamlining the process of getting stuff made. It should be one of the most satisfying things in the world, but at the moment the pain of finding the right people to make your ideal furniture is preventing people from experiencing that joy.”

Bamtino is growing its network of furniture makers daily. “We’ve been blown away by the enthusiasm that furniture makers have for the site,” said Wong.

 

 

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