I am extremely anti-carpet, so timber floorboards have long-held my heart. Yet there’s no denying they don’t often come cheap. So that’s where Kustom Timber step in.
A young, dynamic flooring business based in Port Melbourne, Kustom Timber were founded on the desire to produce beautifully crafted European oak flooring, at affordable prices. With an emphasis on expert quality-service and environmental awareness, friends and owners, Tristan Tiller and Mark Chaz, manage the whole process themselves, giving their clients the best possible price. “We manage the design and manufacturing process right from start to finish using only premium quality materials and state of the art production processes,” explains Tristan. “We don’t deal with any agents or middle men, so we are able to offer the best prices to our clients. We really believe that beautiful floors should be within everyone’s reach, not overpriced and inaccessible.”
Using timber sourced from renewable FSC certified forests (FSC is an international network that promotes responsible management of the world’s forests), for the duo, it is important all their timber is produced with respect for the highest ecological, social and ethical standards… though of course, it has to look good too! “We want our floors to be innovative and well designed, interesting but not faddish,” says Tristan. “Our creative process begins with an idea of how to make a space we use daily more streamlined and functional, whilst improving the aesthetic.”
With a vast array of colours, lengths and widths on offer, their floorboards are pre-finished in the factory, meaning there is no sanding, polishing or coating required on site. This allows for some amazing products, including their Scandinavian finish in parquetry, which they recently installed in a renovated Port Melbourne heritage cottage (above) and their White Wash finish, which they used in a collaboration with Rebecca Judd. “We worked together with Rebecca Judd on season two of her online series, The Style School. We did the floors in the Mentone apartment she renovated with stylist Julia Green. We used White Wash, which worked perfectly to open up the small space of the beach side apartment.”
Now in business for over two years, Kustom Timber recently opened a warehouse-style showroom in Port Melbourne, where they’re able to showcase their extensive flooring range. “It’s a space that we can invite our customers to be inspired,” explain Tristan. “Where they can see how the products look against furniture and artwork, just as it would in their own home or development. It’s a dream come true.”