Bringing back the glamour to old wood pallets

I’ve got two wood delivery pallets propped up against the side fence. They’ve been there for ages—and every time I look at them I say to myself ‘I could do something with those’ and if I were imaginative, motivated, crafty and all the rest—I could, but for now I’ll just be inspired by the gorgeous range of pallet furniture from boyandgirlco.

Partners in life Anita Jones and Carlo Angelo Malaca were dining one evening at Kitchen by Mike in Sydney and fell in love with the raw wood furniture, and decided there and then to completely change their life by adopting a more sustainable—reuse and recycle—lifestyle. After doing a bit of internet research on carpentry, they bought some basic tools, found some pallets, and created their first piece. Family and friends who saw the furniture started to place orders, then they started to sell to clients with a similar philosophy and who loved the raw handcrafted pieces. boyandgirlco was founded when Anita and Carlo went against the old adage ‘don’t give up your day job’ and quit their corporate environment.

Initially working out of their garage, they later moved to a small warehouse in Mitchell, Canberra, and have since moved into a larger premises complete with showroom. Their team also includes Graham Rose (designer and head builder) and Vic Tawagi (marketing and communications). The brainchild of the operation is Mike McEnearney, of Kitchen by Mike, and former Executive Chef of Rockpool.

In keeping with the company’s philosophy, the team will not touch any pallets treated with chemicals and pallets are sourced from importers, who find them a challenge to dispose of. boyandgirlco collect the pallets and reuse them; doing all the work, including pulling the pallets apart and removing the nails, themselves. As the pieces are not mass produced they all have a raw look and feel, and each piece is unique and can be made to any size, shape or colour. The standard range currently includes coffee tables, a dining table, planter boxes and garden screens.

boyandgirlco will also make custom pieces in consultation with the buyer, and have so far produced a sofa table, tripod stand, side table with storage, entrance table, a light box with shelf, and queen size bedhead with storage. The turnaround time for standard pieces is two weeks, and up to four weeks for custom made.

boyandgirlco will host its first exhibition on 10 October at the Nishi Gallery, New Acton. The exhibition ANEW will be open from 10 – 26 October and celebrates how the designers de-construct the pallets and repurpose them into statement pieces of furniture built to last. You can also meet boyandgirlco at the Old Bus Depot Markets in Kingston.

To find out more about boyandgirlco and pallets visit their website www.boyandgirlco.com.au

boyandgirlco also believe in giving back to the local community, and a percentage of profits is donated to

• Menslink: www.menslink.org.au
• Domestic Violence Crisis Service: dvcs.org.au

Media: Clarity Communications Australia Pty Ltd

Images from Clarity Communications and boyandgirlco