Style: August 03, 2018

STYLE | home 29
ABOVE: Syro by de Castelli is a
triptych of small engraved metal tables
blending iron, brass and copper.
LEFT: The Brooklyn side table by
David Shaw comes in three shapes and
features an on-trend metal resin finish
textured to add durability.
When David Shaw started in the furniture trade as
an apprentice at Christchurch’s Modern Trend
he saw it merely as a good first job. Romance was
soon born as he quickly developed a “passion for the
furniture” that would see him launch his eponymous
brand in 1982. He went on to open two Christchurch
factories, two North Island showrooms and an
Auckland warehouse, develop a successful export
market, import leading international brands, and,
fundamentally, survive while cheaper imports put many
New Zealand manufacturers out of business.
“Quality always wins out in the end,” he reflects.
“We’ve always wanted to be at the better end of
the market with design and we’ve stayed focussed on
good design and quality.”
Initially the David Shaw brand specialised in
upholstery and that remains a hallmark of its
products. The business expanded to timber furniture
manufacturing, imported furniture, lighting and outdoor
furniture and began exporting to Australia 15 years
ago. Today it employs 32 staff nationwide and while
exports accounted for 30 per cent of business at their
height these have reduced as Chinese imports have
changed the market on both sides of the Tasman.
“We’ve seen the whole middle market pushed out
over the past 10 to 15 years, and over the last three
or four years it’s really accelerated,” observes David.
Against this market divide the company stayed
positioned at the upper end of the market targeting
not the many who see furniture only as a commodity
but the growing few who see furniture as a long-term
investment and seek special pieces: “tomorrow’s
antique”.
While most styles come and go, one David Shaw
design that endures after 24 years is the Eden chair.
“It’s just a really, really simple chair but it’s been
timeless and it’s one of those things that you can
put a wow fabric on it and it still sells today.” David
modestly says there’d be “quite a few” in New
Zealand homes,