Peter Rhodes designs and hand makes contemporary furniture one piece at a time using  traditional tools and techniques. Peter has been working with wood all his life, but has been full-time making fine furniture since 2009. He firmly believes that a piece of furniture should not be a disposable or fashion item, but rather something that is so much a part of your daily life that you wouldn’t do without it. “If I’ve done my part right” he says, “your family will fight over it when you’re gone!”

Strongly influenced by the design style of Art Deco and the fine handwork of Japanese joinery, Peter uses locally sourced timbers from the Huon valley to make a range of cupboards, tables, whiskey cabinets, stools, chairs and other wooden items. In his workshop inside the Artisan’s Hand in Cygnet, Peter builds his furniture using almost exclusively hand tools gathered from across the world. Working and building in an open space, he invites you to come and watch the work, chat about the process and ask questions. When asked why he works by hand Peter says, “You would be surprised how efficient and pleasant it is to use those tools you remember from your grandparents’ sheds. You have to work with the wood, and then you realise that you don’t need noisy, dusty and dangerous tools to make beautiful things.” He has a range of finished pieces available for sale and is always excited by the opportunity to design something unique for your next piece of furniture.