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Christian Cole is a qualified cabinet and furniture maker who is part of The Block family

We get to know Christian and take a look at his truly epic Block creations.

Tell us a bit about yourself...
I’m 46 years old. I was born and brought up in Lower Templestowe in Melbourne. As a kid, we travelled and camped a lot where I picked up my obsession with fishing and the sea. I’m married to Fiona and have 2 teenage sons. As a family we spend a great deal of time together, we’re very close. Fiona works in the business with me and does a great deal behind the scenes. We live in Torquay and I commute to Melbourne where we have a purpose built factory and studio. This is where the magic happens!

Josh and Luke's Block kitchen features Christian Cole
We cannot wait for kitchen reveals on Sunday where we see Christian help out Josh and Luke with their kitchen bench. 

How long have you been producing your art?
Fiona and I established the business together before we were married which was 22 years ago!  I’ve personally been making furniture since my apprenticeship commenced at the age of 16 when I trained as a furniture maker.

Where do you draw inspiration from?
I draw inspiration from everything around me. I really loved books and magazines when I was younger. Travelling was brilliant seeing age old pieces and different designs from different regions in the world. Nowadays we are so spoilt for choice with Instagram, Pinterest etc. Often my clients have their own designs and whilst they look fantastic they don’t work technically or aren’t necessarily practical. We collaborate pooling our strengths and often we come up with something both practical, with structural integrity and aesthetically attractive.

How would you describe your furniture?
Custom made solid timber furniture and timber joinery.


Daniel and Jade Block kitchen Christian Cole & Kinsman Kitchens
Who can forget Daniel and Jade's show stopper curved kitchen bench by Christian Cole? In Jade's words, he's a "god" of furniture making.

Your furniture features on The Block again this year?
This year I got to meet and supply furniture for the twins, Josh and Luke. They were actually great blokes. I got a call one day out of the blue and they asked me if I could help them with their kitchen bench. We then went on to make them a dining table, a large wall cabinet, coffee table, and whiskey cabinet. For 2 young guys with no experience in renovation, I thought they did a brilliant job. Not an easy task. They were extremely polite and pleasant to be around.

Josh and Luke Block kitchen 2021
Josh and Luke's stylish black and white kitchen with the feature timber benchtop by Christian.

What does it mean for you to have your furniture featured on The Block?
The Block has raised the profile of myself and our business exponentially. I actually get recognised by complete strangers and that’s really weird and funny.


Courtney and Hans Christian Cole dining table
Courtney and Hans are stoked to take delivery of their dining table crafted by Christian.


Courtney and Hans The Block
Courtney and Hans "knew exactly what they wanted and genuinely loved the pieces," Christian tells The Block Shop.

Favourite Block couple?
That’s like asking me to pick a favourite child! I guess Jade and Daniel close second to Courtney and Hans. Both couples knew exactly what they wanted and genuinely loved the pieces that I made them. They went out of their way to promote our products but generally, they were just awesome individuals trying to chase the Australian dream of one day owning a house of their own.


Christian Cole with past Block contestants
Christian is truly part of The Block family! Pictured with Blockheads since his first appearance on The Block in season 7.

Where do you create your furniture?
We custom built a factory in Coburg North 13 years ago. It has a large living area upstairs which was great when the kids were little and were coming to work with us. We have also built an underground water tank feeding vegetable gardens and planted a host of fruit trees. It looks like a junkyard with all the timber piles laying around but timber is what our trade is about. We buy timber when it’s special and dry it for use in furniture making. When we find magnificent recycled timber we can’t help ourselves.

Do you have a playlist you like to create to?
I’m a huge fan of Ben Harper and Jack Johnson. Most of the time I like no noise. The factory is so loud every day that I like the peace.


Christian Cole round dining Table - The Block Shop
Christian uses 100 per cent recycled timber or timber sourced from sustainable commercial plantations from around the world.

How do you fit your business around life & family?
Share the same hobbies. My 16 year old loves surfing as much as I do so we surf up to 4 times a week together.

What does a typical day look like for you?
Up at 4.30 am drive to Melbourne from Torquay. My day is filled with phone calls, working on the factory floor, looking over plans, meeting with clients, moving and sorting timber and helping out the apprentice’s as much as possible. I would squeeze in some lunch at some stage. I spray furniture in the evenings after the staff have left so that there is less dust in the factory. They are long days but I spend Fridays at home in Torquay completing paperwork and typing quotes with Fiona and going over clients designs etc.

Favourite holiday destination?
Anywhere there is surfing for my youngest son and I to enjoy and a nice pool for my wife and eldest son. We travel to Thailand and Bali a great deal. We plan to live in Bali for longer periods of the year when I retire.

Christian Cole a keen fisherman
Christian camped a lot as a kid where he picked up his obsession with fishing and the sea.

What is the most decadent thing in your house?
Definitely, my Lacanche oven which we had custom made in France. I saved money by building my own kitchen so it needed the best oven.

Oldest & daggiest thing you have in your house?
Definitely, our 20-year-old custom made leather sofas. They are both 3-4 seaters and we just cannot part with them. They’ve seen a lot over the years and travelled with us to all of our homes. We are actually having them re-covered rather than replace.

Favourite room in the house?
Possibly our conservatory. It’s flooded with light and filled with plants. It’s beautiful in winter when the sun pours in.

The Block challenge apartment round dining table
Remember The Block challenge apartment in 2018? One lucky family that won that apartment will still be sitting around this incredible dining table!

If you could renovate one room in your house which would it be?
We recently re-built the historic Seaview Villa in Torquay, which is the 2nd oldest home in Torquay. The locals picketed the shire and had it made heritage overlay. We bought it and rebuilt what was left and then built a 4 bedroom home around it. It took us nearly 2 years because I built all the windows, doors and specialised timber joinery…. I’m still making pieces of furniture for it.

Favourite decor item in the house?
Custom built stone chimney and open fire built by a stonemason. The stone was brought down from Mafra and it’s stunning. Fiona is very attached to her Klaylife chandelier.

Detail woodword
Each piece of Christian Cole Furniture is hand signed and dated by Christian and is supported by a 25-year warranty.

Favourite artwork you own?
Easy – just purchased an original photo from Steve Ryan who lives in Torquay. It’s a black and white shot of Bells beach. I’ve had a friend enlarge it to 3 metres tx 1500mm. It’s hanging in my front entrance. We’re also big fans of a local artist named Natalie Martin who works in watercolour. She has a beautiful series of Australian native flowers.

Most treasured possession (other than kids or partner!)
Big toss-up between My Holden EK Ute 1965. I restored it with the help of my uncle and I love it. Next would be my fishing boat or my school bus motorhome conversion.

EK Holden Ute
One of Christians life's tressures is his 1965 Holden EK Ute.

Know anyone else who hasn’t been featured on The Block but should be?
Aiden from Nine and Six builders (official builders of The Block this season). He owns the business and he is a super bloke.

A perfect Sunday afternoon would be...
An afternoon on my stand up paddleboard with a fishing rod and some bait to catch fresh whiting. It has kept me sane during lockdown because it’s exercise. 


Shop Christian's incredible creations HERE.

 

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