Amongst the leafy bush of Warrandyte, furniture maker Lee Gratton lives with his family in a thoughtfully restored Robin Boyd home.

Lee Gratton may specialise in handcrafted furniture, but he also has a soft spot for guitars. Making his first guitar aged 13, he’s since built an enviable collection of guitars for friends, family and himself—including the collection that first caught our eye at MINIM, decorating the wall of his family home.

After Lee’s wife Emma came across the Robin Boyd-designed home in Warrandyte the family made the move from inner city to sprawling bush, sensitively updating the modernist home for contemporary living. Complete with an onsite workshop for Lee’s furniture practice, the home is an ode to creativity and connection, looking out on the Yarra River below.

Who are you? Tell us a little about yourself.

I am a furniture maker, a woodwork teacher, a dad and a husband. Not in that order. I specialise in solid timber furniture that will last for generations.

Who else lives in this house?

I live here with my wonderful and very pregnant wife Emma and our two sons Archie and Jethro. We also have two cats and a menagerie of wildlife.

What does a typical day look like for you?

Coffee first, always. Then depending on the day, it usually involves a combination of school or kinder drop offs, time in the workshop, grocery runs, teaching a class on fine woodworking, and a mountain bike ride.

What do you love about your home?

Our home was designed by Robin Boyd and built in 1963. We bought it a few years ago from the original owners. It sits on the side of a hill with the Yarra River running through the front yard and views over the Yarra Valley. What’s not to love?

You have a rather interesting guitar collection - can you tell us a bit about them?

I made all these guitars myself, over a period of about ten years. I love the process and the precision needed to get the right tone, and to create something that becomes a tool for other people to create with. These guitars are all my own designs, and I try new techniques on each one.

Why did you first start making guitars and do you still make them?

I made my first guitar when I was 13 after I found a library book about guitar making and thought, “Wow! I can do that.” It was a tele-style solid body electric.

Since then, I’ve made acoustic guitars, ukuleles, slide guitars, solid body electrics and basses. Most of them are made from maple and mahogany, but I also use blackwood and rosewood. I still always have a guitar on the go, and can’t wait to teach my kids how to make them.

Tell us a bit about your furniture-making business.

Making furniture is all I have ever done, even at high school. I worked at various bespoke furniture workshops before going out on my own about ten years ago.

I’ve done hospitality, residential and commercial timber fitouts, but these days I mostly focus on building one-off heirloom pieces, working directly with clients.

What are some of your design influences?

The mass production techniques used in the mid-century have an influence on how I work, particularly coming out of Scandinavia. I like the simplicity of form in traditional Japanese joinery and woodworking. Most of all, I am inspired by the forms, shapes and colours of the timbers I work with.

You’ve spoken about wanting to create things that last. How has this shaped your business? Do you think people are increasingly seeking out more timeless, made-to-last pieces?

We live in a world where people expect things on demand and instantly. Food delivered to our door within an hour, next-day delivery and instantaneous communication is the norm. While this has been great for some industries, it has devalued the art and technique involved in building things that last.

Bespoke and custom furniture can often be similarly priced to off-the-shelf pieces, plus you get to work with the maker directly and create something that is original and made exactly for you. While there will always be a market for IKEA and mass-produced furniture, my clients value the fact that all my pieces will outlast them and be handed down for generations.

What is the role of music in your home? Any weekly habits or rituals?

We often have music playing while cooking dinner in the evening. Our kids are pretty full on and a family dance-off can release some energy before the dinner/bath/bed chaos. We have a playlist of family favourites which is a mix of old and new, everything from AC/DC and Antony and the Johnsons to Taylor Swift and Etta James.

I always have music playing in the workshop, usually cranked up so I can hear it over the machinery. I listen to a lot of 60s soul and Motown while working with timber, and something rockier when I’m doing heavy lifting.

Do you feel like your taste in music has changed over the years?

My taste has changed, but never veered too left of centre. I’ve always been drawn to music where you can hear the actual instruments being played.

What's an album you never get sick of?

I came of age in the 90s so grunge rock has a particular place in my heart. Eddie Vedder’s flannel shirts and general unkemptness has been fairly constant throughout the years, and I keep coming back to Pearl Jam.

And your favourite album cover?

Unfortunately, the era of the album cover is kind of over. Spotify has killed off the physicality of albums, which is probably why records and record players are making such a comeback.

What keeps your musical spark alive? How do you maintain a connection with music?

While Spotify has changed the way we consume music, it has also made it much easier to find new artists. Sometimes it can throw up some shockers, but I have found heaps of new things to listen to while making sawdust in the workshop.

I also try to muck around and learn new songs on the guitar regularly. We recently got the kids a drum kit, so we have family jam sessions. Luckily we live on a few acres so have no neighbours nearby to complain!

Find Lee’s work here →