Since 2009
Two people
and a bench.
Halden & Vale began as a cabinetmaking shop in Collingwood. It is now eleven people, and still runs like a workshop.
Since 2009
Halden & Vale began as a cabinetmaking shop in Collingwood. It is now eleven people, and still runs like a workshop.
How we started
For six years we built other designers' kitchens. We saw the same three mistakes on every set of drawings — appliances specified before the layout, no allowance for out-of-square walls, and services drawn where they were convenient rather than where they had to go.
In 2015 we started drawing our own. The build quality did not change. Everything else did.
Two designers, six cabinetmakers, two install leads, one person who does nothing but chase appliance deliveries and stone schedules. That last role is why our sites finish on time.
A hard ceiling. When we are full we will tell you the next start date rather than squeeze you in and run two sites thin.
Almost all within fifteen kilometres of the studio. We work close to home so that a three-month callback is a short drive, not a scheduling problem.
Richmond workshop
Why we stay small
Growth would mean a project lead on three sites at once. That is the exact moment this stops being worth buying.
“Three years in and the oak has gone slightly darker where the afternoon sun hits the island. They told us it would. It's the best thing in the room.”
David & Priya M. — Brighton
“What I remember is that the site was clean every single evening. Small thing. It told me everything about how the rest would go.”
Ruth L. — Fitzroy North
An invitation
The studio is open Tuesday to Saturday. You are welcome to come and open a few drawers before you decide anything.