Beyond Sydney’s harbor bridge are the beautiful northern beaches, a string of coastal towns ruled by sun and sea. It’s also home to surfer Mark Tuckey: a yachtsman, all-around family guy, and well-known furniture designer.
Tuckey’s look is unabashedly beachy: think generously sized, sun-bleached chairs, tables, benches made from new and recycled wood, predominantly sourced in Australia and made by a team of 15 furniture makers in Tuckey's Melbourne workshop. Thanks to the help he gets from his wife Louella (a former stylist), the couple's Newport Beach shop is a charming mix of personality and color. Bursts of neon come in the form of pink Acapulco chairs and electric blue pendant lamps; it’s this funky edge that gives the Tuckeys their panache.
Good news for travelers: the new, pint-size Mark Tuckey Home store, in neighboring Avalon, stocks suitcase-sized gifts and wares.
Above: Louella and Mark Tuckey at the entrance of Mark Tuckey Home, located at 11/20 Avalon Parade in Avalon Beach (an hours' drive from Sydney).
Above: Textiles are displayed on the bed, on the shelves, and hanging on a row of wall pegs.
Above: Trugs made from recycled tires dangle on a pot rack made from birch wood and S-hooks.
Above: Wooden shelving displays turned-timber bowls and ceramics from Mud Australia.
Above: The store stocks furniture made by Tuckey, who uses ash, oak, and Douglas fir in his work.