At first glance, Triple Eyelid’s studio appears like an ordinary woodworking workshop. Chatting to team members Jackie, Justin and Ellaine, however, reveals more to the space, where it’s clear that they know how to have fun while taking work and safety seriously.
Working exclusively with reclaimed wood, the team designs and creates furniture and homeware. We paid a visit to their studio where they shared more about how they work and play as a team.
From left to right, Jackie, Ellaine and Justin in the Triple Eyelid workshop.
Since founding the studio in 2014, Jackie has taken a back seat on woodworking, and spends more time managing the business outside the workshop. Now, Justin and Ellaine are the two you’ll find at the workshop daily. At times, they’re joined by a couple of part-time team members, depending on the scale of a given project.
Justin and Ellaine are the ones behind the design and production of Triple Eyelid's creations.
Their space, which they moved to in May 2022, houses a dedicated office space, but their work is far from a regular 9 to 5. Each work day starts at 10 in the morning, but can end as early or late as they need to.
"We don't have a fixed time to head home," Jackie tells us. "After we're done with the day, we're free to leave. If we want, we can stay back to work on more things, and sometimes we stay to discuss new or upcoming workshops as well."
While Jackie is no longer involved in production, he returns to the workshop to brush up his skills from time to time.
Breaks are a treat thanks to their pantry, which has a setup worthy of a café — complete with shop signage and a mock menu board. According to Justin, "Jackie has always wanted a setup like this. It's been a passion of his, but he didn't exactly know how to achieve it himself." As luck would have it, Justin and another team member are trained baristas, and their expertise went into putting the “café” together.
Coffee’s not the only thing to look forward to at work. “Sometimes, we stay back and play games in the office too,” Jackie says.
Triple Eyelid's café-like setup also features wooden coasters and trays designed by the team.
Adding to the fun is pinball-style plinko board that hangs beside the bar. Jackie demonstrates it for us. "Justin designed this, and now we use it to decide all sorts of things. When clients come in for meetings and can't decide what to drink, we let them have a go to decide."
Right now the board is being used to decide who cleans up after work. "It's unfair because the ball never lands where Justin's name is, but my name is put down for almost the whole board!" Ellaine protests.
Before joining the team, Ellaine wasn't a fan of coffee, but the others' love for the drink is starting to rub off on her.
Their plinko board works by launching the ball with the handle on the bottom right — just like a pinball machine.
Work isn’t just fun and games, of course. The team works just as hard as they play, and goes the extra mile to help one another.
The newest team member among the three, Ellaine ventured into woodworking after experimenting with basic tools and techniques at university. "My favourite part of each project is the planning stage. I've been learning how to manage larger-scale projects," she shares. “I learn a lot from Justin. He has more experience than I do, and he’s the one who shares his knowledge with me.”
Ellaine cuts a piece of wood for a stool she's making for herself.
Although Jackie’s not around as often, he’s still very much present and is the one who makes sure everyone remains safe at work. When asked about how they work together, Ellaine quips, “Justin’s my mum,” while Jackie’s quick to follow, “I am Justin’s mum.”
“He’s the grandma,” Justin concludes.
A family portrait at the bar.
Jackie, Justin and Ellaine, thank you for showing us around your workshop! Visit Triple Eyelid's Instagram to see more of their work.
