Our story — Meet Simon
I grew up in Albany, WA, watching my dad run a small timber workshop. He’d spend hours crafting furniture for locals, sourcing wood from nearby mills in Denmark and Mount Barker. I’d tag along on trips to pick up jarrah offcuts or help sand tabletops in the shed after school. The workshop was the heart of our family — and our town — but by the time I finished uni, the market for handmade furniture had shifted, and Dad shut the doors in 2004.
Before starting Halstead Goods, I worked as a supply chain manager in Perth for eight years. It gave me an inside look at how products get made, but I always found myself frustrated with how much waste and plastic were involved. In 2015, my wife and I moved to Orange, NSW, for her new role in healthcare. It was a fresh start, and I began thinking about how I could bring the values I’d grown up with — working with good materials and making things built to last — into something new.
The idea for Halstead Goods came together in 2017 during a road trip down the NSW South Coast. We stopped at a small market in Berry, and I found a local weaver selling jute rugs. It reminded me of the kind of practical, honest design my dad valued. A few months later, I tracked down a supplier in India that worked directly with rural weaving cooperatives and ordered our first batch — a 100-kilo shipment of rugs. I sold them online from our garage, packing each order myself and dropping them off at the local post office.
Today, Halstead Goods is still run from Orange, but we’ve grown beyond just jute rugs. We work with family-run suppliers in Australia and overseas to create everyday items that are simple, durable, and practical. I’m still involved in every product decision, and my dad’s old workbench has pride of place in our warehouse. It’s a good reminder of why I started this in the first place.
— Thanks for reading our story — Simon, Simon Paul Levy
Journal
The Journey of Our Natural Jute Rugs
A look at where our jute comes from and the hands involved in its transformation into Halstead rugs.
Jute is one of those materials that surprises you with its versatility. Ours starts its journey in Bangladesh, specifically in the Khulna District. It's grown during the monsoon season, with farmers relying on the June to September rains to flood the fields just right. By October, it’s harvested, dried, and spun into the raw fibers that eventually make their way to us.
We purchase our jute from a family-run mill that’s been operating for three generations. The owner, Mr. Bashir, has a story surprisingly similar to ours — handing over the reins to his eldest son recently while still being deeply involved in everyday operations. Their entire process is manual. Every bale is inspected by hand before shipment, and their workforce is mostly local women who’ve been there for decades.
When the bales arrive in Orange, they’ve already clocked around 9,000 kilometres. From there, the real work begins — cutting, weaving, and finishing. Our workshop team, which consists of six locals, runs the jute through a hand loom we acquired back in 1986. It’s old, loud, and occasionally temperamental, but we wouldn’t swap it for anything else.
One rug takes between 3-5 hours to weave, depending on the design. Patterns that use two or more colours require extra attention since the threading changes every few rows. When people comment on the texture and feel of these rugs, I always think back to our workshop floor, covered in fibers and half-complete pieces.
I like to think our rugs carry a little of everyone who’s worked on them, from the fields in Khulna to our workspace here in Orange. When I see one in someone’s home, it feels oddly like catching up with an old friend.
Autumn Organisation with Bamboo Storage Baskets
Why bamboo baskets feel just right this time of year and a few ideas for their everyday use.
Autumn’s always busy around here. Between cleaning out the garden beds and preparing the workshop for cooler days, I’m constantly trying to sort things out. The bamboo baskets we make have become my go-to for everything — and I don’t just mean for the store. One lives in our mudroom for gumboots and hats. Another holds kindling near the wood heater. They’re lightweight but surprisingly tough.
The bamboo comes from a supplier in Queensland, near Bundaberg. They specialise in sustainable forestry practices (I know, I hate how that phrase sounds too). What it means practically is they manage a 120-hectare plantation that allows older bamboo stalks to be harvested while leaving younger ones to grow. It regrows quickly, which is key when you’re making something like 500 baskets a year.
We steam the bamboo on-site to soften it before weaving. Steam, you’d think, is a straightforward process, but too much pressure and you’ve ruined the batch. The workshop smells faintly of wet timber on those days. Once pliable, it’s bent into shape, secured, and left to dry naturally for about 36 hours. Afterward, we check for splinters and sand down any rough edges.
I’ve kept the prototype basket because it’s a bit lopsided, but it’s good for holding apples from our tree out back. That tree’s been there since I was a kid. We don’t spray it, so there’s always a bit of a gamble. This year it’s a mix of Granny Smiths and something red no one can quite identify.
If you’ve been thinking about autumn organising, I’d say bamboo baskets are an easy win. They’ve sorted out my chaos, at least for now.
Behind the Scenes: Vintage Brass Table Lamps
What goes into restoring and updating vintage brass lamps — and why it’s worth the effort.
The vintage brass table lamps we sell are, without exaggeration, a bit of an obsession for me. It started about four years ago when I found one buried under a pile of newspapers at a market in Bathurst. It weighed a ton and had a broken switch, but the patina was beautiful. I took it back to the workshop, pulled it apart, and decided this needed to be a thing.
Since then, we’ve sourced brass lamps from everywhere: estate sales, clearing auctions, and an old pub in Goulburn that was undergoing renovations. The hardest part is finding ones with good bones. Dented or cracked bases are a no-go since polishing tends to highlight flaws rather than hide them. On average, it takes about 12 hours to fully refurbish one.
First, we strip it down, cleaning out decades (sometimes centuries) of dust and grime. Next is rewiring. I can’t tell you how many lamps have come through with frayed cords that are clearly decades old. We use modern wiring materials but stick to straightforward designs. There’s no point overcomplicating something classic.
The polishing process is slow and methodical. We use a combination of vinegar and salt for the initial clean, then switch to a fine-grade polish for the shine. Not all lamps come up golden — some have darker finishes that are almost bronze, and I like that variety. It keeps things interesting for whoever’s buying them.
Every lamp that leaves the workshop feels like a small victory. Each one has a story, and it’s satisfying to know they’re getting a second (or third) life somewhere new.
Our First April Living in Orange
Reflections on autumn light, new routines, and how the seasons shape work and home life in Orange.
My wife and I moved to Orange five years ago this April. Before that, we were in Bunbury, which has a very different rhythm, especially in autumn. Here, the mornings start colder, and the light shifts earlier in the day. It makes you want to slow down, brew another pot of tea, sit by the fire and think about nothing in particular.
The shop slows down a bit this time of year too, which is probably a good thing. It gives me time to catch up on maintenance — tightening screws on display shelves, repainting a bit of skirting, repairing anything that’s been knocked over by customers or, occasionally, our kids when they visit.
The trees in town are starting to turn. There’s a massive oak down the road that drops leaves the size of dinner plates. One of our neighbours collects them in a big pile for his grandkids to jump into, and I’ve found myself admiring how much simpler things seem when you’re that age.
At home, we’ve just swapped the summer linen for wool throws that once belonged to my grandmother. She made them in the 1950s from scraps of tweed fabric, and they’ve held up better than anything new I’ve seen. Wool is one of those materials that gets better with age, provided you keep the moths at bay.
April feels like the quiet before the winter storm. It’s a month for catching your breath, appreciating the small things, and preparing for what comes next. Around here, that’s always easier said than done, but we try.
Customer reviews
Emma K. — Fitzroy, VIC — 2024-03-12 — 5/5
Beautiful rug
I ordered the Halstead Natural Jute Rug, and it complements my living room so well. Delivery was quick, and the quality is excellent.
James T. — Newtown, NSW — 2024-06-23 — 4/5
Great, but a little smaller than expected
The Alder Olive Wood Serving Board looks great and arrived faster than I expected. It’s slightly smaller than I thought, but it’s still very functional.
Sophie W. — Manly, NSW — 2025-01-08 — 5/5
Perfect storage baskets
The Halstead Bamboo Storage Baskets are sturdy and stylish. They work perfectly for organising my pantry. Highly recommend!
Liam P. — Paddington, QLD — 2025-05-19 — 5/5
Amazing table lamp
I got the Vintage Brass Table Lamp for my study, and it’s perfect. Great build and adds a warm touch to the room.
Chloe M. — Fremantle, WA — 2024-12-05 — 5/5
Coastal cushion cover
The Coastal Linen Cushion Cover is exactly what I was looking for! Simple, well-made, and fits perfectly.
Tom R. — Brunswick, VIC — 2024-07-15 — 4/5
Good, but light packaging
I ordered the bamboo baskets. They arrived intact, but the packaging felt a bit thin. The product itself is excellent.
Rebecca L. — Hobart, TAS — 2025-03-11 — 5/5
Fast shipping and great quality
My jute rug arrived in just a few days and looks amazing in my entryway. Really happy with this purchase.
Ethan C. — Surry Hills, NSW — 2024-11-29 — 5/5
Timeless lamp
The vintage brass lamp is stunning. It’s exactly what I wanted for my bedside table. Delivered without any issues.
Shipping
We ship all over Australia using Australia Post for standard delivery and StarTrack for express shipping. Standard delivery typically takes 3-7 business days, depending on your location, while express delivery takes 1-3 business days. We process orders placed before 2pm AEST Monday to Friday on the same day.
For orders over $150, we offer free standard shipping. Orders under $150 will incur a flat shipping fee, which is calculated at checkout. All our shipments include tracking details, so you can follow your order's journey to your door.
In the rare event your order arrives damaged, please contact us within 48 hours of receiving it. Send photos of the damage and your order number to info@halsteadgoods.com, and we’ll work with you on a solution as quickly as possible.
Returns
We offer a 30-day return policy on all regular items, starting from the date you receive your order. Items must be unused and returned in their original packaging, with all tags intact. Please note that return shipping costs are the responsibility of the customer, unless the item is faulty or incorrect.
Custom orders, sale items, and perishable goods are not eligible for return unless they arrive damaged or defective. Refunds are processed back to your original payment method within 5-7 business days of our team receiving the returned item.
All returns are handled in accordance with Australian Consumer Law, which provides additional rights for faulty or misrepresented products. If you believe your product has a defect, please contact us at info@halsteadgoods.com with your order details and photos as proof.