CAST Gallery

Rex Heathcote Furniture is a small to medium size furniture design and production practice based in Launceston. The Heathcote name has a long association with furniture production in Tasmania, with Rex's father and uncle having operated a substantial upholstery and manufacturing business from the late 1940s. Prior to embarking on a career in the business at the start of the 1980s, Rex completed a Diploma of Furniture Making and Design at the London College of Furniture. Rex Heathcote Furniture currently employ some thirteen production staff, including a number of apprentices, and others who trained with the company. As well as making furniture of his own design, his workshop produces work for other designers, as well as developing pieces under license, such as Trevor Cottell's Folding Table. Tasmanian timbers are used extensively in production, with a focus on sustainable and efficient production practices. A member of the Furniture Designers Association of Tasmania, Rex's work is included in the Tasmanian Wood Design Collection. Recent exhibitions include the Tasmanian Wood Design Collection Acquisitive Biennial (Tasmanian Museum and Arts Gallery, Hobart and Design Centre Tasmania, Launceston 2006) and Smart Works: Design and the Handmade (Powerhouse Museum, Sydney 2007).