cessa is…

…a furniture studio based in Melbourne, led by Jack Watson and Billy Howard. We specialise in one off to low volume bespoke furniture and joinery runs, for both residential and commercial environments.

Jack and Billy have nearly 4 decades of combined experience in the furniture and building industry. Jack spent 14 years abroad in London, New York and Los Angeles, working for various furniture and fabrication companies on projects including The Connaught Hotel (London), Claridges Hotel (London), The Savoy Hotel (London), Google engineering office (San-Francisco), Nike head office (Oregon) as well as various residential projects. Before moving back to Melbourne, he ran a custom furniture manufacturing business in Los Angeles. 

Billy has a background in carpentry, working on residential and commercial building sites. He began making furniture 10 years ago, working under local Melbourne maker – Made by Morgen. Following this, in 2017 he started his own business Billy Furniture for which he produced a range of furniture for residential projects as well as fit outs for local hospitality venues including Romantica, Hope St Radio and Good Gnocchi. Alongside furniture making Billy has also engaged in artistic practice through painting and sculpture. The sculptural practice has informed the approach to some of the more organic pieces produced by Cessa.

Our multi-disciplinary team employs both traditional and modern techniques to deliver highly custom pieces. All pieces are designed and manufactured in our Heidelberg West workshop. We specialise in solid timber, veneers and laminates, metalwork, upholstery and stone. Read more about our process here.