The humble beginnings of Wilkins and Kent launched in 1993 when friends Jeremy Wilkins and Stephen Kent were driven to provide handmade functional and aesthetically appealing furniture to locals in Fitzroy, selling out of the off Brunswick St workshop. Whilst Stephen has since moved on to other endeavours, Jeremy is still the proud owner of the business and continues to make furniture in the workshop. Currently he is takin a hiatus from custom making while working on new designs and ranges of smaller pieces to sell in the shops
The website still features all the designs that Wilkins and Kent has become known for and the "in stock now" page shows any pieces that are currently available to buy, no waiting time! Inspiration hasn’t been limited to a single style or period but has evolved over a period of time. This ensures that the furniture works both functionally and aesthetically. Design ideas and furniture are kept fresh through a balance of custom design with new pieces for the shop.
The shop grew to include the retail frontage at 230 Brunswick Street and some homeware lines were introduced to complement the furniture. The emphasis for product selection has been on local designs, and the stories behind them. In about 2005 Wilkins and Kent were featured in the Slattery publication “Handmade in Melbourne”. Many of the artisans represented in the book were suggested and stocked by Wilkins and Kent. Wilkins and Kent have tried to maintain this ethos and, where possible, ensured that products not produced locally at least have an interesting and genuine back-story. Over the years they have been supportive to many local makers stocking their wares. In fact many of their staff sell their wares in the shops.
A city store at 373 Lt Bourke St was opened in 2008 near Hardware Lane, providing a shop with old-world Melbourne charm. This contrast with creative and gritty Fitzroy is part of the Wilkins and Kent culture of which we are proudly established. Wilkins and Kent has now blossomed into two interesting shops that combine furniture and homewares, employing a small loyal retail team.