Who is Christian Cole? The furniture 'god' who has created plenty of Block showstoppers

Nothing says luxury like a bespoke dining table... and nothing says it better than a custom piece from Master Timber Craftsman, Christian Cole.

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This year, during Season 21 of Stream the latest episodes of The Block for free on 9Now., the contestants got to craft their very own masterpiece with help from the legend himself.

House 1 opted for a bench seat while House 2, 3 and 4 went for dining tables.

The Blockheads got busy sanding and staining and while Robby and Mat didn't get a Christian Cole piece, they did get his advice when it came to distressing the timber they had selected.

It's safe to say Mat had an interesting approach: "I got my nuts in a sack and bashed my nuts against the table and made divets and dents and little scratches."

He was of course talking about using nuts and bolts to give the table a more lived in look.

With so much talk about Christian Cole, you might be wondering why a piece of his furniture is such a big deal. We've got everything you need to know.

Who is Christian Cole?

Christian Cole Furniture was established in 2000 by Christian himself, a qualified cabinet and furniture maker. According to his website, he finished his apprenticeship in 1994 specialising in the construction of solid timber kitchens.

Over the years Christian has developed a cult following. Christian Cole Furniture designs and hand makes solid timber furniture and architectural joinery using 100 per cent recycled timber or timber sourced from sustainable commercial plantations from around the world.

All pieces are made in their Melbourne factory.

Christian Cole furniture on previous seasons of The Block

During Season 20 of The Block, Kylie and Brad recruited the renowned furniture maker to design their custom dining table.

The meticulously crafted piece featured two round bases and a solid oak tabletop painted in a jaw-dropping shade of black.

"That looks amazing," said Kylie as she stopped by his workshop. "You will never get another table like that."

"Unreal," gushed Brad as he inspected Christian's handiwork.

But his work didn't stop there. Christian also made House 4 a massive two-metre wide timber frame mirror.

As you can see in the video above, it had the most amazing wooden texture.

In Season 19 of The Block, the talented Christian gifted a table to the winner of the first week. That went to a very grateful Kyle and Leslie in House 1.

Christian and Kyle determined the desired size and the designer went on to make a unique, stunning table worth $16,000.

It even features a handmade 'Lazy Susan' and Christian proudly called the piece a work of art.

But when building their room, Kyle and Leslie established the 'art' might have been a little too big. They desperately tried to work out how to make their space showcase the table. As Leslie said, "I'm not going to ask Christian to make a smaller table. I will make the table fit in my house."

Over the years, Christian has been called a furniture God, and there's good reason for it.

Two years' ago, we saw some Christian Cole magic in host Scott Cam's own house, which he renovated alongside the contestants.

Christian made a breathtaking, bespoke chopping board that ran the entire length of the kitchen island bench.

In 2021, Josh and Luke recruited Christian Cole to make their stunning wrap–around kitchen bench and dining table.

And in 2020, Daniel and Jade went with a bespoke kitchen island and matching dining table from Christian.

Along with Scott Cam's custom island, Christian has crafted several special pieces for Blockheads.

Josh and Luke made their island bench pop with a wrap-around Christian Cole timber feature. It was the perfect piece to complement the mostly black kitchen.

The judges adored the beautiful bench feature, which is the perfect spot to have a quick snack or chat to whoever is cooking dinner.

"I swear to God, that timber, it just gives you this lovely, soft, natural break. But also all these dark bits of grain pick up in all the darkness of the kitchen, so it actually ties those things together really perfectly," Darren Palmer said.

Of course you can't have a stunning Christian Cole kitchen piece without a dining table to match, so Josh and Luke asked Christian to make that too.

The dining table was a hit, but the living and dining room wasn't. Shaynna felt the styling of the table wasn't at the standard of the beautiful piece.

"I have to say this dining table is so beautiful but they haven't done it justice. And that makes me really sad for the artisan, and that's what Christian Cole is, making this table," she said.

The judges also wanted the dining area and living space flipped to better suit the space.

In 2020 Daniel and Jade knew they needed a big 'wow' piece for their kitchen and asked Christian Cole to create a one-of-a-kind, bespoke timber island.

The couple also had their hearts set on a matching dining table for when Living and Dining Week happened.

In Jade's words, he's a "God" of furniture making. Thankfully they had their Suncorp Game Changer up their sleeves to pay for it; Scotty Cam was almost too happy to sign off on the idea.

The judges were all wowed by the piece during judging.

"God, that is beyond a work of art," Shaynna said. "Look at curve here, then it comes around, opens up, it curves under there. It's stunning!"

All three judges considered it a work of art not just for the design, but for the craftsmanship as well.

"This has the quality of a piece of art that's like an heirloom. This will stand a lifetime," Shaynna said.

The Christian Cole furniture continued into the living and dining room with the couple's dining table.

The word Neale used to describe the couple's kitchen was "bespoke". When it came to judging the living and dining space he wondered how they could possibly top it, and admitted that he was impressed.

"What is the living/dining space going to look like, that goes with this kitchen and this island bench? Here it is!" he said in awe.

"This dining table — it's heaven. Like heaven as it would be, if it was an eight-seater dining table. Gorgeous, artisan, beautiful piece," Darren gushed.

Christian's stunning pieces have featured on several seasons of The Block.

The Gatwick dining table by Christian Cole was custom-made for Courtney and Hans during the 2018 season of The Block. It featured three Herringbone parquetry timber panels and was hand-cut and sanded.

This beautiful round dining table was seen in Norm and Jess' Challenge Apartment Dining Room during the 2018 season of The Block too. The 10-seat table was custom-made for the couple as a standout feature of the apartment.

What furniture does Christian Cole make?

He hand makes dining tables, coffee tables, occasional tables, desks and more. Christian Cole makes dining chairs and stools, TV and audio visual cabinets, bedroom furniture and bookshelves, along with custom timber benchtops and timber bathrooms.

Each piece of Christian Cole Furniture is hand signed and dated by Christian and is supported by a 25-year warranty.

How can I buy a piece of Christian Cole furniture?

Christian Cole Furniture can be purchased directly from their existing furniture stock on display at their factory/showroom. Alternatively you can have a piece custom-made.

You can also buy some pieces, which have featured on previous seasons of The Block, through The Block Shop.

Next week, The Block continues Monday to Thursday at 7:30pm on Channel 9 and 9Now.