About Northwind
A small studio.
A deliberate way of working.
We've stayed small on purpose. Ten craftsmen, one workshop in Collingwood, two crews on the road. Small enough that the person who measured your room is the person who finishes the last plank — and large enough to take on a six-thousand-square-foot heritage fit-out.
The founder
Eli Norden trained as a furniture maker before he ever laid a floor.
He grew up in his grandfather's joinery in regional Victoria — small benches, hand-planed oak, Sundays repairing church pews. He came to Melbourne in 2002 to apprentice with a cabinetmaker. By 2007 he had a single van, a sander, and a list of designers willing to bet on him.
Eighteen years on, Northwind is ten craftsmen working out of a converted Collingwood warehouse. Same standards. Same instinct that a floor is just another piece of furniture — one you live on instead of around.
We turn down about a third of the jobs we're asked to quote. Usually because the timeline is wrong, occasionally because the material is wrong, sometimes because we know we wouldn't be proud of the result. That's the only thing that's kept us small, and the only thing that's kept us good.
Eli Norden — Founder & lead craftsman
In the Collingwood workshop, autumn 2024.
What we hold to
Three rules that've outlasted three recessions.
Cut once, fit forever.
Every plank is racked, sorted, and end-matched in our workshop before it touches your subfloor. The board you see in your living room was chosen for that exact spot.
Dust, contained.
HEPA-shrouded sanders, sealed work zones, plastic-protected joinery. Most clients sleep at home on install nights. We leave the house cleaner than we found it.
Warranties that outlive us.
Lifetime structural on solid timber. 25 years on workmanship. A single phone call gets a Northwind installer back on site — for the original client or the next owner.
The workshop
Collingwood. Skylit. Open by appointment.
Every board we install passes through our workshop first — racked, end-matched, and finished. You're welcome to walk through the racks before you specify; we'll put the kettle on.
By the numbers
Memberships & certifications
- Australian Timber Flooring Association
- Master Builders Victoria
- FSC® Chain of Custody
- Bona Certified Craftsman
- Loba Premium Finisher
- GreenGuard Gold installers
Book a consultation
Bring us your floor plan, your light, and the way you live in the room.
We'll come to you with a curated sample kit and a written scope within 48 hours. No fee, no obligation.