'History'

The Beginning:

Harper & Sandilands was formed in 1982 as a partnership between Spencer Scott Sandilands and Kim Harper.

In the late 1970's Spencer, an active antique print and map dealer based in Melbourne, began sourcing traditional birds-eye maple mouldings and gold slips from the U.K.  as, at the time, the limited Australian market could not supply these products.

Kim Harper's background in design, antique furniture dealing and restoration led him to, in 1984, visit the first ever SACA trade show of Italian picture frame manufacturers in Bologna.  From this successful maiden trip, many contacts with some of Italy's premium moulding manufacturers were made and many relationships which still continue today were forged on the trip.

Kim says of that trip:

"from the moment I entered that huge hall full of beautiful mouldings I knew exactly what I was to do for the rest of my life, it was an epiphany".

As Spencer's focus was primarily on antique print and map dealing, in 1985 Spencer Sandilands handed ownership of the fledgling company over to Kim.Harper.  It was with much zealous that Kim Harper accepted the favourable terms offered to him and thus he set about developing H&S into Australia's premium "boutique" mouldings supplier.