Christian has spent years working hands-on in the wood industry, on the practical side of getting good real-timber materials specified, sourced and into homes and commercial projects. He founded The Panel Collective to bring that craft sensibility to acoustic wall panelling: real timber veneer, lab-tested acoustic performance, and a proper trade service from people who know the material.
Mentorship in the trade
Christian grew up around the trade in the United Kingdom, where his family's veneer business is based. His uncle, Laurence Freed, has been in the wood veneer trade for over 30 years through his own UK company, Freed Veneers, supplying real timber veneer to some of the most demanding finish-quality brands in the world, including Bentley, luxury yacht builders and private jet interiors. He is Christian's mentor in the trade, and the Freed family has been talking wood quality across the dinner table for a generation.
What The Panel Collective does
Christian now lives in New Zealand, where he runs The Panel Collective. It and Freed Veneers are separate businesses: Freed Veneers, in the UK, supplies raw timber veneer to manufacturers, while The Panel Collective is a New Zealand based company, with an Australian arm as well, that sources and supplies finished wall panelling to the trade from a wide supplier network rather than building it in-house.
We do the hard part for you: finding the right supplier, negotiating the pricing and standing behind the order. Trade buyers get great deals on quality panelling without spending months tracking down a supplier, building the relationship from scratch, or carrying the risk if something goes wrong. The respect for real-wood material standards is shared family DNA.
What Christian works on at The Panel Collective
Christian leads finish selection, supplier relationships, technical specification across acoustic, fire and formaldehyde standards, and quality control across the range.
Contact
For trade enquiries, finish consultation or specification packs, the fastest route is our wholesale enquiry page. Trade buyers should mention their project type for direct hand-off.