Nauti Studios is a non-profit organisation founded
by Nat Cheney in 2014. Nat is a builder. A builder of spaces, communities and businesses.

It all started very organically. Feeling out of place, like the weird creative kid growing up on Sydney’s Northern Beaches,
she moved to Melbourne where she studied illustration.
While returning home to visit, she rediscovered Sydney's coastline and an appreciation for its sun-bathed beauty.
She decided to stay but she needed a workspace. 

Inspired by people who are driven to create, she wanted a space filled with ideas, growth and innovation.
Back in 2013 nothing felt quite right. Corporate offices felt clinical, while warehouse studios appeared unprofessional. She met other creatives who shared her frustration and so she thought well, if everyone wants this, why doesn’t somebody build it!?

Nat found a warehouse so dilapidated no one would touch it.
She taught herself to build and using repurposed materials brought the building back to life.  In 2014, the first Nauti Studios opened in Stanmore. A 600sqm warehouse with workspaces for over 30 people, coworking desks and a venue that would host hundreds of events, shoots, workshops, meetings and more.

The plan was to return to full-time illustration, but in 2017 Nat was approached by a family who owned a building in Hazelbrook. They loved what Nat had built and wanted to lease to someone who would give back to the community.

She began to speak to locals in the Blue Mountains and many echoed the same frustration, with responses like “get me out of the house, I need to be around more creative people!”
It needed a lot of love, but in 2017 Nat opened Nauti Studios Blue Mountains. A 250sqm workspace for 20 creatives, hot deskers and local community events.

Nat found a warehouse so dilapidated no one would touch it.
She taught herself to build and using repurposed materials brought the building back to life.  In 2014, the first Nauti Studios opened in Stanmore. A 600sqm warehouse with workspaces
for over 30 people, coworking desks and a venue that would host hundreds of events, shoots, workshops, meetings and more.

The plan was to return to full-time illustration, but in 2017 Nat was approached by a family who owned a building in Hazelbrook. They loved what Nat had built and wanted to lease to someone who would give back to the community. She began to speak to locals in the Blue Mountains and many echoed the same frustration, with responses like “get me out of the house, I need to be around more creative people!” It needed a lot of love, but in 2017 Nat opened Nauti Studios Blue Mountains. A 250sqm workspace for 20 creatives, hot deskers and local community events.

What began as a need for her own workspace, has grown into something much bigger.
Nauti Studios is an artist-run non-profit. Everything earned goes back into running the space affordably and sustainably. Sustainability, equality and inclusion are core to Nauti’s ethos. From construction to furniture, Nat prioritises repurposed, repaired, or locally sourced materials.

As a member of a number of marginalised groups, Nat fosters a space for people of all walks of life. Nat believes inspiration, connection and community encourage creatives to flourish and in turn enrich the local community. 

The name “Nauti” comes from Nat’s love of wordplay.
When building the first studio, a friend asked if she was going to have a theme for the space. With her love of the environment and feeling at home in the ocean, Nat instantly thought ocean theme.

She now realises they likely meant a colour palette, but in retrospect, it was the ocean that brought Nat back home to Sydney, to then build something she had been looking for all along.