Jati began in 1984 in the garage of a home in Canterbury as the "spare time" venture of a school teacher. The business, selling teak outdoor furniture, developed experientially over the next few years and soon moved to a small storage space in the back streets of Richmond. From there it grew steadily until in 1994 it became a full time job selling direct to the public from a warehouse in Stephenson Street, Richmond. In 1995 a showroom was opened in Sydney where the brand was quickly embraced by a discerning public.

In 2001 Jati moved its Melbourne premises into a much larger showroom at 442 Swan Street Richmond and an Indoor Furniture range was introduced.  Due to redevelopment of the site in 2007, Jati Melbourne moved from 442 Swan Street to its current location at 309 Swan Street Richmond.