Refresh your space with these local furniture brands
image via @ellisonstudios/INSTAGRAM
WORDS BY DAISY HENRY AND JANICE NG
It’s all about aesthetics.
When I was younger, nothing thrilled me more than rearranging my room. I could spend the whole weekend planning out the space and pulling furniture around. Since I’ve moved into my own apartment, little has changed. Looking around my rental and seeing brands that I love, furniture that’s been with me for years or homewares that spark joy makes me feel at home, no matter where I am.
Sometimes, a simple restructure is enough for a refresh. Moving your bed from the wall to the window, or swapping around your lamps, can make you feel like you’re in an entirely new space. Other times, it might mean investing in a piece of furniture that’s long been on your wish list.
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Whether your style is mid-century modern, bright and colourful or a mix of the two, we’ve put together a non-exhaustive guide to some of our favourite local furniture labels to help when interior inspiration strikes.
Monde
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Melbourne-based, Monde is a brand specialising in universal modular seating. Choose between corner, single and ottoman couch pieces and select from Monde’s library of natural, recyclable and commercial fabrics. And when you’re ready for a refresh, simply remove upholstery for dry-cleaning, or choose new covers. With a lead time of 12 to 16 weeks, each piece of made-to-order, limiting overproduction.
Poly Designs
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Born out of the pandemic, Poly’s cool-but-functional designs epitomise the TikTok-coined ‘hot girl side table’ phenomena. Whether it’s checkerboard-printed, pistachio or a classic white, a piece from Poly will instantly spruce up your home.
Studio Mignone
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Since beginning their slow furniture brand in 2018, Aldo Mignone and Isabella Wood have been creating limited-edition sculptural furniture, art and objects from their studio in Adelaide. Their styles are playful and feature retro-inspired pops of colour, guaranteed to brighten your space.
Nicole Lawrence Studio
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Specialising in furniture and lighting design, Nicole Lawrence Studio is a Melbourne-based industrial design and fabrication studio. Add intrigue to your space with its range of sleek powder-coated side tables, shelves and tables lamps in shades of baby blue, sunny yellow and sleek black.
Ellison Studios
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Ellison Studios is a Sydney furniture design studio. Previously named Sarah Ellison, its newest iteration is led by founder and CEO, Leigh McKeown. Though the brand is perhaps most known for its ‘Huggy’ chairs, it now offers everything you need to decorate your space, from coffee tables, to mirrors, beds, rugs and more.
Zenn Design
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Zenn Design is Melbourne’s leading upholstery design firm, specialising in luxurious handcrafted bed and bedhead marvels, soft furnishings, upholstered furniture with flair, and all things fabric. ZD’s home adornments are designed (and built) in its Melbourne workshop, comprising locally-sourced and international materials. Every piece is finished by hand, finessed with meticulous standards of product innovation, and seen to every door with impeccable customer service.
Joshua Space
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Melbourne-based designer Joshua Space takes his transformation of household recycling to new levels with his 100 per cent post-consumer plastic pot planters, incense holders and trays, made from milk bottles. Research from Sustainability Victoria shows that the majority of Victorians are doing the right thing by keeping their recycling loose and not in a bag. Make sure you do the same so that new products, like Joshua Space’s recycled plastic range, can be made from your recycling.
Maker and Son
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This family-owned business carries a wealth of generational knowledge of design and aesthetics, and has been featured in none other than Troye Sivan’s breathtaking Melbourne home. Maker and Son feather and down filled sofas are the height of comfort – and if it’s good enough for Troye, it’s more than good enough for us.
Fearon
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Founded in 2019 by brothers Jack and Mark Fearon, Fearon creates functional aluminium objects. Each piece is designed and handmade by the pair and has a simple but distinctive aesthetic. We’re particularly fond of the Chub, a colourful multi-purpose piece that can be used as a bedside table, stool, table or plinth.
Just Adele
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Crafted from natural stone, Just Adele’s bespoke creations follow an unadorned design structure, allowing the intricacies of the recycled stone to do the talking. From side tables to consoles, Just Adele offers uniquely striking pieces for every corner of your abode.
Pop and Scott
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Hand-made from sustainably sourced local timbers, Pop and Scott emulate the principles of contemporary Australian interior design. Drawing inspiration from the Australian landscape, the brand’s designs are organic, warm and uncomplicated.
Dowel Jones
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Launched in 2014 by friends Adam Lynch and Dale Hardiman, Dowel Jones began as a small furniture studio that helped furnish local cafes. The project has since grown into a business designing unconventional, stylish furniture, lighting and accessories spanning modular sofas to geometric light pendants.
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