November favourites: 5 brick and mortar stores we’re crushing on in Melbourne
With Melbourne finally easing out of hard lockdown, we thought it time to celebrate by highlighting some of the most swoon-worthy interior stores here in our local city. After all, what better way to enjoy freedom than with an old-fashioned shopping day out? Fresh interiors, here we come!
Founded by two brothers, Life Interiors had its humble beginnings as an eBay store back in 2006. Fast forward to 2020, they now enjoy an expansive showroom here in Abbotsford, boasting a large range of stylish and contemporary furniture and homewares. Their Ethos? To provide all Australians with quality items that don’t involve taking out a second mortgage. We’re particularly obsessed with the Alva chairs by Sarah Ellison found at Life Interiors.
As with Life Interiors, Simple Form opened its doors as a little online store. Monochrome and minimalism were (and still are) at the core of what they do. Nowadays they can be found as a cute little store in Seddon, supplying contemporary furniture, art and accessories. Their collection includes a range of unique and functional objects reflecting Scandinavian, Nordic, Minimalist and Japanese design aesthetics from all over the globe. The curved bench by Kristina Dam is the perfect sculptural addition to any interior.
For over 30 years Molmic has been a family owned and operated business. In fact, all their products continue to be made right here in their hometown of Melbourne. Their designs, craftsmanship and care are founded on the purpose of what they craft – furniture that assumes an integral place in people’s lives. Not only must Molmic pieces serve a functional purpose, their obsession is to design the very best in sofas and living furniture. What else can we say? Their sofas are simply sensational. Check them out of yourself at one of their stockists (an extensive list can be found on their website).
Located in the heart of prominent Armadale shopping precinct, The Rug Establishment features a vast collection of luxurious handcrafted rugs. Continually inspired with artisan craftsmanship and utilising a myriad of the unique fibres, manufacture techniques and thousands of sumptuous colours, their rugs are unsurpassed for beauty and quality. Not only does their collection of bold patterned rugs continue to blow us away, they’re also guaranteed to child labour free. Be sure to add them to your High Street outing.
Part gallery, part showroom, CRITERIA strives to be a centre for design. Tucked away in Cremorne, CRITERIA brings together an exclusive collection of modern furniture, art, and design objects from around the world. The designers, both established and at the pioneering stage of their work, have been individually selected for their progressive, innovative and experimental approach to design thinking and their commitment to creating high-quality craft. Our pick from their carefully curated selection of works would have to be the Apparatus cloud 19 chandelier.