You've heard it all before. We're slowing down, spending time at home, investing in pieces that make it easier to do so. With interiors on everyone's minds, we're more aware than ever of the possibilities before us. Homewares are fundamental to personalising your space and play an essential part in making your house, a home. I said what I said.
Decorating a space is also fun as hell. In our opinion, there is nothing quite like a unique piece, and you don't have to be sitting on stacks of cash to achieve this. With the rise of the vintage Instagram sellers, it couldn't be easier to snag affordable, unique pieces to perk up your space.
For those who have larger budgets, custom pieces can be a great way to achieve this. If there's one thing I've learnt, it's to invest in larger forever pieces where possible and pick the rest up along the way. Some of my most cherished finds have come from a man on Gumtree, but in the instance you don't have a spare five hours to trawl through 27 pages of 'Mid Century Arm Chairs', we're here to lend a hand for the greater good.
For some, it's all in the details. For others, a statement piece is more on brand. Whichever way you fare, we've compiled a running list of our favourite Australian homewares sellers. Find them below.
1. Maison Balzac
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Located: Surry Hills NSW, Armadale VIC and online.
Known for: As Sydneysiders, to not include Maison Balzac in a homewares feature would be simply blasphemous. The glass accessories that we all love to covet. Goblets, carafes, plates, candleholders and candles, Maison Balzac offers uniquely shaped tableware to meet all your needs, in the most vibrant of seasonal colours.
2. Tamsin Johnson
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Location: Paddington NSW and online.
Known for: Australian interior designer Tamsin Johnson is the hallmark for unique, eclectic but well-balanced styling. Her work brings together a contrast in scale – whether that be through the bold use of art or the sculptural nature of the furniture pieces she selects. The child of an antiques dealer, Johnson's showroom and online boutique is filled with left-of-centre homewares, art pieces and furniture.
3. Dinosaur Designs
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Located: Paddington, Redfern and Sydney CBD NSW; South Yarra, Melbourne CBD VIC; Brisbane CBD, Fortitude Valley QLD.
Known for: Another popular local choice is the offering from Dinosaur Designs, co-founded by Louise Olsen and Stephen Ormandy. Each piece is crafted from resin and painted to create the brands signature wabi-sabi style homewares, tablewares and jewellery. From salad servers to sturdy plates, a Dinosaur Designs table always brings people together.
4. Hommey
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Located: Online only.
Known for: Since expanding from just manufacturing cushions, Hommey have become one of Australia's funnest online homewares brands. Think colourful linens, plush cushions and throws – each injecting a bit of fun and colour into your home. Their price point is great, and they ensure all their materials are ethically sourced, use no harmful substances, and exclusively used factories that are BSCI audited, so that all processes and working conditions are of a high-standard and ethical.
5. CLO Studios
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Located: Noosa and online
Known for: CLO Studio's curated furniture, fine art and homewares expertly round up a myriad of one-off and vintage pieces for the home that encapsulate the aesthetics of Bauhaus and Art Deco, to the rich and vibrant colours of Morocco – from 1960s French chairs to mosaic table settings, to antique sconces.
6. Marimekko
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Location: Multiple locations and online.
Known for: One of the most quintessential homewares and fashion brands to come out of Scandinavia, this Finnish brand has been in operation since the 1950s. In the 70 years since, it's taken the world by storm, particulary for its iconic Unikko florals, which adorn mugs, plates, cushions, blankets and just about every other thing you could hope for. Colour and minimalism are core tenets of the brand, perfect for achieving that classic Scandi-style design feel.
7. No. 22 Home
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Location: Multiple locations and online.
Known for: Modern Australian designs that make a statement; easy ways to elevate your space through tabelscaping that lights up a room. European-inspired dinnerware sets are the standout here, as well as travertine sets and Grecian tablecloths.
8. Rachel Donath
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Located: Online
Known for: Melbourne-based Rachel Donath believes the most striking spaces convey a confident expression of the personalities and people who inhabit it. They're anything but cookie cutter. Which is something that can be said about the quality furniture that's become synonymous with her name. It's objects as art. Slow furnishings. Quality pieces made in good conscience and with intention.
9. Like Butter
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Located: Online
Known for: For furniture manufactured with good conscience, scope out Melbourne based and made label, Like Butter. The product of a partnership between industrial designer Jem Selig Freeman and sculptor Laura Woodward, Like Butter problem solves when it comes to storage. Book shelves, record storage, desks, pegboards, seats, it's beloved KittaParts and more, Like Butter utilises plywood to create simple designs that are functional and hardwearing.
10. En Gold
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Located: Braeside VIC and online.
Known for: A specialty stone and marble brand that finds inspiration in midcentury design and travels. Drawing our attention initially with the instantly recognisable Arena Table, the brand has grown to now include a range of highly-coveted plinths, chairs, tableware, mirrors and more.
11. Curated Spaces
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Located: Online
Known for: Long on our list of the best vintage and secondhand furniture stores, don't go past Curated Spaces' particular selection of homewares either. There's Murano bowls and ornate French mirrors, all the sort of things that will make your space uniquely yours.
12. Pop and Scott
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Located: Northcote VIC, Forest Grove WA and online.
Known for: Dreamt up by wife and husband, Poppy Lane and Scott Gibson, in 2012, Pop and Scott has blossomed into a home for Australian made furniture that is great for the environment and looks good too. While you may recognise its velvety Dreamer lounge, Pop and Scott is also loved for its woven lampshades, sumptuous cushions and cover sets.
13. Sarah Ellison
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Located: Online
Known for: If you're a regular on Instagram, it's hard to miss the wonderful designs of interior stylist Sarah Ellison. After more than a decade as a stylist, including a seven year stint at Real Living, Sarah Ellison opened her eponymous brand in 2017 and has grown exponentially since. The FLOAT and Muse sofas, Yoko bed base and other signatures of the brand all nod to beloved design classics, yet take on a "down to earth simplicity" that Ellison recognises as distinctly Australian.
14. Mr Kitly
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Located: Brunswick VIC and online.
Known for: Functional and yet pleasing homewares that tend to have a Japaneses pedigree. Objects revolve around everyday rituals like bathing, gardening, and cooking with a host of ceramics, handmade pieces and homely knick-knacks. Looking for a unique planter, Akari lighting or practical home tools that dance the line between form and function, this is the place.
15. Jardan
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Where: Paddington NSW, Richmond VIC, Adelaide, Fortitude Valley QLD, Peppermint Grove WA and online.
Known for: A uniquely Australian brand family owned and operated since 1987. Jardan spans all categories within the home – furniture, lighting, rugs, tableware – but it carries a satisfying range of homewares, be it the Jardan designed pieces or objects from local designers and labels. Take note of its ceramics and lighting options.
16. Curvae
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Located: Online
Known for: There's something to be said of brands that have a condensed offering that's all impact. Curvae falls under this category. Beloved for its signature pleated lampshades and pendant lights, along with its Positano plates, a catchall-style piece for displaying jewellery, perfumes, beauty products, you name it.
17. Studio Mignone
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Located: Online
Known for: Even those who aren't plugged into interior trends will have glanced a Studio Mignone coffee table. Made in Adelaide, the design studio has built a reputation for its glass-topped resign-foot coffee tables arriving in all sorts of playful pastels. It's one way to attract the eye to a space.
18. Sophie Davies Interiors
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Located: Online
Known for: Having cut her teeth at Helen Green Design in Chelsea, along with both Thomas Hamel & Associates and Tamsin Johnson in Sydney, it's little surprise that Sophie Davies is a purveyor of beautiful homewares. Best known for her Twister lamps and pinched Oeuf lampshades, here's an eye you can trust.
19. Merci Maison
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Located: Online
Known for: Sydney-based Merci Maison's small-batch production and sustainable manufacturing practices blend conscious consumption with uncompromising quality. Their artful object curation and production – from furniture to lighting to contemporary objet d'art – round out their holistic offering of interior services.
20. Alex and Trahanas
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Located: Paddington NSW and online.
Known for: Tableware the evokes the feeling and sensations of a summer abroad in Europe. The everchanging collections comprise of serving platters, fruit bowls, water jugs and other hefty hand-painted ceramics hailing from Puglia. No table in Sydney is complete without a showing of Alex and Trahanas.
21. IN BED
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Located: Paddington NSW, Armadale VIC and online.
Known for: Since 2013, IN BED has fostered a reputation for being warm and welcoming, with considered products intended to elevate our homes. That journey first began with quality linens and has since evolved to include homewares; think sculptural candles from Belgian artist Ann Vincent, handmade ceramics from Soft Edge Studio, vases from Tara Burke, tableware from Commons and so much more.
22. Cadrys
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Located: Edgecliff NSW, Prahran VIC and online.
Known for: The foundation of any space, the perfect rug can completely change the aesthetic of your room – whether you're looking to reinvent your living room, formal dining, bedroom and even more so, your bathroom. Cadrys above all, recognise this fact. Head here for the rugs of your dreams.
23. Mud Australia
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Located: Double Bay, Mosman, Surry Hills, Marrickville NSW; Fitzroy and Armadale VIC; online.
Known for: Most Sydneysiders will know the Mud Australia brand. It first began in 1994 and has since grown to welcome boutiques across the country as well as overseas. For porcelain tablewares arriving in 19 shades, life is brighter with Mud arond.
24. Tigmi Trading
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Located: Byron Bay and online
Known for: Director of Tigmi Trading Danielle McEwan sources pieces from Morocco and beyond; and knows a thing or two about balancing history and modernity in a space. Based in Byron Bay, if you're in search of that unique piece that will spark joy, try Tigmi Trading first.
25. King Living
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Located: Multiple locations across Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Malaysia, Canada, China, the UK, and online
Known for: Since the late 1970s, King Living has been at the fore of Australian furniture design, a family-owned business that emphasises innovation, comfort and quality in their designs. Their Jasper and original 1977 sofas are some of their most evergreen designs; mainstays of the Aussie interior design landscape.
26. Didi & Dora
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Located: South Yarra, Melbourne and online
Known for: Unique vintage and antique items – particularly from the mid-century era, sourced and recycled from within Australia, and from around the world. Curated with an eye for unique and timelessly beautiful pieces, they also carry a range of unique art pieces to adorn your walls.
