This year we celebrate 15 years in business and have put together a three part retrospective on the history of Life, an evolution in furniture, and a conversation with our founders. This is part one, the story of our journey so far, a reflection on pivotal moments in our brand history and a nostalgic look back on the fun we've had along the way.
2006 ~ Back when it all began…
Life Interiors first hit the furniture market via eBay in 2006, sourcing and importing quality replica furniture from overseas. Working out of the family garage as a team of 3 placing orders, serving customers, and growing organically, Life Interiors started from humble beginnings. With a passion for furniture and providing quality products to everyday Australians, this ethos remains unchanged today.
Our first warehouse was a container yard, and our first showroom in Pyrmont!2009 ~ Our first store!
In 2009, we opened our first retail studio located in Pyrmont, Sydney. This was the first opportunity for Life to engage in person with our customers, and the beginnings of our community. Our first team members were hired, and the origins of a brand were formed with a focus on modern mid-century inspired furniture.
Our first photo shoot!
2011 ~ We made a pivot…
Times were changing in the furniture industry, Life Interiors started its journey by selling replica furniture, but we soon realised that it was time for our next step. Our team spent months studying the market and deciding what direction we wanted to follow, and the answer became very clear, selling original designer furniture, and we have never looked back! We will deep dive into our product journey in part two of our 15 year celebration feature.
Expanding into our Waterloo showroom in 2012.
2012 ~ We outgrew Pyrmont…
After gaining momentum and a larger loyal following of like-minded furniture fans, we had outgrown our compact studio and opened our doors in Waterloo. This new and vast warehouse location gave us the opportunity to showcase our full product range and start to establish a styling personality.
We put our stamp on our Alexandria space!
2014 ~ Things got serious.
Our next move was to our Alexandria space which, after a stylish fit-out, became our headquarters with our behind-the-scenes team and showroom space combined in 200 sqm of interiors inspiration. It was in this space that our tribe of brand partners began to take shape, and we became proud stockists of a range of Australian brands, supporting rising design talent and local businesses. Offering our customers the ease of shopping for furniture and homewares for every room in the house in one place, we did the hard work so you didn’t have to.
It was during our time as Alexandria that we forged our long-time collaboration with Citizens of Style, the photography and styling duo Lynden Foss, and Tahnee Machuca. We have shot all our lookbook imagery together ever since, creating a library of style inspiration.
In 2016 we opened our doors for our Victorian friends in Melbourne!2016 ~ Hello Melbourne!
Having shipped Australia-wide from the beginning, we wanted to connect face to face with our loyal customer base in Victoria and expanded to Melbourne! The result was a second light-filled store in Abbotsford, and a base to showcase our products and allow in-person shopping and style advice for our Victorian friends. Our team down there has established a great relationship with the community, and embodies that understated Melbourne sense of style.
We settled in Lilyfield in 2017 and have been here ever since...2017 ~ And here we are…
Our latest move was setting up our refined flagship Sydney showroom in Lilyfield, with our head office team taking the other half of the space and an expanding team on both sides working together to build our continually evolving Life brand. We settled in well, with our styling services, customer care, product collections, and digital presence all stepping up to provide you with that next level of experience.
Alongside every business when COVID-19 hit in 2020 we had to navigate unprecedented challenges and approach the last two years with our best foot forward, and are lucky to have a team with a shared belief in what we are trying to achieve and an entrepreneurial spirit that has kept us flexible to change and very, fortunately, thriving to tell the tale.
Behind the scenes at our most recent shoots.
Throughout it all, our purpose has always been to provide designer furniture at an affordable price, for everyone and every space, with a service to match.
We are always excited to meet you in person, so please drop in any day of the week in our Lilyfield and Abbotsford showrooms or book a one-to-one style consult for a bespoke experience. For those who are further afield discover inspiration and our full collection online and give us a call if you want to chat, we love to hear from you.
We are forever grateful to our customers old and new for choosing to invest in us and trusting us with the task of making your house a home.
Here’s to another 15 years!
Love Life x
P.s. We wouldn't have come this far without having a little fun along the way...
