When husband-and-wife duo Matt and Steffanie Ball first began buying and selling vintage furniture several years ago, there was one distinctive material they kept coming across. After digging around online, they discovered that it was a natural fossil stone native to the island of Cebu in Steffanie’s home country of the Philippines.

Steffanie learned that while many furniture manufacturers working with the stone had closed, a single factory remained. Now based in Cebu, she works with the factory to produce pieces exclusively for her furniture brand, En Gold.

The Melbourne-founded business recently marked its fifth anniversary by opening its first bricks-and-mortar store, located on High Street in Armadale. Steffanie, originally a stylist and commercial interior designer, created a haven of neutral tones and organic textures. “You can smell our signature scent, we’ve got chilled music on and – visually – it’s not loud or over-styled,” Steffanie tells Broadsheet. “It’s a sensory experience – it’s meant to be quite pared back and calming.”

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Steffanie designs all En Gold pieces, balancing a contemporary aesthetic with traditional Filipino artistry. Expect statement coffee tables, plinths, desks, chests, dining tables and more. The pieces come in a range of natural shades, including smoky white, grey, golden moreno and rose. “A lot of the brands surrounding us [on High Street] embrace European design, but we have Southeast Asian roots in our collection,” she says. “And [the pieces] are not made with big machinery or anything – we stay true to the origins of the craft.”

Alongside En Gold’s signature collection, you’ll find prints from two local Australian artists, Sureen Gouws and Denise Quah, as well as ceramics and candles from local and international suppliers. Organic Turkish cotton towels and other bathroom essentials from En Gold’s sister brand, Yoli, are also on offer. “What everything has in common is that it’s all created with a beautiful story,” Steffanie says.

En Gold
Shop 2/946 High Street, Armadale
03 7009 0990

Hours:
Mon to Wed: 9am–5pm
Thu to Sat: 10am–6pm

engold.com.au
@en._gold