The newly open Smithmade in Balgowlah is hosting Melbourne homewares brand Pop & Scott. “We have a lot of people in Sydney who love and support us,” says Poppy Lane, co-founder of Pop & Scott.
The designs have what Lane describes as a “coastal influence and ease”.
“The way we like to live inspires what we make,” says Lane. I’m very influenced by Australian architecture from the ’50s to the ’80s and also the Australian landscape. We build furniture that suits the Australian lifestyle,” she adds.
“It was perfect timing,” says Nicole Dunbar. She and her husband David, of Manly’s Mr & Mrs Smith, are behind Smithmade. “I’ve been a follower and big fan [of Pop & Scott]. Their aesthetic is unique. They don’t have a [physical] presence in Sydney and it sat very beautifully next to the products we have.”
Pop & Scott’s bold and colourful plant pots, geometric lights and sleek timber furniture feature in Smithmade’s entrance. The editorial room-to-room set up of Smithmade is curated to show the individual aesthetics of local and international designers, and to seamlessly integrate products into the idea of a home.
Australian designers such as Dinosaur Designs, MCM House, Bonnie & Neil, Bemboka and Robert Gordon are scattered throughout the space alongside international brands including Seletti, Friends & Founders, Swedese and By Lassen. Nicole and David have also personally sourced textiles, rugs and homewares from Turkey and South East Asia for the space.
“[Smithmade is] a movement towards thoughtful and sustainable industry, it’s the idea of balance between the old and the new, design and comfort, individual and community,” says Dunbar.
The space itself is industrial, featuring concrete and timber. “Our partner, Drew Heath, is an award-winning architect. The structure was completely his vision,” says Dunbar.
Smithmade has a rotating pop-up section that showcases local designers. It also hosts events and has a kitchen, photography studio and workspace.
Pop & Scott’s pop-up will run for three months with the possibility of an extension.
Although plans for a permanent Sydney showroom are not concrete, Pop & Scott is opening one in Byron Bay in September. There are also more products in the works – a new couch, an armchair and new lighting. “It’s bloody nonstop,” Lane says laughing.
Smithmade
4/28–34 Roseberry Street, Balgowlah
(02) 9948 6459
Hours:
Mon to Sat 9.30am–5.30pm
Sun 9.30am–4pm
