New Homewares Store Fjord + Co Opens in Armadale

This afternoon we take you inside Fjord & Co., a new homewares store in Armadale, Melbourne.

With a focus on handcrafted and artisanal pieces, the welcoming space is the first bricks-and-mortar venture for friends-of-14-years and lifestyle brand founders, Anna Lofts and Tina Richards.

Written

Elle Murrell

Inside new store Fjord & Co. in Armadale, Melbourne. Styling – Toni Briggs and photography – Martina Gemmola, courtesy of Fjord & Co.

The store is the first bricks-and-mortar venture for Anna Lofts and Tina Richards, long-term friends and respective homewares brand founders. Styling – Toni Briggs and photography – Martina Gemmola, courtesy of Fjord & Co.

‘Estilo Emporio Linen, a Sydney based family company that does the best range of linen clothing from Italy,’ says Tina. Styling – Toni Briggs and photography – Martina Gemmola, courtesy of Fjord & Co.

Tina relished the process of setting up their real-world base, from finding the right location, imagining how the store would look, what it would stock and how they would brand themselves apart from their respective wholesale companies. Styling – Toni Briggs and photography – Martina Gemmola, courtesy of Fjord & Co.

In the future the duo hope to develop exclusive designs for Fjord & Co. and perhaps open a second (and third!) store. Styling – Toni Briggs and photography – Martina Gemmola, courtesy of Fjord & Co.

Writer

Elle Murrell

10th of November 2017

Originally hailing from Norway, Melbourne based Anna Lofts launched her soft furnishings label Linen & Moore (now L&M Home) in 2000. ‘It was my love of textiles that led me to pursue my dream of starting my own wholesale/importing business, developing and bringing beautiful textiles the Australian market,’ she tells. ‘I’m just as passionate about what I do now, as when I started wholesaling from my garage over 16 years ago!’

Three years into running her label, Anna met Tina Richards. Then a part-time RMIT studying interior decoration student, Tina came to work for Anna, where she learned the ropes, and later launched her own lifestyle and wholesale brand, Tribe Home, in 2011.

Between them, the pair have 22 years of experience in the homewares industry, and so were perfectly poised to team up. ‘We respect each other’s talents and are great friends, so it seemed logical to do something together,’ says Anna.

Last month saw another milestone for this dynamic duo, as they opened their first retail store, Fjord & Co, in Armadale, Melbourne. ‘Our focus is on bringing together an irresistible edit of lovingly-made homewares from around the globe, and showing how they work so well with our Australian lifestyle,’ Anna explains.

Alongside Tribe Home rugs, and cushions, napery and bedlinen by L&M Home, the co-owners highlight baskets made by an ethical women’s collective in India, and meticulously crafted bone inlay furniture from Rajasthan as favourites. Sourced closer to home, they’re mad about the Italian linen clothing from Sydney-based Estilo Emporio Linen and art by Melbourne’s Jessie Rigby.