Built from the ground up, Hub Furniture is a contemporary furniture design store showcasing high-end furniture and lighting from across Europe in Australia. With almost nine years under their belt, they’ve grown from a small independent showroom to a large, national company, with the headquarters in the city and a sister showroom in Surry Hills, Sydney.
With furniture by MDF Italia, Tecta, Objeckto and Bedont, sitting with lighting from Atellani & Smith, Bocci and Next Home, Hub’s is a platform for a diverse range of highly-curated pieces from small producers and desirable international designers.
We chat with director Jacqueline Foti-Lowe, about what Hub is, where it’s going and why, for her, choosing a favourite piece of furniture is like choosing a favourite child.
Tell us about Hub?
I guess if we had to give a two-word answer, Hub is a ‘furniture store’. If we had a few more words we would tell you it's about the most beautiful things we can find from around the world...and as long as it is original, well made and of a design that touches our sensibility, it is worth the effort required to make it available in Australia. Often we support quite small productions that lift the spirits and that sit wonderfully well next to products that are the result of international designers working through companies of the scale of Moroso or Molteni. It's really one of the best parts of the job - to curate an edited collection of the most inspiring things we find.
You stock a strong range European furniture, but tell us about the Australian designers.
We would love to do more Australian products. My husband, Andrew has his own company, Lowe Furniture that we represent and that sells exceptionally well. Another Australian brand with that level of quality and design integrity would be a most welcome addition to the stable in the furniture category. Aludean deliver the best quality and design screens I think I've seen anywhere. We have great pieces from Tim Collins and of course Australian accessories have had a place with us from the beginning: Bemboka, Lightly, Luna Gallery. Perhaps one of the nicest additions has been the photographic artwork of Australian artist Sue Knight and photographer Trevor Mein.
What's your favourite new piece in the Melbourne showroom at the moment?
Favourite piece? Impossible! Like asking if you have a favourite child! I could tell you about the limited edition John Pawson benches that we have...the last ones of the edition of 100 available in the world.
Hub has grown quite quickly over the last few years. What’s the plan for Hub? Where are you headed?
Certainly I don’t think we want to become a bigger store for the sake of being bigger – doing the same thing but on a larger scale. We are always thinking about which idea or dream we should pursue next. Whilst that heartbeat is very much a part of our culture, I think we are at a time within the business where, with about 35 staff and consistent growth, that we need to reaffirm our benchmarks so that the standards we have delivered over the past 8-10 years aren't compromised by the scale of what we have become.
Hubfurniture.com.au
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