After seven years offering bedding and furniture exclusively online, Melbourne-born design label Eva has opened its very first store!
Founded by husband and wife duo Amanda Niu and Ken Lau, Eva is a B Corp certified brand known for making quality, affordable products that are thoughtfully designed for both comfort and easy use. It all started in 2017 in a North Melbourne self-storage unit where Ken and Amanda stored inventory (and secretly used the facility’s Wi-Fi)!
With their respective backgrounds in electrical engineering and clinical neuropsychology, the couple soon found a rhythm working together that allowed their business to thrive — Ken now looks after the operations and product side of the company, while Amanda is in charge of marketing and customer service.
‘I love working with Ken everyday,’ Amanda says. ‘We’re obsessed with good design, and Eva is a fantastic outlet for us to make more good design happen.’
Following the success of its inaugural product — the signature mattress-in-a-box — Eva continued to expand. Soon, the brand came out with a range of sheets and pillows, before making a pivotal move and adding the Timber Bed Frame and other furniture to its inventory. It also grew beyond just Ken and Amanda, who now head up a team of 20!
Bringing us forward to today, the pair have just made their biggest move yet — putting down permanent bricks and mortar roots in Carlton after experimenting with various pop-up stores last year.
The new Eva Carlton House showroom is found in a heritage Victorian terrace dwelling, reflective of the brand’s mission to ‘help people feel at home’.
‘Giving our customers the opportunity to experience furniture in a home-like environment bridges this gap for those who can’t quite visualise how a product looks and feels at home,’ Amanda explains.
‘It also helps provide a space that we hope could inspire our customers — Eva is a brand for everyone so we wanted this space to be an elevated experience that people can aspire to live in.’
Upon entering the store, you’ll feel as though you’re walking into a friend’s cosy living room filled with beautiful furniture and artwork (including those from Artbank, a government initiative supporting Australian artists). This leads into a second living space, complete with a restored arch window that allows passers by to peek in from the outside!
Moving through the showroom, Eva’s bedroom furniture and linen is displayed in two snug bedrooms — one with an original fireplace which was uncovered by accident during the renovation process! The entire store truly honours the period home it inhabits and evokes a sense of belonging.
There’s nothing better than feeling at home, Amanda says. ‘We took this quite literally for our first Eva store.’
Eva Carlton House
186 Faraday Street
Carlton, VIC 3053
Wednesday to Friday 12-6pm
Saturday + Sunday 10am-6pm
