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An Update from Apparentt
A lot has changed for furniture brand Apparentt over the past five years, as the husband-and-wife duo behind the company made big moves, both geographically and in terms of diversifying their offerings.
Elliot and Louise Gorham, the husband-and-wife duo behind furniture brand Apparentt, started the company in a small studio in the inner-city Melbourne suburb of Richmond in 2016. But then they made a bold move – relocating their young family and entire furniture design and manufacturing operation to Yackandandah in north-east Victoria in 2019. Since then, they have built and set up a timber product manufacturing facility and established two exciting new ventures.
The move was a major but necessary shift for the couple. “We wanted more space for the workplace and just in general,” says Louise. “We were also after more of a work-life balance, which I think is a constant struggle for people running their own business.” Despite never having been to Yackandandah, they immediately fell in love with the little town after finding the perfect commercial property there. As well as having more room to manufacture, the change in setting also led to greater creativity. “It’s picturesque up here,” says Elliot. “You’ve got the space to be really creative, we can make larger-scale products, can prototype things and have the room to store them … and the fresh air and connection with nature give you a calmer mindset.”
Moving to a small regional town, it was important for Elliot and Louise to connect with industry locals in the area, which led to the inception of the timber-oriented Steel Road Custom Furniture. “We wanted to work with local people and offer a custom service, and through that we’ve been able to connect with local architects, interior designers and residential clients,” says Elliot.
Once settled into their new life, Elliot also started nurturing his steam-bending skills and the couple have since launched Steam Benders Australia. One of a handful of commercial steam benders in Australia, the business was a natural progression from designing and making the Esteem chair, launched by Apparentt in 2018. “We had more room and I had an interest in bettering myself at steam bending, so we just started doing it,” notes Elliot. “I think there’s a real magic about it and we are really excited to keep incorporating steam-bent details into Apparentt designs as well.”
While the success of Steel Road and Steam Benders has kept the couple busy since relocating, they are now shifting attention back to their main passion – Apparentt. “It’s taken us five years to build up the property to the point that we are really happy with it, the custom furniture business is well established and we’ve got a really good team, so we’re in this sweet spot where we thought, ‘Okay, we’re ready and have the time, energy and space to put love back into Apparentt and design some new products,’” says Louise.
They have recently launched a new website along with a range of new furniture designs. The new Metro collection includes a chair and dining table, and the pieces incorporate features like stackability and steam-bent backrests, with a focus on comfort. This is the first time the brand has included dining tables as part of a collection. “Our range has expanded in terms of the number of products, and we’re now doing bigger items as well,” notes Elliot.
Considering the couple’s continuing evolution alongside the growth of Apparentt, the next eight years are set to be equally as exciting for them and their business ventures.
Furniture by Apparentt. Steam bending by Steam Benders Australia. Custom furniture by Steel Road Custom Furniture.
