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Koala: The Home of Thoughtful Design
Once just synonymous with market-leading mattresses, Koala is also now the home of thoughtfully designed furniture that’s the perfect fit for the laid-back Australian lifestyle.
Koala made its debut in 2015 with a single mattress-in-a-box offering that promised not only incredible comfort but came with impeccable sustainability credentials – and an affordable price tag. The company, started by Mitch Taylor and Dany Milham from their Byron Bay base, found a receptive market, and expanded its range of mattresses to four, including a new model, the Luxe. But producing award-winning mattresses was just the beginning of the Koala story: the duo wanted to disrupt the Australian furniture landscape and change the way items were manufactured and delivered, with the end result being better quality products for consumers at a more attainable price point. It was a natural progression, then, for Koala to enter the furniture market and so, in 2018, the company introduced the Lounging sofa.
Koala’s expansive range now includes beds, bed linen, pillows, desks, chairs, ottomans, tables, storage options, sofas and sofa beds, the work of a design team of 30, led by Alexandra Owen and James Whitta, who came to the brand from IKEA, where they created several successful lines. “Koala began with a simple idea – to disrupt the Australian furniture industry by removing all the unnecessary waste in the manufacturing process,” Alexandra says. “Now we’re a whole-of-home furniture creator whose design philosophy reflects and embodies the needs and ideals of modern Australian life.” That philosophy has been recognised with nine Australian Good Design Awards for pieces including the Stunner sofa bed and Getaway sofa, both winners in 2023.
There’s a word that seems to sum up Koala’s approach – thoughtful. “Thoughtful design is at the heart of what we do,” says James. “Every element is designed from the ground up to exacting standards, enabling us to minimise waste, cut out the middleman and reduce the product’s impact on the environment. This means we can create beautiful, high-quality and thoughtful furniture experiences delivered at a fraction of the price of store-based equivalents – democratising good living for Australians.”
The design team, based in both Sydney and Byron, take their inspiration from multiple aspects of Australian life: the landscape, people, lifestyle, art and our homes, with bywords like relaxed, unpretentious, natural and straight-up part of their design language. “We take inspiration from every part of Australian life and transform that into products which reflect the needs and ideals of Australians,” says James. “And we’re exporting that concept to the world, selling a slice of uniquely modern and progressive Australia into homes from Tokyo to San Francisco.”
Alexandra and James’s innovation-led approach is embodied in pieces like the Kirribilli bed base, winner of a 2024 Product of the Year nod in the Consumer Survey of Product Innovation and part of a wider range that includes a coffee table, bookshelf, console and side table. Then there’s the Beauty sofa bed, an elegant and durable three-seater that features deep seats, a Kloudcell® topper and integrated storage, and available in six statement hues.
At the heart of the brand is an unwavering commitment to the planet. Koala is a member of 1% for the Planet (companies contribute at least 1 per cent of their revenue to environmental causes), is B Corp certified, has a partnership with WWF whereby Koala makes a donation from most product sales (some $3 million has been given since 2017), and uses only FSC timber and wool that’s certified by the Responsible Wool Standard. Through the Koala Second Home program, the company refurbishes and sells mattresses and furniture that are returned under the 120-day trial policy for a significantly reduced price.
As to the future, Koala has “a significant roadmap of products that solve real customer problems, are high quality, durable, sustainable and ethical and, ultimately, deliver a considered furniture experience for a fairer price,” Alexandra says. “It’s all part of our belief that thoughtfully designed furniture can deliver joy and beauty to everyone.”
Design by the Koala design team.
