ReStory Pop-up
Inside a historic former church in Surry Hills, the ReStory pop-up by ReLove is bringing new life not only to preloved furniture, but to hundreds of families across Sydney.
Housed in iconic Sydney venue The Kirk on Cleveland Street in Surry Hills, the temporary home for ReStory is no ordinary store. This social enterprise is a vital arm of ReLove, an organisation that rescues quality furniture and homewares from landfill and donates them to individuals and families in crisis – often women and children fleeing domestic violence or people experiencing long-term homelessness.
“The concept of ReStory was born out of ReLove’s need to diversify its funding streams and ensure our sustainable growth,” says Ren Fernando, who co-founded ReLove with her friend, Ben Stammer. “ReStory was created as a social enterprise. It generates revenue by selling antique, vintage and designer furniture and homewares … 100 per cent of the proceeds directly fund ReLove’s mission of furnishing homes for people in crisis.”
With support and donations from retail, design and property sector partners such as Koala, Nick Scali, Tontine, Stockland and Living Edge, ReLove now helps about 25 families a week. In 2023-2024 alone, it supported 1,879 individuals, including 784 families and 1,180 children, with 36 per cent identifying as Indigenous.
“One hundred per cent of the proceeds directly fund ReLove’s mission of furnishing homes for people in crisis.”
The Kirk itself has been through many iterations in its nearly 150-year history – notably as the home of some of Sydney’s wildest parties – before it was acquired by the Toga Group in 2022. While Toga, a major partner of ReLove, has long-term plans for its redevelopment, the building was temporarily vacant. “We responded to an expression of interest for this ‘meanwhile use’ space,” says Fernando. “It was an incredible opportunity to demonstrate how we could be repurposing and selling high-end designer furniture to help fund the work we do.”
That furniture includes pieces such as Wilkhahn office chairs, Eames dining chairs, Jardan sofas and vintage Parker furniture, as well as a new “cushion project” that transforms deadstock designer fabrics into stylish cushions, which are also donated to ReLove clients.
“It was an incredible opportunity to demonstrate how we could be repurposing and selling high-end designer furniture to help fund the work we do.”
The stock, much of it sourced through major hotel defits – including from the Adina, Shangri-La and Novotel hotels – showcases how thoughtful reuse can have not only a social impact, but an environmental one, too. ReLove’s unique model diverts more than 1,200 tonnes of furniture from landfill annually, and with Sydney’s landfill predicted to reach capacity by 2030, the need for action is urgent.
“The scale of furniture and homewares heading to landfill is staggering – it demands a collective shift in mindset,” says Fernando. “It’s time to champion a truly sustainable design approach where ‘end of life’ becomes ‘new beginning,’ and our impact is measured by what we save not just what we create.”
Architects and designers play a key role in facing this challenge. “Can we design with the next life in mind?” she asks. “Can every project be an opportunity to consciously repurpose and donate, connecting valuable pieces with families who desperately need them? Let’s embrace what circularity in practice can mean – staying within our environmental ceiling while lifting up people who need a hand.”
The ReStory pop-up is open only in the short-term, from Thursday to Saturday at 422 Cleveland Street, Surry Hills NSW 2010.
