Considered Spaces – Provider Store by Porter and Maple

With a rich history, Provider Store by Porter and Maple is an inspiring homewares shop located in the heart of Surry Hills, just outside Sydney’s CBD, selling considered and functional homewares. With additional studio at the rear, Provider Store offers spaces to create, think and consider our own approaches to the goods we buy.

Inspired by the hidden stores found in the backstreets of Japan, the client and owner of Provider Store, Tara Bennett, worked closely with Porter and Maple to establish a feeling within that is akin to stepping inside a home. Specifying that she did not want the boutique shop to feel too ‘precious’, Tara provided a brief for a space that felt lived in and encouraged people to freely explore the items. In response, Porter and Maple combined warm materials with cool tones, placing focus upon the in-store products and creating a calm and residential atmosphere.

Filled with an abundance of natural light, Provider Store is further complemented with warm timber flooring and shelving that enhance the feeling of being at home.

Filled with an abundance of natural light, Provider Store is further complemented with warm timber flooring and shelving that enhance the feeling of being at home. The selection of homeware products available have been individually chosen for the practicality they add to each space. Evoking moments of discovery as one walks through the shop, it is designed to ignite customers’ creativity and encourage them to think of the possibilities for their own homes. As such, at the rear of the store is a studio with office spaces, a coffee station and a large table for candle making, painting and drawing.

Beginning eight years ago as an idea born in Tara’s kitchen, she began Provider Store to encourage the use of slow-made homewares instead of fast fashion and products. Celebrating craftmanship, Provider Store focuses on telling the story behind each product – including how, when and where they are made. The shop inspires the thoughtful process of buying goods that will last a lifetime. Once a showroom, a bakery, a club, a strip club and a real estate agency, the store and studio space have a long history that has been reimagined for a new clientele and generation.