Family-owned Australian furniture supplier Fanuli enlisted interior design studio RIZEN Atelier to revive its South Yarra showroom in Melbourne.

To celebrate 10 years since opening the doors to its Melbourne flagship store, Fanuli set out to refresh it with a new look that showcased its Australian- and Italian-made collections – one that balanced its legacy of Italian artistry with a contemporary identity.

RIZEN Atelier director Bradhly Le says his team has delivered a design “in sync” with the brand’s evolution.

An identity refresh

Reflecting Fanuli’s brand identity was at the heart of his team’s redesign of the existing “moody” space, Le says.

“It was important to refresh and bring a little bit of excitement back [to the space] for the staff, but also to bring excitement back into the identity of Fanuli,” he says.

According to Le, the business has changed quite a bit in 10 years.

“The Sydney showroom was recently done, and it was important that the Melbourne showroom have its own Melbourne identity,” he says. The new showroom also had to “excite the staff again” and entice clients with something new.

Raw materiality and warm elements

Described by Le as “raw in its shell”, the core infrastructure was left exposed against a backdrop of perforated mesh and blackened steel.

Having created a different ceiling for the space, Le says it was essential to ensure consistency with the “exposed surfaces and the dark, moody tones” throughout the design.

With key elements handmade in Italy, the incorporation of natural stone, walnut timber and tinted glass was integral to the refined timelessness of the space.

“The original finishes were still quite warm… so  we brought that walnut in to work well with the nice, dark tones, and then we also brought in brass and brown marble to give more shine, essentially giving it more reflexivity,” Le says.

“We took a lot of the white out in the palette and darkened that as well to draw attention back to the new reception desk and also let the furniture speak for itself,” he says.

Intentional moments of surprise

More than just a run-of-the-mill furniture showroom, the space’s spatial programming creates a restrained ‘canvas’ for the products to sit within, while also offering moments of surprise. With a limited view of Fanuli’s offerings from the street, patrons are presented with a ‘stadium-like’ arrival that conjures a sense of openness and discovery.

Despite the site’s pre-existing spatial limitations, Le says it was crucial to create intentional divisions without it “all being revealed”.  

“As you move through, you get glimpses of other spaces through the perforation, through the furniture setting, through the screening,” he explains. “Creating that unexpected delight in such a compact space was key.”

Considerations for staff 

The redesign also harmonised the curated showcase of products with a workable space for staff. 

“That sense of timelessness and durability was important, but also the sense of staff enjoyment was crucial,” Le says. 

The design needed intentional spaces for privacy and retreat to cater for staff needs. To ensure this, the new reception desk serves as a divisional delineation between the retail staff and the showroom itself to prioritise a sense of privacy and workability.

“We wanted them to feel proud to come to work every day,” Le says. “It’s a space that reflects the brand of Fanuli and as a result of that, it reflects the passion [of] staff working in that environment.”

Related: Read our interview with Bradhly Le about the genesis of RIZEN Atelier in 2024.