Luxury Living

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IN THE 1980S, PAUL SPON-SMITH OPENED MR SMITH’S INTERIORS ON CONDAMINE STREET, BALGOWLAH. HE THEN WENT ON TO LAUNCH THE ICONIC, COCO REPUBLIC. NOW, 40 YEARS LATER, AUSTRALIA’S MOST COVETED HOMEWARES BRAND HAS OPENED A SUPERSTORE ON THE NORTHERN BEACHES. WELCOME TO COCO REPUBLIC, BALGOWLAH, WHERE A WORLD OF ELEGANCE AWAITS YOU.

If you’ve been dreaming of a homewares store that delivers luxury lifestyle without having to leave the Beaches, we’re happy to tell you it’s here.

Coco Republic, one of Australia and New Zealand’s leading furniture and design brands, launched its brand-new superstore on Hayes Street, Balgowlah in October. Set on 2650m2, the threestorey supersite and L’Americano Espresso Bar, designed by award winning Architects, is set to revolutionise luxury retail in Australia.

“My favourite part of the new Balgowlah store is the sheer scale of the showroom which enables us to portray the whole Coco Republic collection,” says Coco Republic’s Co-CEO and Chief Creative Offi cer, Anthony Spon-Smith.

“The showroom has been designed in a way that allows easy fl ow for the customer, and due to the scale of the showroom, all our collections are beautifully presented. I also like the new L’Americano café. With its scale and design, it is one of the best cafés we have launched in Australia.”

Family owned and operated, Coco Republic has been helping clients curate breathtaking interiors and exceptional outdoor spaces for over 40 years.

Inside the new Balgowlah store, customers are calmly transported into an interior oasis, complete with a homewares gallery, rug gallery and outdoor furniture gallery, plus a private dining room for events. And for those wanting to inject Coco’s unique interior design expertise into their home, there are dedicated design labs. “We have separate meeting rooms for our interior design service, where our interior design team can meet with clients and create a bespoke interiors plan tailored to refreshing the interiors of their home,” he adds.

CLASSIC AND CONTEMPORARY

Coco Republic has maintained its presence as an industry leader, innovating to deliver an ecosystem of furniture, homewares, and design that fuels a passion for the home that’s unique within the industry worldwide.

“The heritage is woven into the fabric of the company, offering not only sophisticated attention to detail but ground-breaking innovation combined with the fi nest craftsmanship and quality,” explains Anthony.

An in-house team led by Anthony SponSmith designs and procures classic and contemporary pieces that stand the test of time. The brand offers elegant and modern designs along with superior comfort, immaculate furnishings, and bold and beautiful statement collections for inside and outside the home.

“We launch two main furniture and homewares collections, in store and online, each year - Summer and Winter. Plus, we release one main outdoor furniture collection in September/ October. We also have smaller homewares collections including lighting, art, mirrors, rugs, pots and planters, décor, books and more,” he says.

The Summer 2022 Collection channels the collective spirit of the California desert. Inspired by cool minimalism and a wind sculpted landscape, it creates a palette lending itself to the creation of light and fresh interiors, encompassing heroic yet subtle pieces.

“Creating simple furniture design is not easy; to me it is a process of elimination, taking away just enough to end up with an honest piece that resonates with you and just works. I am proud to have achieved this within our new Summer Collection.

“The combination of natural elements, colours and raw materials juxtaposed with stronger aesthetics like marble work so well. You will see natural fabrics, timber and rattan and dry tonal minimalistic designs,” adds Anthony.

Whether you’re after a sofa or accent chairs, dining table, sunlounges or fi re accessories, Coco Republic ticks every box to relax throughout summer in style.

“Simply put, outdoor furniture curates a way of living. My goal always is to design outdoor furniture that collaborates with and improves the architecture of the home providing an inviting exterior that moulds the way you live.”

Coco Republic have showrooms in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Gold Coast, Perth, Canberra, and Auckland and the group recently announced that they will be setting up stores in California. But for now, the fl agship showroom in Balgowlah is just the home we need.

“This really is a coming home for the business in many ways. Also, given the beautiful coastal homes and the way of living on the Northern Beaches, we felt the brand and collections as they are now were very relevant.”

Welcome home, Coco Republic. We couldn’t agree more.

“The sheer scale of the showroom enables us to portray the whole Coco Republic collection.” Anthony Spon-Smith

L’Americano Espresso Bar, located next door to the new Coco Republic superstore in Balgowlah would not look out of place on 5th Avenue.

Its modern Italian menu and artisanal coffee transports guests to the Italian Riviera and features standout dishes such as Fresh Cut Fettucine and Salsiccia. Paired with a glass of Borolo or a classic Negroni from the cocktail list makes for a sensational lunch date.

If shopping is more your fl avour for the day, grab a coffee and a fresh house-made pastry before you pop next door.

The stunning interiors, based upon the iconic 90’s movie, The Talented Mr Ripley, also houses a private dining experience, seating 12 and offering a separate bespoke menu.

L’Americano Espresso Bar is open 7 days a week from 7.30am till 3pm and 9am till 4pm on weekends.

See www.lamericano.com.au for more.