anaca studio: Furniture that turns a house into a home

There is nothing more homely than a house designed to suit the occupant’s personal style, and that is exactly what anaca studio is all about.

Founded and owned by French-born designer Anne-Claire Petre, the studio was born from a passion to create investment pieces designed to suit the customer or client’s vibe.

“I love people coming into the showroom and having conversations with them and finding out how they live, because that’s the best way for me to guide and help them make the right decisions for them,” Ms Petre said.

Through these conversations, Ms Petre is able to determine the right fabric for the furniture and guide them based on whether they have kids or pets, or how much time they have to look after the piece.

“It’s about more than just buying a piece of furniture, because it’s an investment piece that is made to last, so it is about making sure they really love it,” she added.

Furniture design is an area that Ms Petre has dedicated a lot of time and effort towards; after studying industrial design in Scotland, she worked in a number of furniture stores and with an interior designer.

Eventually everything fell into place and she took the plunge in 2012 by starting up anaca studio.

During this time she has gone from working out of her own home, to working out of a small Collingwood design studio and then, in 2019, to a much larger studio in West Melbourne.

Having more space means Ms Petre can really make the space feel more homely, something she picked up from European furniture studios.

“The showroom is not really set up as a retail showroom, it is more of an experience of feeling what a vibe can be at home,” she said.

While the showroom is full of stock that is for sale, mixed with some for show, Ms Petre said that she did a lot more made-to-order pieces.

“I do a lot of customisations and create bespoke pieces for clients, and of the products I have, if the standard sized products don’t work for the customers space, then I am really flexible with customising its size or shape for them,” she said.

Available from anaca studio is everything customers will need to make their space more their own; from accessories such as mirrors and coat stands or racks, to armchairs, solid timber bed frames, bedside tables, desks, coffee tables, sofas, ottomans, and much more.

Anaca studio is located at 211A Victoria St, West Melbourne, and is open Thursday and Friday from 11am to 5pm, Saturday 11am to 3pm, and closed Sunday and Monday. If these times don’t suit, appointments can also be arranged. •

For more information: anacastudio.com.au