A Sydney couple building a new coastal home wanted design-led furniture and real quality — without letting the budget run open-ended.
Project at a glance
- Furniture budget: $60K
- Foshan sourcing: 4 days
- Project: Five-bedroom new build
- Pieces selected: 30+
Good Taste, Real Quality, a Real Budget — All Three at Once.
- Design-Led. Every piece had to fit a defined coastal direction
- Quality Where It Counts. Upholstery, beds and outdoor pieces needed genuine construction quality
- A Ceiling, Not a Blank Check. $60K worked only with deliberate choices on customization
The project started before the flight
Emma and Josh’s new build was still a construction site when their drawings, Pinterest board, thirty-line shopping list and $60,000 budget reached us.
Before arrival, we drew the line between where customization would change daily life and where standard products were already excellent.
The sourcing strategy
At $60K the strategy is custom versus standard. The sofa was worth configuring to the room in a performance fabric. The dining table was worth sizing precisely. Side tables, most lighting and guest bedrooms could use strong standard products.
Where to customize, and where standard is enough.
- Sofa fabric and configuration
- Dining table dimensions
- Outdoor-grade materials
- Headboard and bed sizing
- Side tables and consoles
- Most lighting
- Rugs and soft furnishings
- Guest bedroom pieces
The suppliers behind the project
- Sofas and upholstery — Mid-High Upholstery Factory. Custom configurations and performance fabrics
- Dining and bedroom — Design-Led Wood Manufacturer. Contemporary profiles with solid construction
- Outdoor — Outdoor Furniture Specialist. Weather-rated materials for coastal conditions
- Soft furnishings — Textile and Rug Supplier. Coordinated rugs and curtains
What they selected
Just over thirty pieces blended custom-configured anchors with well-chosen standard products.
- Living and Outdoor ($21,400): Modular sofa, lounge chairs, coffee table, outdoor set and rug
- Dining Room ($12,600): Custom dining table, eight chairs, sideboard and pendants
- Bedrooms ($17,300): Custom beds, nightstands, dressers and soft furnishings
The decision that defined the project
A replica-style sofa looked cheaper but lacked the frame and fabric needed for coastal living. For the same budget, a factory built an original sofa with a stronger frame, performance fabric and dimensions matched to the wall.
Same budget — double the expected lifespan.
After the sourcing days
We followed production, inspected quality, coordinated export packing and timed shipping to the Sydney handover date.
“They knew exactly which factories fit our budget — and which ones to skip.”
Emma & Josh R. · Sydney, Australia
