Natural beauty. We all know the name, En Gold is the specialty stone and marble brand founded by husband and wife team, Steffanie and Matt Ball. At only two years old, En Gold was created after the duo were inspired by vintage, mid-century and modern pieces from their global travels.
From originally selling one of a kind vintage wares, Steffanie and Matt evolved to then releasing their own range of highly coveted plinths, coffee tables and more. Based in Melbourne and shipping worldwide, En Gold sources natural marble and stone from all over the world, including Turkey, Italy and Spain. Paired back, unique and timeless pieces to last a lifetime. Here we chat with Steffanie Ball on new collection releases, simple updates for your home and navigating a business through a time of global unrest.
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Tell us about your brand…
En Gold is a specialty natural stone furniture and wares brand. Inspired by the naturally occurring beauty of marble and stone, our designs are purposefully pared back allowing the unique variations of the stone tell its own story. We are based in Melbourne, but sell online and now ship worldwide.
You recently released a new collection, talk us through the selection of pieces…
Yes! Our previous collection was very pared back and neutral so I felt inspired to create a collection that explored shape with a bolder selection of stone. We source natural marble and stone from all over the world, including Turkey, Italy and Spain. Our goal was to offer a sculptural element whilst embracing the organic beauty found in the materials.
How did you find the transition from selling curated vintage wares to now your own range of specialised pieces? Was this a natural progression?
This transition was a very organic progression. Coming from a design background, the pull to create a collection of my own was undeniable. I could also gauge the interest from my engaged audience from selling vintage pieces. Our vintage collections would sell out very quickly, followed by enquiries around popular styles, so I could get a clear understanding of what my customers wanted to see more of.
I also recognized a gap in the market for design driven, high quality, marble and stone furniture at an attainable price point. I wanted everyone to have the option to have beautifully crafted and curated pieces in their homes.
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At only 2 years old, En Gold has curated an intimate world of furniture, artworks and homewares. Did you expect to expand and grow so quickly?
Not at all! En Gold began when I was on Maternity leave from my career in Interior Architecture and Design. I never expected that it would expand to where it is today.
The whole evolution of the brand has been a very organic process, there was never any ‘plan’ put in place and most of my decisions have been made off ‘gut feeling’- I have always felt like the business was steering the ship and I was just along for the ride!
As we all spend more time in our homes, what are some simple ways people can update and refresh their spaces?
Simple updates can completely transform a room; replacing key pieces like your coffee table, dining table, sofa or rug can change the entire feel of a room. Also – never underestimate a fresh coat of paint or changing your artwork. You don’t always need to spend a lot to refresh your space!
My second tip is to try not to get overwhelmed with what ‘style’ you want to achieve. It’s so easy to get overwhelmed. Pick one key piece you love, e.g. your coffee table, and build off that: always using that piece as your anchor.
When furnishing your home try to select a palette that flows throughout, it doesn’t have to all match but you then have the flexibility to move pieces from different rooms and work them into other spaces within your home.
How have you found navigating your business through this time of global unrest?
We have been very fortunate to have found some really positive outcomes during such uneasy times. With people spending time at home there has been more of an interest in creating a comfortable space. This fortunately has coincided with us releasing 2 new collections, which have been well received.
Supporting small business in times like these makes such a huge impact, there’s a chain reaction. Through the support we have received we have been able to generate jobs and continue to work with our local suppliers.
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What have been some of the biggest challenges and positive outcomes from this experience?
Our biggest challenges would be working with our global supply chain. Different countries have been affected in varying levels of severity. For example, our marble supplier in Italy sadly closed down due to the sever impact the country experienced. This caused discontinued source of some of our stones, which we had to navigate around along with our customers.
What do you appreciate the most right now?
I appreciate so many things but if I had to pick one thing I would say I appreciate my 3-month-old baby who was born during a pandemic, which happened to coincide during a time of growth for our brand. He is calming, easy going and a little ray of sunshine. I literally wouldn’t be able to achieve half of the things I do in my day if he wasn’t the way he was!
My hopes and dreams for the future are…
To continue growing the brand and expanding our collections. Our brand is young and I’m bursting at the seams with ideas and designs.
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For more ways to update your home, be sure to see our guide on creative homewares or our curation of RUSSH approved artists and artworks.
