Steph Lane and Holly Thompson both live with their kids in a two-bedroom rental in Melbourne’s north-eastern suburbs. 

“Our home is pretty classic Australian mid-century architecture,” explains Steph. The interiors have floor-to-ceiling windows with exposed wooden panelling and green carpet front-to-back. “There are a number of similar homes in the area, it feels so nice to step inside and feel like we are transported back in time.”Together, Steph and Holly run Goodspace, a small business and digital platform that sources vintage furniture and collectible objects. “Our business was born out of a love for interiors, sustainability and also the need to create a way for us to both be self-employed,” explains Steph. You can find everything from sofas, coffee tables, and bed-heads to lamps, Moroccan rugs, and side tables in their ever-growing collection.

“A big thing for us was creating a pathway to vintage furniture for people who may not have known how to access those types of pieces,” says Holly. As an entrepreneurial duo, they wanted to cut through an industry that was typically exclusive and attached to high price points to offer something more accessible. “It was about helping people figure out how to source pieces they were seeing in magaines or online, and feel like it was something they could own for themselves.”Holly and Steph have grown their online following from 3,000 to over 50,000 during a series of Covid lockdowns in the last two years. “For us, creating the aesthetic of Goodspace is a real start-to-finish creative process,” says Holly. “We choose things we love; we restyle pieces, we rework them, we photograph them, we publish the content. The growth of our business came from people feeling that they could replicate what we were creating within their own homes as well.”

“A perk of running a second-hand furniture business means that most of the items in our home are sustainably sourced,” says Holly. “Sometimes it feels like a revolving door of furniture, but it is always fun to do a re-style of our space.”Their most-loved piece of furniture in their own home? Rattan Cesca dining chairs. “They were originally around in the ’70s,” explains Steph. “Back in the day, they were quite cheap everyday furniture. Now, they’re quite rare and highly sought after. My mum looks at them whenever she visits and she laughs because they're the chairs we had in our house as kids.”Both women have morning rituals to help set the tone for the rest of the day. For Holly, this means sitting outside in the sun, making time for a careful skincare routine, and going on a nature walk does the trick. For Steph, a sense of accomplishment means a big cup of coffee and a Pilates class. When spending time indoors, Steph and Holly both use Natural State room sprays. It helps keep the house smelling fresh and calming for clients who do furniture pick-ups. The scent of frangipani and coconut also reminds their kids of being at the beach and spending time in the ocean. For both women, running Goodspace has opened up an opportunity to do things on their own terms. “Our business was born out of wanting to spend more time with our children because we’re both single parents,” explains Steph. “It was almost out of necessity: needing to work harder, earn an income, look after our kids. Sometimes it’s hard but the flexibility of working for yourself has been great.” The silver lining? “Having a really strong community of family and friends – some of who are also small business owners – around us,” says Holly. “We all work together to make sure everybody’s succeeding. Everyone’s there to help us out when we need each other.”

This lovely interview and home tour was brought to you in partnership with Natural State, a sustainable home fragrance range and personal care range available exclusively at Woolworths. Take a peek at Natural State’s full range of plant-based, cruelty-free and vegan products.