Meet Harbro Furniture: Bold, timeless and daring to be different

“Harbro Furniture was created by my father and my uncle,” shares Director Bryce Hardy. “Back then, they came out of school not knowing what they wanted to do, until someone offered them upholstery apprenticeships. Knowing nothing about furniture manufacturing, they decided to give it a crack. My father quickly became the brains behind the furniture making, and my uncle, the guru salesman.”

In those early years, you’d find a young Bryce taking on the role of quality control, jumping in piles of foam, quickly ruling out those that wouldn’t make the cut. “As a four-year-old, I used to run around telling everyone I wanted to be a stuntman, which actually played out – but we’ll save all that for another time.”

Since returning to the family business around 16 years ago, and recently taking over the business from his father, Bryce has brought new energy to the brand. The offering has been expanded with bespoke pieces that feel fresh and uniquely Harbro, reigniting the brand’s passion that’s been around since day one – taking risks, embracing creativity and thinking differently. 

Colour, character and quality

In Harbro Furniture’s Richmond showroom, you won’t find rows of the same sofa one after another. 

“When people walk into our showroom, we want them to feel a breath of fresh air. We want them to look around and see that there’s not five white sofas, one beige and a grey, there’s a burgundy, a rust, a pink, a blue, a gold – we want people to experience something different.”

Whether it’s the colour, texture, or silhouette, everything is carefully considered and every choice reflects the Harbro difference: if it’s a ‘best-seller’ for someone else, it’s not the right fit for Harbro. 

“The world of fabrics is huge,” says Bryce. “There are a million of what we call ‘the standard’ fabrics that most brands offer, and then there are the designer options – fabrics from across the world that spark creativity and passion, and more often than not come with a hefty price tag. We have the ability to use these fabrics not only on custom pieces but on our standard designs also. When you do this, you’re effectively creating an amazing high-end piece of Australian-made furniture that rarely exists anywhere else.”

With Harbro’s custom capabilities, the possibilities are near-endless – especially compared to 50 years ago. But something that has remained unchanged over the decades is the quality of a Harbro design. 

“There are different levels of quality within every product we use to create our pieces  – webbing, foams, timber – and we always choose the best possible materials,” says Bryce. “The structure hasn’t really changed in 50 years. We know how to do it, and we know how to do it well.”

When you do this, you’re effectively creating an amazing high-end piece of Australian-made furniture that rarely exists anywhere else.

The design process: More than just looks

For close to 30 years, Harbro has been working from the same workshop in Thomastown with a small team of talented craftspeople bringing every piece to life. Down to the smallest details, no sofa, bed, ottoman or accessory is considered finished until it’s the best it can be. 

But before the team starts crafting, every design starts with an idea. 

“My first real design was our Rufus modular, and it’s by far our most popular. We’ve been making it weekly for the last eight years. I would say it is our icon – it’s what really relaunched our brand,” says Bryce, who is involved in every project. 

While Rufus is popular, not all Rufus couches are the same as the next. The colour might be different, and proportions and configuration can be customised to suit the space and maximise comfort levels for those who will be using it.

“It’s easy to design a sofa that looks how you want it to look. What’s harder is making sure it actually functions for how you live.” 

Starting with sketches, followed by CAD drawings, every detail is finetuned until it’s right. 

“We work very closely with architects, designers, and clients for their own home, to make sure we qualify exactly how they’re going to use it. We sit down with them, get an idea of the style they like, the colours, the fabrics, and then workshop exactly what they need to create the best possible product we can.”

Behind the brand’s collaborations

The brand’s celebrity collaborations have been a perfect showcase of this process. Taking a different approach to most brands – in true Harbro style – these collaborations have been more than marketing opportunities. Instead, they’re organic, personal, and based on genuine connection and appreciation. 

“It’s never been about finding someone that will purely help our brand. It needs to be with people that genuinely fall in love with our brand and love what we do.”

One collaboration that came about simply because they’d fallen in love with Harbro’s work, was with fashion designer Pip Edwards. “We reached out to Pip just to say, ‘We think you’re amazing.’ She replied, ‘Oh wow, I love your furniture. I have to have one of those pink sofas.’”

The result was a super-cool, super-pink Rufus sofa – a piece that truly matched Pip’s personality. Being one of Harbro’s first real collaborations, there was no contract or agreement, just a mutual respect and understanding that turned into a memorable moment and an ongoing partnership.

So in love with her pink sofa, the collaboration led to a second, one-off custom sofa purchased by Pip when she moved houses.

This same approach has extended to other collaborations, including comedian Celeste Barber. Some collaborations, like those with Pip and Celeste, are highly visible, while others happen quietly, away from social media.

“Every collaboration is different, but the rule is simple: the person has to be uniquely themselves and have an actual passion for our product first,” says Bryce.

This ethos makes Harbro’s collaborations feel more like friendships and extensions of the brand’s playful, character-filled personality.

It’s never been about finding someone that will purely help our brand. It needs to be with people that genuinely fall in love with our brand and love what we do.

Half a century into its journey, Harbro remains guided by the same values of quality, creativity and difference. Its soon-to-be-released Bernie modular follows this philosophy while offering something new with its refined silhouette and luxurious feather filling that matches Harbro’s renowned comfort levels.

At Harbro, design isn’t about following trends. It’s about creating bold, timeless pieces that feel uniquely yours. Whether it’s a neon pink Rufus, a deep burgundy Doug, or something entirely different, get in touch with Bryce and the team to start the creative process.