When Home is Sundays...

At Home with Marnie Goding of Elk Accessories

Marnie Goding and her husband Adam are the couple behind the Elk accessories label. Running their own successful business also means working long hours – most weeks six days – and travelling to source new materials and emerging trends regularly.



The result of all this time away from home is that their home has become a refuge: their ‘Sunday House’.

‘Sunday for us is our day off. We make sure we always have time to ourselves on this last day of the week to recuperate and gather our wits. I am a winter girl and our house, even though it’s tiny, is very cosy. My favourite place is the lounge, it is open plan with the kitchen combined and a big open fire in the middle. We call it our perfect Sunday house!’



The couple built the house 10 years ago with the help of Adam’s father and uncle. ‘It took ages but was worth the wait. It is a small, white weatherboard cottage in inner Melbourne. The living spaces overlook a small courtyard which we have planted with ornamental cherry trees and magnolias.’



Originally built as an investment, Marnie and Adam gave themselves a time frame of five years before they moved again. ‘Needless to say after 10 years we are still here. It is hard to imagine leaving now - we just couldn’t imagine being anywhere better. As it was built for investment purposes we didn't go into the detail I would now if we were building again so 10 years on we need to make some changes. Our feelings changed from a business to an emotional attachment. There has been a lot happen in our little house and other than more family members coming along we will be here for a while yet!’

It is not just the physical building that gives Marnie her sense of home, but rather a combination of elements, ‘Our house is not formal and is full of photos and souvenirs from our travels. It means that anyone who visits feels a part of our home; they can sit with their feet up and become part of our environment. It is so important for us that guests feel comfortable and not like they are intruding. Nothing is precious in our home either so we always welcome dogs and kids!’



Their Elk Winter 2010 collection is called ‘Sunday’ and the idea for it came from spending a weekend at a friend’s ‘Sunday House’ in the country. Says Marnie: ‘The perfect day is spent beside the fire with the weekend papers and yummy breakfast; you can’t get any better than that!’

Overall, Marnie and Adam’s aesthetic at home and in their designs is about comfort and practicality. ‘We never design anything that is impractical and makes everyone feel comfortable but stylish. I suppose this is the same with our home, it is practical yet comfortable and little bit stylish!’



As city dwellers, Marnie feels that their designs and ideas are influenced by the ‘culture and community that surrounds home’.

‘We like to have fun with what we make and typically we consider the type of people who live around us - we ask would they wear what we are making? We have a great local following and a loyal fan base so we design with them in mind. The area we live in is not flashy but full of creative people with a great food scene and emerging music community.’



For more information about Elk Accessories and to view their collection (the latest being Away We Go Spring / Summer range), visit here

Elk Accessories
395 Plenty road,
Preston
Victoria 3072
Australia

Monday - Friday 10am -6pm
Saturday: 10am - 4pm

All pictures © Marnie Goding