an told Inside Retail. Inside Retail sat down with Justin to go through what it takes to set up a Hommey store and how his team approaches every facet of bricks-and-mortar retail. “What really excites me about this move is how perfectly it aligns with our northside customer base, Kestelman said. “These folks really know their stuff when it comes to interiors – they’re considered, knowledgeable, and have a deep appreciation for quality, which mirrors exactly what we stand for at Hommey,” he added.  Location, location, location It was Kestelman’s weekends spent working on the South Yarra shop floor that tipped him off to where Hommey’s latest store should be. “We had customers regularly making the trek from across the river – and if you’re from Melbourne, you know that’s no small commitment,” Kestelman shared. “This got me curious, so I dove into our Victorian customer database.” To Kestelman’s surprise, 40 per cent of Hommey’s online customers were from Melbourne’s inner north – areas like Fitzroy, Collingwood, Brunswick, Clifton Hills and Carlton. “So the mission became clear: Find the perfect spot and create something special – a space that feels like a home away from home for our northside community,” Kestelman said. The success of Hommey’s 60sqm South Yarra space and 140sqm Armadale space gave the team confidence to secure a storefront in Fitzroy. A layout fit for success  Hommey’s Fitzroy store offers a shopping experience where product and customer journey are merged seamlessly. Kestelman was intentional about making sure the store’s design pulled customers into the brand experience. “Warm timbers, lush carpeting, and tactile surfaces create a cosy and inviting atmosphere, while playful forms and soft curves, balanced by gloss finishes add an element of fun, reflecting the Hommey brand spirit at heart,” Kestelman detailed. “While the space is highly layered and textural, the finishes have been thoughtfully chosen to complement the bold, textile-driven offering of Hommey products.” Every corner of the store is designed with the intention of sparking a sense of discovery and encouraging customers to play, explore, touch and curate.  Nailing the tech stack Hommey has built out its retail technology around Shopify POS across all its locations, to ensure customers have a unified experience across its physical and digital channels. “This integration gives our staff immediate access to customer histories – purchases, exchanges, returns – with just a few taps,” Kestelman said. This is something retailers are increasingly investing in to provide customers with a seamless experience across every touchpoint. “By consolidating our technology ecosystem, we’ve eliminated the learning curve associated with multiple systems, allowing our team to focus on customer interactions rather than navigating complex software,” Kestelman elaborated.  It’s all in the packaging Kestelman is a self-proclaimed ‘brand guy’ so it’s only fitting that he treats Hommey’s packaging as a powerful extension of the brand experience that will be carried out beyond the store walls. “In today’s sustainability-conscious world, we’ve transformed this touchpoint into something meaningful by designing our ‘packaging’ as versatile, reusable products that functionally integrate into our customers’ daily lives,” Kestelman explained. “This approach allows our brand to live in their homes while aligning with our environmental values. It’s where thoughtful design meets purpose, turning what would be waste into something both beautiful and useful,” Kestelman added. Merchandising is storytelling Hommey approaches visual merchandising as an opportunity for integrated storytelling, creating memorable, eye-catching moments across all of its channels. “Our visual merchandisers have a cohesive narrative that weaves seamlessly among digital, physical, and offline touchpoints – key to communicating new collections with clarity and impact,” Hommey has earned a reputation for driving interior trends with its contradictory aesthetic that is somehow vibrant yet subdued and maximalist yet minimalist. “We embrace a culture of creative experimentation, constantly testing concepts and refining our approach while thinking beyond conventional retail presentation,” Kestelman stated. It is this company culture and brand identity that Kestelman credits for the creation of iconic installations, including the display of its sleepwear collection suspended above beds of moss and flowers. A visual merchandising moment that Kestelman refers to as, “a sensory tableau that evokes the collection’s restful, cozy essence”. Fail to train, prepare to fail Hommey has designed its training program around the core pillars that form the foundation of its retail experience: people and product. The ‘product pillar’ focuses on giving staff technical expertise to understand everything from garment construction to mastering colour theory and Hommey’s art of merchandising across categories. “This deep product knowledge enables our team to provide expert guidance and styling advice,” Kestelman elaborated. The ‘people skills pillar’ focuses on training staff to deliver exceptional customer experiences. “We believe retail’s true value lies in creating warm, approachable and knowledgeable interactions,” Kestelman said. Hommey promotes and upskills staff to maintain this standard through training evenings, role-playing scenarios and remaining open to constructive feedback. “This environment of continuous improvement helps us maintain a distinctly superior in-store experience that sets us apart from competitors,” Kestelman added. A showroom within a store Hommey’s new Fitzroy store is the perfect space to roll out new products and the perfect environment to introduce customers to its latest Versa collection. “We’ve thoughtfully integrated it alongside complementary ranges like our towels and robes, creating contextual vignettes that illustrate how Versa naturally fits within the broader Hommey lifestyle,” Kestelman explained. The new retail space also features an interactive window display that showcases the collection’s reversible nature – a key innovation we wanted to highlight. “This installation invites passers-by to witness the transformation between sides, while inside, we’ve created multiple touchpoints that encourage customers to discover and engage with the products’ versatility firsthand,” Kestelman added.