The everyday things deserve to be lovely too.
My mum, Bev, taught me that when I was a little girl. Thirteen years ago, I built a little shop around it.
Olivia Bennett, founder
Quilted baskets and weekend bags, printed with the things you love.
- Real people reply within about 3 hours
- Free tracked shipping Australia-wide
- 30-day returns
Maybe you're the one who...
...knows every flower in the garden by name.
See the garden prints
...would live by the beach if she could.
See the coastal prints
...would swap the city for a paddock any day.
See the country prints
...is proudly a cat person.
See the cat prints
...has a book in every room.
See the reading prints
...keeps all the family photos.
See the Tree of Life
...is always planning a little getaway.
See the weekend bagsWhoever you are, there's a print that feels like yours.
How it started
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Where it began.
Every basket in this shop started with my mum, Bev. I grew up at her kitchen table, surrounded by fabric scraps and her old biscuit tin full of cotton reels. She taught me to choose a print the way you'd choose a friend, to feel a fabric between your fingers before you trust it, and to finish every edge properly, even the ones nobody looks at.
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The first basket.
The first one I ever made was for Mum. Her plastic laundry basket had split down the side and she'd mended it with tape, twice. So I quilted her a new one from a floral print she loved. A week later her neighbour knocked on the door to ask where she'd bought it. That was the moment I thought, maybe there's something here.
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A little shop in Melbourne.
Thirteen years ago I opened a small shop with that idea and not much else. I didn't know if anyone would want a laundry basket with dogs on it, or a bag covered in wildflowers. It turned out a lot of people did.
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The women who came through the door.
The dog mums came first, looking for their breed. Then the readers, the gardeners, the beach lovers, the cat people, the sisters buying for sisters, and the nans buying for everyone. Most of them didn't come for a basket at all. They came for something that looked like them. Something they'd be happy to leave out, instead of hiding it behind the bathroom door.
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This year.
My sons, Jack and Liam, have been living in England for years now, and I'm tired of watching their lives happen through a phone screen. So I've made the biggest decision of my life. I'm closing the Melbourne shop and moving to be closer to my family.
"The everyday things deserve to be lovely too."
Bev, my mum
A note from Mum
I taught Olivia to thread a needle before she could tie her shoelaces. I never imagined she'd turn it into a shop, let alone one that people drove across town to visit. When she told me she was moving to be near the boys, I cried, and then I told her to go. Family comes first. It always has in this house.
Bev
Why you'll want to leave it out
You can see and feel the quilting.
Each design is printed in fine detail on soft quilted fabric, with the stitching running right through it.
It holds its shape.
Structured enough to stand on its own, and it folds flat when you need the space.
Lovely inside too.
A soft quilted lining and neat edges, because the inside matters as well.
There's a size for every corner.
Small 36 × 46 cm, Medium 41 × 56 cm and Large 51 × 71 cm, each made to order.
How we work now
As I close the Melbourne shop, every piece is now made to order by our production partner, in the prints I've chosen and to the same finish I've always asked for, then sent straight to your door. That's why your order may take a little longer to arrive, and why it comes from overseas with full tracking the whole way.
If you ever have a question about where your order is, write to us at info@oliviabennett-melbourne.com. A real person will reply, usually within about three hours.
How it arrives
Every order is carefully packed and sealed, and sent in our own Olivia Bennett satchel with a thank-you card inside. It might arrive a little flat from the journey. Give it a moment of shaping by hand and pop a towel inside, and it's ready.
A real person, every time
If you have a question about a size, a design or your order, you'll hear back from a real person, not a robot. We read and reply to every single email, usually within about three hours.
Write to us any time at info@oliviabennett-melbourne.com
Get in touchFrom homes all over Australia
"The colour just makes the whole corner feel less like a chore."
A customer review
Good to know
- Which size should I choose?
- The Small suits a bathroom or a child's room, the Medium a bedroom, and the Large a proper family load. If you're not sure, measure the corner it's going in.
- Where is my order sent from?
- Each piece is made to order by our production partner and sent to you from overseas, with tracking all the way.
- Will it arrive flat?
- It might arrive a little flat from the journey. Shape it by hand, add a towel or two, and it holds its shape beautifully.
- What if it's not right?
- You have 30 days to return it.
- How can I pay?
- Securely by Visa or Mastercard.
Before I go
I'm clearing out the workshop with a Moving Sale. Some of these prints won't be coming with me, and once they're gone, they're gone.
The most-loved prints
To everyone who has walked through the door, sent me a photo of their basket with a dog curled up beside it, or bought one for a sister, a daughter or a friend: thank you. You turned a little shop into something I'm very proud of.
Olivia
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