At the beginning of November, Northern Beaches lifestyle boutique Hearth Co opened its second store at 108 Queen Street, Woollahra, bringing its signature blend of handmade objects, fashion, art and thoughtful design to one of Sydney’s most beloved shopping villages.
Founded by Nina Hearne, the brand has grown from its origins in Palm Beach to its heart in Avalon, and now expands into the city with a space that feels both elevated and deeply personal.
For Nina, the decision to open in Woollahra was shaped by a mix of intuition, community and lived experience. Having called the neighbourhood home many years ago and with her daughter now living there, the move felt, in many ways, like a homecoming. But the appeal of Queen Street runs deeper than nostalgia. Many of Hearth Co’s long-standing Palm Beach customers live in the east, making the brand’s arrival feel familiar rather than new. “Woollahra felt like a natural evolution, an elevated, more urban expression of Hearth Co,” Nina says. “Queen Street has this rare, almost European charm, quietly elegant, deeply local, unpretentious and unhurried.”
It is this slower rhythm where people wander without urgency, taking time to look, touch and connect, that makes the village so aligned with Hearth Co’s ethos of narrative, materiality and timeless design.
From Coastal Origins to an Urban Evolution
Hearth Co’s story began in Palm Beach, where what started as an online platform became a tactile, sensory retail experience. It was there that Nina discovered the essence of the brand. Customers needed to feel the textiles, hold the ceramics, understand the spirit imbued in handmade objects. The freedom and bohemian energy of the surf side location allowed the brand to refine its aesthetic without noise or scrutiny.
Avalon, though just minutes away, shaped Hearth Co differently. A true village with a loyal and varied audience, it introduced the brand to new locals and design wanderers alike. Its mix of community, creativity and coastal rhythm further grounded Hearth Co’s sensibility.
The move to Woollahra represents a continuation of that journey, but with a refined point of view. “Queen Street will bring an elevated, more urban expression of Hearth Co, the city counterpart to our relaxed, beachside store,” Nina explains. This evolution is reflected not only in the store design but also in the curation, which feels more architectural and polished while staying rooted in slow production and provenance.
A Boutique Rooted in Craft, Provenance and Quiet Luxury
The Woollahra boutique champions the values that have always defined Hearth Co, small-batch production, responsibly sourced materials and pieces made by hand. The roster of designers includes a mix of returning favourites and new discoveries. Parisian fine jewellery label 5 Octobre brings its delicate, poetic pieces, Berlin’s Maiami returns with its beloved hand knits, New Zealand’s Laing offers elevated everyday essentials and Melbourne designer Natalie Begg introduces luxurious silks and lace.
The store also debuts AKYN, the new purpose-driven womenswear label by Amy Powney (formerly of Mother of Pearl), making Hearth Co the only Australian stockist. The brand’s verifiable green credentials and refined craftsmanship resonate strongly with the Woollahra audience.
Accessories are complemented by silk scarves from Elwyn New York and LeScarf Sweden, while the home edit includes sculptural ceramics by Melinda Tualima and photographic works by Maya Vidulich. It’s a collection grounded in rarity, not in exclusivity, but in the natural scarcity of handmade work. “You’re buying the maker’s time and process,” Nina says. “That’s the luxury.”
A Contemporary Store with an Old-World Spirit
Stepping inside the Queen Street store feels like entering a quiet atelier, minimal but warm, restrained but luminous. Colour-drenched walls, raw oak flooring, antique chandeliers and heritage ceiling roses set the tone for a space that encourages slow movement and close attention.
Through an archway lies a second, dynamic room designed for pop-ups, workshops and an interior designer in residence. It reflects the brand’s commitment not just to selling beautiful things, but to fostering creative community and dialogue.
The atmosphere is one of intentionality. Every detail is chosen to invite presence, “It’s the kind of space where you instinctively lower your voice and slow your step because everything feels considered,” Nina says.
A Network of Makers with Shared Values
The makers represented in the Woollahra store share a common thread, a deep respect for slowness, material integrity and human touch. Many work in small studios, crafting pieces that resist repetition. Orders are often handmade and arrive when ready. “Sometimes I forget myself when I’m excited to get a delivery in store,” Nina says. “But I’m quickly reminded, these pieces are handmade to order. They can’t be rushed.”
Discovery remains one of Nina’s great pleasures. It often begins with an image, a conversation, a recommendation from one artisan to another. During her decade living abroad and as a lifestyle editor in New York and Singapore she encountered emerging designers and independent brands that inspired her to build Hearth Co as a place where craft, narrative and materiality could converge.
Stores such as ABC Carpet & Home, Warm, and Love Adorned were formative influences. Their ability to mix old and new, to create an art-led retail experience, helped shape the DNA of Hearth Co.
Quiet Luxury Defined Through Touch
For Nina, quiet luxury is first a feeling, found in the weight of a handwoven textile, the texture of unglazed clay, or the way a piece of jewellery sits against the skin. It’s luxury that whispers. It lives in the rarity of pieces made slowly, sometimes over months, like Melinda Tualima’s raku-fired vessels, which may survive only after several attempts.
At Hearth Co, quiet luxury comes through in the materiality of pieces, the integrity of the makers, and the curation itself, an invitation to live with fewer, better things.
A Space for Discovery and Stillness
For those stepping into the Woollahra boutique, Nina hopes for a moment of quiet discovery. A sense of having stepped out of the noise. The pleasure of touching a handmade object, the surprise of a new maker, the ease of slipping into a coat that feels instantly familiar. “If someone says, ‘I’ve never seen anything like this,’ that’s the best compliment.”
Looking Forward
The Woollahra store is not the beginning of a rapid retail rollout. It is a deepening and sharpening of Hearth Co’s identity and values. Growth will come, but in the same way the brand sources thoughtfully, carefully and without rushing.
Woollahra already feels like a natural alignment. The neighbourhood’s understated elegance, familiar rhythms and appreciation for simple, enduring beauty echo the world Hearth Co is creating.
The Festive Season
As Christmas approaches, the store is stocked with meaningful, tactile gifts, sculptural ceramics, hand-carved wooden spoons, fine jewellery, silk scarves, fragrances, candles, linen towels and Italian-made Koh-I-Noor brushes. Hearth Co will participate in Woollahra Village’s late-night shopping on November 27, complete with champagne, canapés and an entry in the beloved annual Christmas window competition.
