A Warm Welcome at Casa Noosa
From their craftsmen in Bali to their customers in store, Casa Noosa knows the importance of fostering personal connections. Georgia Beard discovers that it family is at the heart of everything they do.
As an icon of coastal design, Casa Noosa has earned a reputation for their handpicked and personal approach to styling homes. When working with the interior designer’s private label, LOFT, relationships are the priority in every production stage – from the early sketches to the finished piece.
When Lauren Rasnake and Sam Sidhu purchased the business over a year ago, LOFT came with it as an exclusive furniture brand. Now the couple have taken charge to customise pieces with their clients in mind.
From benches to bar stools to laybacks, LOFT’s staple seating is created for comfort and easy maintenance. Lauren calls the dining chairs ‘long dinner chairs’, as the cushioning lets you settle in and linger at the table.
Using split woven rattan, each strand is individually whitewashed, handwoven together, sealed and mounted on fabric for durability. The cushioning is then set in a frame of Javanese teak.
The Casa Noosa team collaborates with craftsmen in Bali during the design process, sharing ideas and sketches and testing samples. Since international travel reopened, Lauren and Sam can now visit the Balinese workshops to connect with woodcarvers, leatherworkers and rattan weavers.
“We’re working with the local economy there as opposed to the big names and exporters,” Lauren said.
“If we’re going to bring these beautiful creations out of an area like Bali, it needs to be done in a way that’s not exploiting the local artistry and creating a cheap product for mass production.
“There’s a personal connection to each piece, the creation and the process, which is really important to us.”
Lauren and Sam have such close ties to their artisanal communities, they can tell you the names of workers who handcrafted certain pieces. It’s the same familial relationship they want to create with customers in store.
“I was raised in the Southern US, where southern hospitality is truly a thing. You want everyone to always feel welcome and feel at home,” Lauren said.
“That’s what we’re trying to create with this space – a place where people come not just to pick out furniture, but to work with us to help create the experience they want in their home.
“We have a conversation, build a relationship and we listen to what our customers are looking for. That helps dictate some of what we order and what we create.”
LOFT’s recent range, The Michele Collection, is named after Lauren’s mother.
“She’s a stylist and interior designer in the US. She’s able to take pieces that are already in someone’s house and put them together in a way that makes it home.
“This particular collection shows all the balance of who she is – beautiful, delicate, but strong.”
As Lauren and Sam design furniture for longevity, The Michele Collection couldn’t be more ideal. It weaves together the best of Casa Noosa – their support for local artisans, their commitment to customer experience and their love of family.
