Shop: Coastal Drift

In the heart of Currumbin on the Gold Coast, a vibrant family business is making waves with its unique blend of African furniture and décor. Coastal Drift celebrates the craftsmanship of local artisans and aims to bring the beauty of Malawi Cane and other handcrafted treasures to Australia, all while uplifting the communities behind these creations. Their story is one of connection, creativity, and a commitment to sustainable living, ensuring that each piece resonates with warmth and authenticity.

Traditional Counter / Bar Stool with Brass/Copper Feet

Tell us about your yourselves?

A true family business, we are a niece and aunty duo who are passionate about bringing the best of African furniture, décor and lifestyle pieces to Australia. Regan has lived in Africa for the past 18 years, working with artisans in product development, with Georgia adeptly taking on the customer service role after running her own small business for several years.

Where are you based?

In beautiful Currumbin on the gorgeous Gold Coast!

Tell us about your business and how it started?

Regan’s passion for artisan homewares began while living in Africa, experiencing firsthand not only the beauty and skilled workmanship involved in making these pieces, but also the incredible impact it has on the makers and their quality of life. When the opportunity arose to take over Coastal Drift, the exclusive distributor of Malawi Cane furniture in Australia, we jumped at the chance to represent this stunning brand, as well as introducing new and unique African brands not seen yet in Australia.

Have you implemented any community-based initiatives or partnerships?

We work with the best weaving artisans in Malawi, an impoverished East African country, who rely heavily on the income from crafting these beautiful pieces. We also work with small-scale artisanal collectives such as Eden Found, Tribal Textiles, Coral + Hive, Bouganvillea Café, Natural Selection, Mungo, Crates of Beauty, Weev and more who all emphasise supporting African makers in traditional and contemporary crafts.

Who and what inspires you?

Having personal relationships with our makers, their families and their communities, we’re inspired by these artisans who create beauty with their skilled hands, sometimes in the face of so much adversity and hardship. That drives us every day to make sure their beautiful products are seen and loved.

What do you love about your work?

We love seeing our pieces in people’s homes, and how beautifully it suits our Australian environment. For us, it’s all about that moment when a client feels, sees and falls in love with the beauty of our handcrafted items in person; in that moment we know they will never go back to mass produced, cookie cutter and poor-quality décor with no heart or soul!

How has your personal taste and style influenced the products and aesthetic of Coastal Drift?

We’re so lucky to be able to work with so many different makers in Africa, so we have had so much fun seeking out colourful textiles, soft furnishings and custom colour treatments into our Malawi Cane furniture. While we are big fans of the coastal palette, we also love colour so it’s been great to add more variety to our range. We’ve also worked with makers to add more pendant lighting styles. We took the opportunity to completely rebrand at the start of 2024 when we launched our gorgeous new website, with a beautiful new logo more representative of our style and taste and to celebrate the start of our family venture, and we couldn’t be happier!

What’s next for Coastal Drift

Look our for some incredible new lighting, handcrafted gorgeous jewellery and traditionally floor loomed natural fibre blankets, just to name a few! We’re concentrating on keeping our favourite pieces in stock to reduce lead time for our clients. Small business has been a bumpy road for the last few years but we’re optimistic about the future, with so many consumers wanting sustainable, natural and beautiful pieces for their home. With the rise of the conscious consumer who realises how much positive change they can bring just by choosing to support small, celebrate authentic and bypass the big corporates – not to mention how much more they will love their homes – we’re excited to be able to bring more unique and beautiful items to Australia in the coming years.