Quality furniture made to last the ages

Molmic’s high-end furniture is made to order at its factory in Airport West.

At a time when furniture showrooms are flooded with low-cost, questionable-quality, here-today-landfill-tomorrow stock, the folk at Molmic in Melbourne are busy turning out what might best be described as an oldschool alternative: durable, handmade, built-to-last sofas and chairs.

Sure, the bespoke Molmic items might cost a bit more but there is a 10-year warranty on each item – and the company believes the quality of its materials and workmanship means Molmic furniture will last not just one but several decades.

Molmic is closing in on its 40th anniversary, having been founded by Molly and Mic McMahon in Melbourne in 1987.

The second generation of the ‘‘Molmic’’ family is represented by the couple’s four children, Anna, Alex, Anthony and John, all of whom now work in the business.

It’s been an interesting few years for the company. Molmic has ridden a surge of demand through the COVID-19 pandemic when there was much less competition for discretionary household spending.

“Interestingly, we feel our significant competition is not just the less expensive furniture imported from China and elsewhere but from outside the industry – in tourism, automotive and sport,” says national sales manager Nick Greenwood.

“The purchase of quality upholstered furniture is in the same realm, we think, as a family holiday to Bali or a top-end road bicycle, or a new set of golf clubs, or a luxury handbag – or even an upgrade on your next car.

“During COVID, no one could travel, or play golf, or go on long bike rides ... so we saw a lot of people spend their money on home furnishings and things like beautiful sofas ... quality products that are built to last.”

Molmic supplies high-end upholstered furniture to both retail and A&D (architects and designers) markets nationally and boasts a catalogue of over 100 ranges. Its furniture is made entirely at its Melbourne factory in Airport West, to client order.

Greenwood says it is the quality of design, engineering, componentry and craftsmanship which sets Molmic apart from its competitors.

While every Molmic piece is visually enticing, comfort and longevity are essential to the company’s value-for-money proposition, he says.

“We need to provide product that will perform for decades,’’ Greenwood says. ‘‘And I’m reminded that our MD, Molly, will not introduce a range that she wouldn’t take home herself.”

There is a fourth component, relating to the environment. By building furniture in its own backyard, and not shipping it in – a method which is not eco-friendly – Molmic is determined to remain environmentally responsible and sustainable.

Some of the 70-plus staff have been with the company since its inception, but finding and developing the next generation of skilled framers, cutters, sewers, upholsterers and designers has not proven easy.

“While we’re staffed up now, we don’t have enough on our team under the age of 40,’’ Greenwood says. ‘‘We find that not many kids say, ‘We want to be an upholsterer or we want to sew fabrics.’ So, that’s our big next challenge for the future.”