Apartment Living Made Easy

In an age in where the original thought is a prized possession, Canadian designer Christopher Lu has uncovered a gap in his chosen field of expertise. Hailing from Calgary, Alberta in Canada, Lu now calls Melbourne home, which is the base for his new concept store, CLU Living. By Nicholas Sherwood.

In the current market, there isn’t much on offer between bold, statement pieces, and the cheap, cookie cutter designs. In addition, Lu realised there was something missing when he began searching for an apartment in Melbourne.“I saw an incredible opportunity out there for a lifestyle store that catered to small spaces because the current options were extremely limited to a certain Swedish mass production furniture store.”

Based on his personal experience, he began work on a collection built for small living spaces. Using local materials where he could, Lu worked with local suppliers and craftsmen on launching his twelve piece collection. “It has been an incredible experience working with local manufacturers, there is so much talent here!” Goods of this quality demand a high price bracket; but he managed to keep the final product affordable.

Both instore and online, CLU Living showcases Lu’s own work alongside designers like Jonathan Adler, Kunquad and Duende. This well curated group follows his vision that “making original designed pieces more accessible…”, means “…you can have your cake and eat it too”.