Walking into Empire furniture in Osborne Park on a mad and stressful furniture shopping frenzy, I was instantly soothed by a sense of peacefulness not found in other furniture stores I’d visited. Partly, this atmosphere was created by the natural materials such as wood and stone used in the unique furniture pieces… but something else was also responsible. It was when I sat outside in Empires courtyard café, at their former Osborne Park location, talking to design consultant Rob Marshall, that this ‘something’ became apparent. What Empire gives their customers is not a mass-market experience but personal attention in a welcoming and relaxed environment. As he shared his experiences and philosophies it was clear that he lives and breathes his work.

- Advertisement -

Rob got his break ten years ago when he was hired by Empire as their Visual Merchandiser even though he’d had no formal training. Early in his career, he worked closely with Jill Colman, whose husband owns the store. Both Rob and Jill found a like mind in one another. He becomes emotional talking about this. Jill became his mentor and a “very strong influence”. Today Rob encourages those on their shop floor who are looking to be more creatively involved in the interiors industry. He says “Our philosophy at Empire is to include everyone. It’s great to get the young ones involved.”

Rob is inspired by stone, light and architecture. One of the things he loves to do is to walk around the city looking at new buildings and to take these ideas back to residencies, giving them “a more urban feel”. Two years into his career with Empire, he began to get more involved with individual clients, visiting their homes to give them personal advice. This is the work that he is focusing on at Empire’s newly reinvented store on Roberts Road in Subiaco. While he is working with his own private clientele, he is still based at Empire’s store and works closely with their merchandise; a situation he describes as “win-win”. Rob also regularly works over East for clients and just finished the fit out of a shoe store in Melbourne. Luckily, there’s little danger that we’ll lose him to the East side. Although he admits our city is quiet, this is also what he loves about Perth. With his open, passionate personality and his fresh, urban style, we are lucky to have him.

***