Meet Sue Gantner of Abode Living in Camberwell

The world of luxury bed linen has taken Sue Gantner to Europe and China, but the Abode Living store manager still finds working with her colleagues and customers the most rewarding.

Ms Gantner has managed the family-owned store in Camberwell since 1993, working with store owner Robert Adair to provide customers with high-quality bed linen, quilts, pillows and more.

One of Abode Living’s strengths has been its commitment to using premium materials and providing customers top-quality products that last.

“We source all of our fabrics from European countries like Italy and we only source silk quilts from China because the best silk comes from China,” Ms Gantner said.

Abode Living proudly makes much of its bed linen and other products from the Camberwell Rd store so that they can keep a close eye on quality.

The store is also renowned for its custom-made linen and other textiles, making it a popular destination for interior designers with specific tailoring requests.

The brand’s focus on quality materials and craftmanship has helped it stand the test of time after nearly three decades in business.

A family legacy

Owner Robert Adair started the business in 1991, however the family has shared the passion for textiles over five generations.

The family opened its first Adairs store on Chapel Street in Melbourne back in the early 1900s and soon grew to five different wholesale stores across the city.

Mr Adair eventually parted ways with the Adairs brand and started creating a new line of handcrafted luxury bed linen out of the first Abode store on Burke Rd.

The business moved into its Camberwell Rd concept store in 2000 and Mr Adair’s son, Ben, joined the business in 2005, shortly followed by Ben’s wife Amelia.

Abode Living has just entered its next stage, refreshing its image while maintaining its focus on quality.

“We’ve just finished rebranding the business, so we’ve given the store a facelift, updated our logo and just launched a new website,” Ms Gantner said.

A lesson in linen

For Ms Gantner, it has been a journey learning about fabrics, trends and colour in order to help customers make the right choice.

She has had the opportunity to attend buying trips in Europe and China and work on linen for ski lodges, yachts and private planes.

However, it has been the people that have had the biggest impact on Ms Gantner.

“We’re very lucky we have a lot of loyal customers that I’ve known since I first started and they’ve continued coming here and now their kids are here, which is amazing,” she said.

“A lot of them have become friends because we’ve known them for so many years and gotten to know their families.

“The people I work with are amazing too. We are like a big family; it’s a family business and it feels like we are part of that family here.”

Visit the store

Abode Living

331 Camberwell Rd, Camberwell

Phone: (03) 9811 7800.