Natural Floors Melbourne co-owner Rachel Gill has always loved natural flooring. She is passionate about the look, feel and flexibility of the products in homes and businesses and the way it interacts with interiors of all styles.

Rachel owns and operates the business with her husband Andrew, who is also a partner in a Melbourne advertising agency. Prior to launching their own business Rachel was the Victorian agent for Natural Floors Adelaide, a longstanding company started by Rachel’s brother. 

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Launched in 2019, Kay & Burton’s Concierge is a curated network of qualified professionals, skilled-and-reliable tradespeople and creative talent to meet all their clients' property-related needs.

WILLIAMS MEDIA spoke with Rachel and Andrew about their natural flooring business and their partnership with Kay & Burton Concierge.

What was your inspiration to start Natural Floors Melbourne?

We started the business as our own entity in 2016. Since then, it has grown enormously, mainly because Rachel loves the product and is renowned for connecting with clients at all levels and understanding their needs for both wall-to-wall products and bespoke rugs. 

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What attracted you to join Kay & Burton Concierge’s team of trusted referral partners?

Because of its diversity, natural flooring continues to grow in popularity. It is suitable for city-based homes, farm houses and beach houses, and with the variety of properties Kay & Burton represent, their client base is the perfect fit for Natural Floors Melbourne. 

We have installed flooring in many homes that have been sold by Kay & Burton or who have used the Kay & Burton Concierge services previously. It is an exciting, integrated offering from Kay & Burton that complements the Natural Floors product line.

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What makes Natural Floors Melbourne different?

We are a family business with Rachel ‘on the road’ while I do all the back end operations such as finance, marketing and supplier negotiations. Even our four boys contribute on the odd occasion by delivering rugs, moving furniture for installs or helping installer Eddie lift heavy rolls up and down stairs!

Natural Floors Melbourne does not have a showroom, we prefer to make home visits with samples so that clients can see the product against their own furniture and colour schemes. Sometimes clients come to our home to see samples as well as see jute rugs and sisal installed throughout the house.

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We have both visited our overseas suppliers to see exactly how the products are made, which forges excellent relationships as well as giving us the opportunity to see new product designs that might not have reached the Australian market.

As we are fully involved in the ordering, warehousing, delivery and installation of the natural flooring range, we have complete control of quality and service. Importantly, our installer Eddie, who has been with us from the beginning, has the specialist installation skills needed to install natural flooring.

With the current focus on sustainability have you noticed an increased interest in homes wanting to use natural flooring?

With the huge shift in product perception, the uptake of natural flooring has grown increasingly popular due to the extensive range of products now available to suit all settings, be it business, beach, city or country homes. The sustainability of the products, along with its contemporary look, has also contributed to its success. All our installations use a recycled, sustainable underlay.

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What are the benefits of jute, sisal, sea grass and coir compared to traditional floor coverings?

Each of the products within the range have differing benefits, for instance, sisal does not track from foot traffic and they are all versatile as they go with any style of décor or design whether modern or traditional and importantly, look fantastic! They offer a unique look and feel that is now very much on-trend.

Which product is the most popular with your clients?

The business has a really good mix of both wall-to-wall and bespoke rugs. It is very difficult to pinpoint which product is more popular as it depends on individual style. The ability to get a rug made to exactly fit your room or requirements with the edging of your choice is a great benefit of the product. This flexibility has become extremely popular with clients.

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What is the most interesting brief you’ve been given by a client? Did you take on the project?

We have been asked to quote on many interesting projects over the years, with the stand-out being the client who wanted sisal on their walls and ceilings! We didn’t take on that project for a myriad of reasons, but mainly because mounting sisal onto the celling became a logistical nightmare, fortunately the client changed their mind!

What have been your most memorable projects?

Most of our projects are memorable in some form – we love working with individual clients as each brings a different perspective to what they need in regard to natural flooring.  We have completed major projects such as installing sisal into all the bedrooms, staircase and foyer at the Portsea Hotel, some large Melbourne homes, and plenty of farm and beach houses. 

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One of our most enjoyable projects was for an old bank building in the main street of Hay. This came right in the middle of COVID-19, so we had to find a locally based installer due to border closures. The beautiful old bank is now transformed into a luxurious B&B, 'The Bank Bed and Breakfast' with the elegant and historical features bringing the sisal to life in the rooms and staircases. It is a truly beautiful place to stay.

We also provided the jute rugs at the luxurious Mt Mulligan Lodge, amazing boutique accommodation in outback QLD. Our jute rugs look superb in all of the lodge bedrooms and create additional texture to a stunning environment and location.

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What is something that would surprise our readers about you both? 

As well as operating Natural Floors Melbourne, Rachel is a Director of a family pastoral business, The Mutooroo Pastoral Company, with sheep stations in north-east SA. As a board member she has a hands-on role within the company as well as managing a graduate program with Marcus Oldham Agricultural College encouraging students to take up roles during their placement year.  

Where do you live now, and where would you live if you could live anywhere in the world?

Although we both grew up in South Australia, we have lived in Melbourne and other places for over 29 years. One of the happiest places we go is Kangaroo Island, which we have been visiting for over 45 years and is where we spend our summer holidays fishing, swimming and relaxing with family and friends.

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