What happens when two dreamers connect over a shared love for art and culture? The answer is Koh Living, a brand born from passion, resilience, and a vision to celebrate the spirit of Australia through meaningful gifts.
I'm Tui Cordemans, co-founder of Koh Living, can I tell you our story?
2004: THE EARLY YEARS
This picture was taken the night we decided to start a business! Nyree and I were best friends travelling, and it was on this night in Bangkok we met a lady who introduced us to her business travelling the world looking for unique and interesting products to bring back to Australia. We thought this was great idea, which was aligned to our highest values of travel, fun and connecting with people.
The first product we purchased was hand-carved candles, and the second was candle holders, which we initially sold at the Queen Victoria Market (QVM) market in Melbourne:
Five years later marked the start of our official wholesale business, and trade fairs became a regular event:
We started exhibiting in Australia:
2012: We celebrated the opening of the first dedicated Koh Living warehouse...
...which coincided with the arrival of the first Koh Living baby!
Shortly after we set up our own shop in Mornington which we enjoyed enormously until Covid had other ideas...
2020: THE NEXT CHAPTER
We moved to our new (and current) warehouse and have since celebrated the arrival of the 2nd Koh Living baby (not so little anymore)!
Our range at the time consisted of Australiana, and a collaborative partnership with Australia's much loved artist Anna Blatman.
2021: We launched the first of our Aboriginal Collections: 'Dreamtime Stories' in collaboration with Kathleen Buzzacott
2022-2024: We launched 5 more Aboriginal Collections:
Sacred Country, Under the Sea, Kinship, Beautiful Journey, and Dreamtime Symphony
2025: THE PRESENT DAY
We are proud to say we have further evolved into Australia’s leading provider of unique, high-quality and 100% Aboriginal Art gifts
It's incredible to think that a single wild night in a Bangkok bar led us here. By September this year, we'll be working with a total of 13 Aboriginal artists, with a significant % of gifts made in Australia, all to celebrate and preserve Indigenous cultures through exquisite art-inspired gifts.
We are so grateful, and this wouldn't have been possible without, YOU!
We are excited for the future. The impact we can make together to recognise and celebrate the cultural significance of Aboriginal Art, and make sure the stories are kept alive is enormous.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT