“Online is a given, bricks and mortar is nice to have, pop-up is a great brand exercise – and curated is king.” This is the mantra of trendsetters in Melbourne who are intensely involved in retail development. And seriously: Everyone has a website, stores are well and good, and everyone thinks pop-up stores are funny. What is also true: It’s much easier today than one or two years ago to run across stores where the products are presented like small works of art. Ensembles that mix items from various product groups in a way that make you think of a gallery of hip ‘must-have’ objects. Bicycle seats next to English tea sets and brand-name scarves that colour-complement the silk-screen poster on the wall behind. When concept stores present completely different product types as an integrate whole, customers perceive the individual items differently. Curating does not mean just placing or arranging prettily. It’s about setting the stage for the merchandise in such a way that it inspires and shows how it can be added into rooms and homes and environments.