What does comfort mean to us in modern day terms? Comfort can represent many things to different people – from sentimentality to stability; the term is made meaningful by objects of provenance, or spaces that speak to our innate sense of identity. It can also be expressed through our quest for luxury or, conversely, simplicity. One thing is for certain, there is something in the ritual and use of an object or space that is deeply intertwined with a sense of comfort. And KFive understands this better than most.

Last Friday, in the midst of the record-breaking Melbourne Art Fair (MAF), KFive, led by CEO Erna Walsh, held a special event celebrating 25 years in business. Comprising an in-conversation that explored the emotional and cultural territories of comfort, the event invited speakers and audiences alike to consider ideas of comfort through lenses of humanity, sentimentality, history and legacy.

The event took place within the enchanting surrounds of the VIP Lounge, designed and presented by Broached Commissions for the 2026 MAF. Attendees were invited to step away from the thrum of the MAF stands, and venture into the lounge, where fields of flowers and foliage lent a cooling, refuge-like quality to the secluded space. Within, Broached Commissions had created a living archive of women artists whose works render the natural world as both scientific inquiry and emotional landscape. Among those works on show were living floral installations by Hattie Molloy, and sculptural furniture pieces by Australian designer Helen Kontouris, custom upholstered and supplied by KFive.

Erna, with her deep appreciation for artistic expression, expert understanding of good design, and generous spirit, welcomed more than 100 of KFive’s most valued clients, friends and stakeholders. The breadth of people present, combined with Broached Commissions’ oasis-like lounge, and the human-centred topic of comfort, highlighted everything that KFive has come to represent within the Australian industry.

Related: Australian architect heads to Europe for waste materials research

Stories of comfort, provenance, memory

The live conversation drew together comfort-speakers and -seekers including host and design editor Alice Blackwood, KFive’s Erna Walsh, designer Helen Kontouris, Broached Commissions’ Lou Weis and Lincoln Perdrisat and Dr Lisa Dethridge – a systems thinker, designer, author and media producer working at the intersection of arts and science.

Erna spoke of reflections and rituals, referencing her years spent living in Finland where quiet forest walks filled with soft light on water and the silence between trees shaped her sense of beauty and idea of home. She held up her ash wood August Industry stool, designed by Aamu Song and Johan Olin for Nikari: a treasured, highly serviceable object that has come to represent Erna’s time living in Finland, discovering a lifelong love of ash wood, simplicity and the calm, essential beauty of nature.

Helen opened her hand to reveal a round, time-smoothed stone, which represents for her weight, steadiness and a sense of being settled. Helen also spoke to the sense of ease she experiences as she enters a flow state of design and ideas development – a state in which she feels most herself, and ease symbolises serenity, happiness, accomplishment.

As digital communication and technology pervade every facet of our lives, Dr Lisa spoke to the comfort of her sit-to-stand desk, and its ability to support the body and mind as we transition into an almost constant state of digital engagement. Meanwhile Lou drew down on the provenance of inherited knowledge and objects, sharing his love of his grandparents’ winged lounge chair – a piece that has followed him from childhood and which he, in turn, has carried into adulthood and parenthood.

Lincoln’s own experience of comfort is grounded in his childhood household, filled with inherited objects and furniture, many dating back to the late 19^th century. While lounging wasn’t often an option on these pieces, Lincoln spoke to the spatial and environmental qualities that made his home spaces feel comfortable, and fed his early fascination with furniture, design and interiors. Today Lincoln is an architect and designer.

Heritage, craft, and care for the future: the KFive legacy

As KFive embarks on a year of 25^th anniversary celebrations, Erna speaks to the quietly enduring, future focused nature of the KFive collection. “It has been shaped with care for people and for the planet,” she says. “I choose to work with brands whose values mirror my own, with sustainable and ethical production, true craftsmanship and products made to last, supported by circular thinking that keeps materials in use for as long as possible.”

Having lived in many countries, dwelling within the cultures and traditions of Japan, Germany, Sweden, Finland and Australia, Erna has developed an expert eye for heritage and craft. “From all of these places I have learnt that good design is modest, human and closely connected to nature: honest materials, careful construction and a calm, timeless character that supports the architecture rather than competing with it.”

It’s a legacy in the making and one which will bring many shades of comfort to those lucky enough to experience the furnishings, objects and spaces shaped by KFive and Erna’s expert eye.

Stay tuned for more 25^th anniversary celebrations from KFive.

KFive
kfive.com.au

Photography
Courtesy of KFive