When Kinbase set out to build a mental health clinic for kids and families in the middle of Melbourne, they wanted it to feel like anything but a clinic. We were lucky enough to help bring that to life.
Meet Kinbase
Kinbase is a team-based child and adolescent mental health clinic, run by founder and child and adolescent psychiatrist Dr Ollie Robertson.
Four values guide everything Kinbase does: joy, excellence, respect and curiosity. Joy comes first, and that’s on purpose.
“I like to lead with that because we’re trying to bring joy in difficult moments for families, but also spark joy within the team and keep things feeling fun, even though the work can be quite difficult sometimes.”
Respect starts before anyone walks through the door. Kinbase recognises how hard it can be for families to find good mental health support, and the effort it takes to get there. Curiosity matters just as much. “It’s almost impossible to be a reflective person without first being curious,” says Ollie, “and reflection is a really important part of the therapeutic process.”
Two founders, one shared language
Eva co-founder Amanda Niu started out as a clinical neuropsychologist before co-founding Eva with her now husband Ken Lau in 2017. She has always believed that the spaces we live in shape how we feel. So when Ollie reached out about furnishing Kinbase, it felt like two worlds that already spoke the same language.
A sanctuary in the city
Kinbase lives in the historic Mail Exchange Building, right across from Southern Cross Station in the heart of the city.
Inside, it’s a different story. “We’ve got this beautiful, expansive space where I think we’ve been able to create a real sanctuary in the city,” says Ollie.
Inspired by a Melbourne sunset
Natural materials like timber and cork appear right through the clinic, grounding people and inviting them to engage with the space by touch.
“In psychotherapy and psychiatry, supporting people to enter a reflective mode is really important,” Ollie explains. “The colour scheme inspired by the incredible sunset sky has an ethereal quality that gets you into a state of reverie, thinking and reflecting. But it also has a link with nature.”
Why the furniture matters more than you’d think
This was the part that stayed with us. Ollie pointed out something we don’t often stop to think about: in a clinic, the furniture is often the only thing people really touch.
“They might lean on the reception desk or drink a glass of water, but it’s when they sit down on the furniture that they’re actually engaged with something physically.”
That’s why comfort and tactility mattered so much to the Kinbase team, along with working with local brands, designers and makers wherever they could. Eva already felt familiar, too. Ollie has Eva pieces at home, and he says the brand feels “very linked with the stage of life that a lot of people are in, starting or growing families, moving homes and thinking about how we structure our lives. The designs are comfortable but beautiful, and family-forward.”
The Eclipse Sofa, and a waiting room that works
The waiting room was the trickiest room to solve. The answer came while Ollie was scrolling through the Eva website at home and spotted a graphic showing the Eclipse Sofa arranged in different configurations.
“It sparked us to feel inspired about that arrangement in the waiting room, and it just works so well. You can have between four and six family groups on this sofa, but each one is in its own way distinct and separated, with their own little world going on.”
That small detail makes a big difference. “People bring a lot of expectations, worries and anxiety when they’re coming to see a mental health clinician. This arrangement not only looks beautiful, it allows people to be comfortable while also being in proximity to others.”
Inside the consultation rooms
While the Eclipse sets the tone in the foyer, the consultation rooms are where the real work happens. Here, comfort matters even more. Ollie wanted families to settle in and feel at ease, so they can open up and take part in their sessions. The team chose:
- Everyday Sofa: relaxed, comfortable seating with machine-washable covers, a practical choice for rooms that welcome kids every day.
- Slideaway Sofa Bed: our award-winning sofa bed, with cushions made from upcycled mattress offcuts.
- Hideaway Coffee Table and Hideaway Side Table: simple, considered pieces that keep a glass of water or a box of tissues within reach without crowding the room.
Each room was furnished with the same idea in mind: somewhere comfortable to land, made from materials that feel good to touch.
See it for yourself
Watch our conversation with Ollie, and find out more about Kinbase and the families they support at https://kinbase.com.au/.
A big thank you to Ollie and the whole Kinbase team for letting us be part of something that matters so much.
The full line-up
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Eclipse Sofa
Soft feather-filled cushions, deep seats and highly tactile fabrications.
Shop Eclipse -
Everyday Sofa
Easy, comfortable seating with machine-washable covers. A practical choice for a space that welcomes kids every day.
Shop Everyday -
Slideaway Sofa Bed
Our award-winning sofa bed, with cushions made from upcycled mattress offcuts.
Shop Slideaway -
Hideaway Coffee Table
A simple, considered piece that keeps everything within reach without crowding the room.
Shop coffee table -
Hideaway Side Table
A simple, considered piece that keeps everything within reach without crowding the room.
Shop side table
Each piece was chosen with the same idea in mind: somewhere comfortable to land, made from materials that feel good to touch.
