House Charm: Beci Orpin's ode to the everyday
A favourite cup. A shell from the beach. A bowl of cherry tomatoes on the bench. The small things we stop noticing are often the ones that make a house feel like home.
This spring, Melbourne artist and designer Beci Orpin moves into Eva Richmond House as our first artist in residence. Her installation, House Charm, runs from 15 October to 23 November 2026. It's an invitation to slow down and see the everyday with fresh eyes.
Beci Orpin developing the residency in her Brunswick studio
The idea
House Charm began at home. After a long stretch spent there due to illness, Beci found that everyday objects had become her greatest source of comfort and joy.
"I've had this giant appreciation for a lot of things I took for granted before."
She saw the same idea in Eva. We make everyday pieces that are functional, but can completely change how a room feels. Both of us believe home should be somewhere you want to spend time. Coming home should feel like a reset.
"Eva produces everyday objects that are functional, but can also completely change a space. Those two things felt really aligned to me."
Houses and chairs have run through Beci's work for years. In her words, she's "obsessed with home" and "really loves furniture". House Charm is where those two loves meet.
Beci customising the Eva Everyday Sofa with her House Charms artwork
What is a house charm?
A charm is a small object you keep for luck or comfort. Beci's house charms are hand-drawn symbols of home: a house, a striped teacup, a scallop shell, cherry tomatoes, swallows, a moth, oxalis leaves, a quilt-block star, a spiral, stars and flowers.
Look closely in Eva Richmond House during her residency and you'll find them everywhere. On the window. On the floor. On the curtain, the shelves and the hanging textiles. Each one is a reminder that comfort often lives in small things.
Beci Orpin's House Charms
A return to textiles
Beci trained in textiles, and House Charm is a return to her roots.
"I studied textiles. This is like going back to my roots."
Quilting, patchwork, embroidery and cross stitch, the domestic arts, run all the way through the installation. Beci has combined Eva fabrics, including our cushion linings and Everyday Sofa colours, with recycled Eva fabric and secondhand fabrics she sourced herself.
Beci sewing artwork for the residency in her Brunswick studio
Step inside Beci's world
House Charm is designed to be wandered through, touched and lingered in.
"I want it to be a beautiful place to be in and wander around. Somewhere you want to spend time."
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The window. Start your journey on Church Street. See hand-painted charms hang from the ceiling, blowing in the breeze from Eva's front doors. You'll spot an airbrushed spiral and a painted swallow filling the window above Beci's custom Everyday Sofa artwork - scan a QR code in any Eva showroom to go into the running to win the hand painted and embroidered piece.
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The stairs. Follow a trail of stars, shells and swallows up the stairs.
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The curtain. At the top, step through a sheer, hand-finished curtain printed with swallows and oxalis. It's inspired by Japanese noren, the curtains that welcome you into a space.
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The shelves. Discover oversize house charms in fabric, laser cut wood and papier mache, sitting alongside treasured objects from Beci's own home.
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The lucky dip. Reach into the House Fortune lucky dip and take home a saying or poem for luck and good vibes.
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The hanging textiles & house. Walk through layers of sheer, embellished textiles in the main space. Reach out and touch them. They're made to be felt.
Make your own Eva x Beci keychain
From late October, take a piece of House Charm home. Choose from six of Beci's embroidered house charm patches, including the house, striped teacup, scallop shell and cherry tomatoes. Then iron them onto your own cotton webbing keychain. You'll find it at Eva Richmond House, Eva Carlton House and Eva Surry Hills. More details to come... keep your eyes on our socials.
Visit House Charm
When: 15 October to 23 November 2026
Where: Eva Richmond House, 575 Church Street, Richmond VIC 3121
Cost: Free
Come and wander. Notice the small things. Then go home and notice a few more.
