Our Story

Our Story

Welcome to top3 by design
Some businesses sell furniture. We fall in love with it first.

top3 by design was founded in 2001 by Terri Winter, an Australian entrepreneur with an unstoppable compulsion to seek out the world's finest design and share it with people who feel the same way.

More than 24 years on, that compulsion hasn't dimmed. If anything, it's grown. And so has the team around it.What started as Terri's vision has become a collective of genuine design aficionados...people who travel to European ateliers, who know the names of the craftspeople behind the pieces, who can tell you exactly why a particular chair sits differently or why a certain stone table will only get more beautiful over time.

We are not a showroom staffed by salespeople. We are a team of design obsessives who happen to run a business.Our Sydney and Melbourne showrooms, and our online store, exist to bring exceptional European design (furniture, lighting, and objects) to an Australian audience that would otherwise have little or no access to it. Much of what we carry you simply cannot find anywhere else in this country.

That's the point.

Our Philosophy Form + Function. Sustainability. Innovation.
A concept born in Australia and, we'd like to think, unique to the world. top3 is about editing options, not limiting choice — removing the excess that falls outside our three core parameters of quality, innovation and enduring style. With excellence at its core, every piece in our collection earns its place. We believe in fostering design, not stealing it. Every product we carry is 100% authentic.


The Family behind top3

Terri Winter
Founder, Creative Director & Chief FinderTerri is the original design hunter.
Since co-founding top3 in 2001, she has spent over two decades travelling to Europe, building relationships with makers, attending Milan Design Week, sitting on international design award juries, and asking one persistent question: is this the best of its kind? Terri has been a judge on the Australian International Design Awards for nearly a decade, as well as the Design Discovery Awards in Chicago and the Spark Awards in San Francisco. She has hosted Channel 10's Australia by Design  - Innovation and Australia by Design -  Interiors, visiting some of the country's most extraordinary homes to meet the designers behind them.

But the role she takes most seriously is the one she's held since day one: the person who finds the pieces.
Terri is still the one who unpacks new arrivals in the warehouse with the energy of a kid on Christmas morning.
She is still, at times, the one answering your chat request on the website... because at top3, we are not particularly fond of virtual colleagues.

Terri's curation is guided by a simple conviction: beautiful, well-made things make life better, and the planet deserves better than disposable design.


Bernd Winter
Co-Director & The German Connection
If Terri is the eye, Bernd is the bridge.When Bernd joined top3 in a more active capacity in recent years, something shifted -  in the best possible way! Bernd brought with him deep personal connections to Europe's finest furniture manufacturers, a German sensibility for craft and precision, and a belief that some of the world's most extraordinary furniture was going largely unseen in Australia.What followed was the formation of the German Masters Collective - top3's curated portfolio of Germany's great furniture houses: Freifrau, Janua, Rolf Benz, Draenert, Moeller Design, and Bordbar.

These are not brands you generally stumble across...

They are names known to architects, interior designers, and design insiders across Europe. The result of generations of craft, exacting standards, and a refusal to compromise. Through Bernd's relationships and Terri's editorial eye, top3 now brings this collective to Australia exclusively.

It is, genuinely, furniture that would otherwise remain undiscovered here.

... and BTW - they are super proud parents of both their boys. Their youngest son, Zac is now an integral team member at top3. Recently making the move to Melbourne, he is working behind the scenes on IT and online business development, and their eldest son, Jay, is living in Switzerland, working with Red Bull.


The Team
Behind (or beside really....) Terri and Bernd is a small, close-knit team of people who share exactly the same affliction: they care too much about design to work anywhere else.

They know the collections inside out. They understand how a room works. They can help you make decisions you'll still feel good about in twenty years.
If you would like to connect with us, find Terri on Instagram or visit our showrooms in Sydney (Crows Nest) and Melbourne (Richmond).

We would love to hear what you're working on.


Our Commitment to You
At top3, authenticity is non-negotiable. Every product at top3 is original.

We foster design; we do not copy it.Our Price Promise. We offer the sharpest prices in Australia on every brand we carry. If you find a lower genuine price elsewhere, share it with us and we will match it — because we want you to be able to buy the best, not settle for less.Rewards by Design. Our membership program rewards loyalty with 5% shopping credits and complimentary standard delivery on non-bulky items. Because good design should come back to you

top3 by design is proudly Australian-owned and operated by Terri and Bernd Winter through MasterBuy Pty Ltd ABN 11 091 339 481.

Our Design Principles

"We believe in fostering design, not stealing it, so all top3 products are 100% authentic."

Terri Winter

Founder and Curator Top3 by Design,

As the co-founder, buyer and creative force behind top3 by design. Terri Winter is a wife, mother, designer and Australian entrepreneur who is fuelled by a passion to unearth the best designs on the planet and share them with a wider audience.

Entering its 19th Year, top3 is a concept born in Australia and unique to the world, top3 is about editing options, not limiting choice – reducing the excess that falls outside the top3 parameters of sustainability, quality, innovation and style. With excellence at its core, top3 ranges products that consider their impact on the planet, considering sustainability and business philosophy.

Terri believes in fostering design, not stealing it, so all top3 products are 100% authentic.

Terri believes that creative design is everywhere and works tirelessly to bring top3 fans an edited selection of the very best. She’s just like a kid on Christmas morning when new products arrive in the warehouse - spurring on the hunt for the next amazing piece to add to the top3 collection.

Terri’s eye for innovative design has made her a sought after leader and mentor in the design community. Terri has been a judge on the Australian International Design Awards for more nearly 10 years and the as well as the Design Discovery Awards in Chicago and the Spark Awards in San Francisco. Running an international award-winning business herself, Terri is passionate about the place of Awards programs for both large businesses as well as individual designers to boost recognition and understanding of their product to a wider audience.

Terri is a TV host and judge on the Channel 10 TV Series - "Australia by design - Innovation" and "Australia by Design - Interiors" where she visits some of the most extraordinary homes in the country to meet the designers and chat with them about their projects.

You can view the latest episodes here: https://www.australiabydesign.com.au/latest-episodes

Terri is married with two teenage boys (one living and studying in London) a siberian Husky named Shadow and a passion for yoga and skiing.