Natalie Norman has a lot of experience when it comes to the world of snooze-worthy comfort. 

It comes from growing up in the Turner family, which owns Sleepyhead, the largest bedding and foam manufacturer in Australasia, as well as almost a decade working for The Comfort Group, the company behind Sleepyhead.

This passion for comfort drove Norman to found Millo, a luxury lounger range made from recycled Sleepyhead foam offcuts.

Norman describes Millo as luxurious loungers the furniture world hasn’t quite seen before. The lounger comes in three different sizes, compresses so it’s easy to move around and looks as stylish in a bougie lounge as it does in the kids' bedroom.

“The big picture to me is that it's fully 360 degrees,” she says. 

“We're using offcuts that we'll take back at the end of the furniture's life to turn them into carpet underlay – and no one else is doing that.

“It's a real selling point to us.”

It was during her 10-year tenure at The Comfort Group that she spotted a gap in the market for furniture that offered the comfort of a beanbag but was more versatile, sustainable and stylish.

“And there was a product just sitting there that needed to be made into something,” she says.

Her business turns Sleepyhead’s foam offcuts into comfortable seats, footstools and cushions.

“It felt like there was a great opportunity to give someone a piece of furniture that they felt could be changeable and movable and just ultra-comfortable and something a bit different.”

Millo rhymes with pillow, and the inspiration for the name came from a holiday she spent with her husband at the Milo Hotel in Santa Barbara in 2003.

“It was such an amazing holiday, and the name always gave me good memories,” Norman says. 

“When we were trying to think of a name, Millo aligned.”

Millo is Norman’s third business, but the first that isn’t strongly female-orientated. Her first two businesses were Growbright baby cot mattresses and By Natalie luxury sleepwear.

“With Millo, we’re not just selling to women, we’re selling to everybody and have to get to know that market,” she tells BusinessDesk.

“I think there are going to be some really interesting things that come out of it.”

She started Millo in July last year, just before Auckland went into its tightest lockdown, so she spent a few months figuring out what she needed to tweak.

“I love product, I love making stuff and playing around with things,” she says. 

“For me, it was about getting that right and putting that into the market – it’s definitely been challenging.”

Norman says she grew up sewing pyjamas for her brothers, but Millo was the first time she'd designed furniture. 

For now, everything will be made locally and Sleepyhead foam offcuts will be the only foam she'll use.

“I feel very strongly about that as I know what's in the foam and I can make sure I know that it's going to work for the purpose we need it,” she says. 

“The great thing about using that foam is that we can take it back at the end of its life to recycle it into carpet underlay.”

She’s seen since the pandemic that people are more willing to spend more on things for their homes.

“People seem to be willing to spend the higher-end prices to make their homes feel beautiful,” she says. “I do definitely notice that.”

Norman has big hopes for Millo. This time next year, she’s hoping to have a good footprint in Australia and maybe beyond. The growth is exciting, but it will take a lot of work.

“I thought we would stay an online business for a while yet, but we’ve had a bit of a pull from retail,” she says. 

“I would imagine this time next year you'll see us widely through New Zealand and Australia.”