all fired up for global attention
Aurora Suspended Fires arose from the perfect marriage of Chloe Allan’s creative talents with Neil’s engineering background. But building a successful business selling suspended fireplaces was an unexpected turn for this husband and wife team.
“I never expected to find myself working in an industrial estate being in charge of a team of boiler makers, never in a million years,” Chloe says, of their Ballina-based manufacturing space.
Chloe’s creative career path saw her working as an actor for 10 years, then retraining as a video editor, before retraining again as a high school English and Drama teacher when she started a family. But life felt a bit out of balance, Chloe says.
“Our girls were four and five at the time when I was working long hours at Shearwater Steiner School, doing a long commute each way, while Neil was working five weeks on, five weeks off, offshore as a marine engineer,” Chloe says.
The couple had just finished building their home in Lennox Head during this career crunch time, when Neil first spotted a suspended fireplace in an inflight magazine.
“He rang me up and said, ‘These fires are amazing, I’d be prepared to drop nine or ten grand on one of those’,” Chloe says. “But when we researched it we saw, ‘Oh my god, these are $20,000’.”
This put the designer fireplaces beyond the couple’s budget, but Neil was so inspired he decided to build one himself.
“I’m the rules and regulations person,” Chloe laughs, “I pulled him back from the brink and said it won’t be compliant, it’ll bugger up our insurance. You can’t just build a fire for your house,” she says.
“That’s when we thought, ‘If we want one of these, there must be a market for them at a more accessible price’.”


And so in 2015 Aurora Suspended Fires was born, creating bespoke handmade suspended fireplaces, all with a clean, simple spun steel look.
Chloe laughs at the naïve hopes they had for this being an easy lifestyle choice.
“We thought we’d be having business meetings at the beach and could down tools and head for a swim when things get tough,” she smiles.
The reality has been a lot more demanding. The couple spent the first year designing and testing their fireplaces while both still working full-time. To self-finance the business they mortgaged their home and sold their investment property.
“It is probably the most challenging thing I’ve ever done in my professional life,” Chloe says. “The last two years have been a real sprint, and now we’re into the marathon of improving our product and systems so we can get the fires out to more and more people.”
And more and more people want the Aurora products, with annual sales more than doubling in 2017. In less than three years Aurora has sold its suspended fireplaces across Australia to restaurants, hotels, and into homes. The products are being exported to New Zealand and are expanding into Europe, with North America in their sights.
“It is probably the most challenging thing I’ve ever done in my professional life,”
“Every day I come to work there might be 15 new enquiries with five of those from America and Canada,” Chloe says. Though this export process is slow and costly because of the certification processes necessary in each country.
The couple are also in the final testing phases of a world-first gas-fuelled suspended fireplace, which takes its gas from the roof.
The buzz around the business caught the eye of UK Trade and Investment and they were invited participate in the UK Government’s Global Entrepreneurs Scheme. Turning down the lucrative grant to shift their manufacturing to England helped them articulate why they love doing business in the Northern Rivers.
“We wanted to create a company that’s local, and one that supports our lifestyle and the lifestyle of our workers,” Chloe says.



The strong camaraderie among local business owners and suppliers is part of what Chloe enjoys about her role.
“There’s a sense that we are not just another nameless customer with everyone from our freight company to our steel suppliers. There have been many times when we would have faced major setbacks if we’d had to rely on companies we didn’t have a special relationship with,” she says.
Then there’s that warm feeling Chloe gets when customers send in photographs sitting around their fire for the first time.
“There’s a real family feel with our customers – they’re so emotional about this product. It’s the one thing on their build they wait for and open like a Christmas present,” she says.
Share this story
Read more stories
overtures of romance and style
https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Osteria-Tweed-Coast.jpg 1000 667 In Good Company | Northern Rivers In Good Company | Northern Rivers https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Osteria-Tweed-Coast.jpgOsteria
Mark Wilson, Lia Mason and Lee Middendorf all met when the three of them were working in hospitality jobs at The Sandbar …
when opportunity knocks…
https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/horizon-motorhomes-ballina-002.jpeg 1600 1067 In Good Company | Northern Rivers In Good Company | Northern Rivers https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/horizon-motorhomes-ballina-002.jpegHorizon Motorhomes
When a campervan arrived on Clayton Kearney’s used car yard in 1995, and sold in seconds flat, he realised there was a gap in the market…
riding the wave of success
https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/glass-lab-tweed-heads-002.jpg 1000 661 In Good Company | Northern Rivers In Good Company | Northern Rivers https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/glass-lab-tweed-heads-002.jpgThe Glass Lab
Adam Wessel may have worked in surfboard factories since the age of 16, but it was a stint in the luxury yachting industry that sowed the…
spirit of the rainforest
https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/cape-byron-distellery-002.jpg 960 540 In Good Company | Northern Rivers In Good Company | Northern Rivers https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/cape-byron-distellery-002.jpgCape Byron Distillery
Let’s forget the beaches for a moment, as the true lifeblood of the Northern Rivers landscape is surely its rainforests, some of the most botanically…
world class creatives
https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/meme-productions-featured-image.jpg 1000 750 In Good Company | Northern Rivers In Good Company | Northern Rivers https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/meme-productions-featured-image.jpgMememe Productions
The piece of advice that dirtgirlworld creator, Cate McQuillen, likes to share with other creative entrepreneurs in the region tells much about her story…
building bridges with water
https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Yaru-bottles.jpg 1600 1067 In Good Company | Northern Rivers In Good Company | Northern Rivers https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Yaru-bottles.jpgYaru Water
“This unique partnership between an Indigenous family and a non-Indigenous family enabled Yaru Water to start changing the way the procurement…
revving up the community engine
https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/oatten-and-hoffman-kyogle-002.jpg 1000 667 In Good Company | Northern Rivers In Good Company | Northern Rivers https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/oatten-and-hoffman-kyogle-002.jpgOaten and Hoffman
In 2015 Tim Hoffman was riding the high on business success, and had no clue about the blow that was awaiting him….
take me to the river
https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/10986182_733888960072606_3561220566688304460_o.jpg 2048 1536 In Good Company | Northern Rivers In Good Company | Northern Rivers https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/10986182_733888960072606_3561220566688304460_o.jpgGrafton to Yamba Houseboats
The Clarence River, at the southern end of the Northern Rivers, is known colloquially as the ‘Big River’, while its Aboriginal name is ‘Breimbah’ or…
‘can do’ marine
https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/harwood-marine-clarence.jpg 1920 1182 In Good Company | Northern Rivers In Good Company | Northern Rivers https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/harwood-marine-clarence.jpgHarwood Marine
About half way between Yamba and Maclean is the tiny village of Harwood, which sits on the peaceful banks of the Clarence River with its population…
eclectic food innovator shines
https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Peter-at-the-Yamba-bus-stop.-July16.jpg 1030 1030 In Good Company | Northern Rivers In Good Company | Northern Rivers https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Peter-at-the-Yamba-bus-stop.-July16.jpgNicholson Fine Foods
The small coastal town of Yamba is home to the one of the world’s best eating prawns, the Eastern King Prawn. It’s also home to the highest…
a natural business adventure
https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Mount-Warning-Tours-01.jpg 1920 1080 In Good Company | Northern Rivers In Good Company | Northern Rivers https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Mount-Warning-Tours-01.jpgMount Warning Tours
Despite only existing for four years, Mount Warning Tours’ short life has been eventful: from purchasing the ex-Murray River ferry Spirit of Wollumbin…
main street royalty reigns
https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Alstonville-quality-meats-image-1.jpg 2000 1333 In Good Company | Northern Rivers In Good Company | Northern Rivers https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Alstonville-quality-meats-image-1.jpgAlstonville Quality Meats
There’s a giggle in the undertone of conversation when Ashley and Tina Thomson share their claim to fame as being the multi-award winning Sausage Kings…
effective creatives have all the fun
https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/cumulus-vfx-byron-002.jpg 1000 750 In Good Company | Northern Rivers In Good Company | Northern Rivers https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/cumulus-vfx-byron-002.jpgCumulus VFX
They’ve walked the Sydney Harbour Bridge with Hoges. Gone down the garden path with Peter Rabbit. Flown Katie Holmes over…
making history, creating culture
https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/SPAR-Staff.jpg 1535 1025 In Good Company | Northern Rivers In Good Company | Northern Rivers https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/SPAR-Staff.jpgSpar Maclean
SPAR Maclean’s claim to fame is a doozy. Indeed, it’s something only one supermarket in the whole of Australia can say: that it is the longest…
not just a business, a community partner
https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/stone-and-wood-001.jpg 960 761 In Good Company | Northern Rivers In Good Company | Northern Rivers https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/stone-and-wood-001.jpgStone & Wood
“That’s like asking parents to name which of their children they prefer,” says Jamie Cook, Stone & Wood co-founder. He has been asked which of the…
collectively creative social heaven
https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/30715202_1014120148743120_6987131970559934464_o.jpg 1080 823 In Good Company | Northern Rivers In Good Company | Northern Rivers https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/30715202_1014120148743120_6987131970559934464_o.jpgIsland Collective
If you are looking for contemporary artist and stylist Fleur Yorston, you’ll most likely find her among fiddle leaf figs and cane furniture, in her Yamba…
let there be light
https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/northern_lights-_ballina_northern_rivers_001.jpg 2000 1333 In Good Company | Northern Rivers In Good Company | Northern Rivers https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/northern_lights-_ballina_northern_rivers_001.jpgNorthern Light
“I eat a pot of honey every day and I’ve been stung more than 70,000 times,” says Jeffrey Gibbs, founder of Northern Light, an organic beeswax…
fastest growing, remains humble and local
https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/tripadeal-byron-bay-002.jpg 1000 667 In Good Company | Northern Rivers In Good Company | Northern Rivers https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/tripadeal-byron-bay-002.jpgTripADeal
For TripADeal, the figures speak for themselves: revenue in excess of $100million for 2017; 75,000 travellers sent to various…
sewing love for a lifetime
https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/patches-kyogle-001.jpg 1232 816 In Good Company | Northern Rivers In Good Company | Northern Rivers https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/patches-kyogle-001.jpgPatches of Kyogle
Jeannine Smith grew up under her mother’s sewing machine in Western Samoa. “My mother was a professional dressmaker,” says Jeannine…
spellbinding growth for a home grown icon
https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/spell_designs_byron_bay001.jpg 1000 667 In Good Company | Northern Rivers In Good Company | Northern Rivers https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/spell_designs_byron_bay001.jpgSpell Designs
The scent, texture and aura of Byron Bay is famous, and well-loved. If that Byron Bay feeling was a fashion brand, it would surely be Spell & The Gypsy Collective….