At Elizabeth Richards, we believe that well-organised spaces create better learning environments—for students and teachers alike. For over 35 years, we’ve been supporting Australian classrooms with thoughtfully designed resources that help educators create calm, structured, and inspiring spaces.

Our journey began with a simple idea: Book boxes!

They are now found in the majority of classrooms around Australia, but have you ever wondered how they came about?

The original founder of Elizabeth Richards was a hard-working teacher. Back in 1986 the resourceful staff at her school would ask students to bring in empty wine casks when their parents were finished, take the bladder out, cut the sides into the shape of what we now know as the book box and cover it in contact to hold it all together.

Our founder used to look at these fun but rough boxes and wonder if something could be made to help teachers organise their classrooms without the extra work of drinking the wine and converting the casks.

She sat down one day with a friend who ran a cardboard manufacturing company and based on the feedback from the staff and teachers at her school came up with a design for a "book box".

They made 100 samples and sent them out to 100 schools with a note along the lines of “here’s a book box - what do you think?” The answer from schools was overwhelmingly positive. 38 years later and thanks to all those creative teachers our range includes all sorts of book boxes—fluoro for the fashionable, black for the sophisticated and every other colour in between. Nothing beats an Elizabeth Richards Book Box as an affordable, easy and colourful way to organise your classroom.

And parents had to find other excuses for drinking a whole cask of wine....

Today, we continue to design many of our own products, and we proudly focus on delivering one of Australia’s most beautiful and practical ranges of classroom storage and organisational solutions. From colourful Tote Trays and Trolleys to Storage Caddies, Book Tubs, Book Boxes, our everyday ‘Store-it’ essentials—and even classroom rugs—our range is designed to make your classroom and your teaching day organised, inspiring and more enjoyable.

We love working alongside educators and welcome product ideas from our teaching community. Many of our best-loved items have started as a suggestion from a classroom teacher or education support staff member.

Stay Connected

We invite you to follow us on social media and subscribe to our emails for the latest product releases, classroom inspiration, and exclusive offers. Check out @elizabethrichardsaus on Instagram and Facebook.

Our loyalty program is just one way we say thank you—earn points with every purchase and redeem them for discounts on future orders. Because we know every bit of support counts in a busy classroom.

Whether you’ve been with us since the early days or are new to Elizabeth Richards, thank you for being part of our journey. We’re proud to support you in creating spaces that spark learning, nurture independence, and bring joy to everyday routines.

Our Commitment to a Greener Future

At Elizabeth Richards, we're committed to a more sustainable future. As part of the MTA family, we’re taking meaningful steps on our sustainability journey—including ethical sourcing, responsible packaging, and reducing our carbon footprint. We’re also proud to offer an ever-growing range of sustainable classroom products that support both educators and the environment.

Credentials

Preferred supplier with the NSW and QLD Departments of Education.