Finding Common Ground with Sarah Ellison Studio
Noticing a market gap for originally designed and attainable furniture, Australian interior stylist and designer Sarah Ellison’s namesake studio has been setting the stage for high-quality work.
Photos by Sarah Ellison Studio. L-R: Faux-Shearling Huggy, $1,595; Velvet Muse 3-seater, $3,985; Limestone Tide Coffee Table, $1,795; Arch Chairs, $585; Earth Circular, $2,850
As we all know, fashion moves and evolves at a rapid pace. Lucky for us, furniture collections have proven longevity and permanence with an allure both universal and broad. Cheating on fashion with furniture, Ellison gathered her stepping stones for interior design after brief navigation of the pre-social media fashion world, making the gradual move into the world of fashion’s longtime sister, furniture. Launched in 2016, Sarah Ellison Studio’s origin story was birthed in response to the designer’s observation. From enduring a lengthy career as an interior stylist at Interior Magazine to the birth of her son to grappling with the market gap for originally attainable designed furniture in Australia, Ellison knew she was in the right industry and her creative chance had finally arrived.
True to this new age, headquartered in Byron Bay, Australia, Ellison works virtually alongside her co-founder Leigh – stationed in Sydney – operating remotely for high quality and original furniture. Producing and sourcing products that “don’t cost the Earth.” Yearning for permanence in her work and control of her schedule, balancing work-life and motherhood, Ellison fancied the idea of returning to square one to create actual products. At this stage, the Sarah Ellison Studio is utilizing the connections with other leading interior showrooms to advance their name in Australia – Life Interiors, and in the United States – Hawkins New York. When asked about the biggest takeaway when collaborating with other style interior creatives, Ellison’s focus was strictly on her clients. “You need to be able to incorporate the spirit of that client within your aesthetic. You always have to remember that you are not designing for yourself, but the needs and wants of someone else. Much like fashion, creatively, you go through the same process from idea to concept, design to sample and then a final product. Working out who your customer is, who you are designing for and where your ideas sit in the world are all relevant to both fashion and interiors. Essentially, it’s all storytelling.” Finding the land of the between, Ellison connects her fashion past with her interior design present. “Furniture pieces are like the investment buys in a fashion wardrobe, they must be treated with care and thought. But, if you make the right decision, you’ll love them for years to come – like your favorite designer bag or pair of leather boots.”
L-R: Faux-Shearling Huggy, $1,595; Velvet Muse 3-seater, $3,985
Defining the correlation between fashion and interior trends is not as far fetched as many would think. Quality, Ellison insists, is the key. “If something is made well in a beautiful fabric that ages well, feels great against your skin, and is a joy to use and or wear then it kind of transcends trends,” says Ellison. Innately staying abreast of trends, in both fashion and interior design, Ellison’s insatiable hunger for the new and interesting keeps her up-to-date. “I love all facets of design from architecture to fashion, graphic design to art and I find it interesting watching them all interpret trends through their lens,” shares the designer. Unapologetic for her love of 1970s style, Ellison – sans shag carpet – twists and turns her inspirations into more subtle takes. Favoriting the return of beautiful stones and marble in furniture, the interior stylist incorporates the pureness of the raw materials making them ageless. Implying one piece of advice for those more challenged in inspiration: “Make sure you are buying pieces you truly love. Do not use a Pinterest board as a literal translation of what you want. Use the platform as an inspiration and add your spin on it,” says Ellison.
Her design motive: creating furniture that is statements in and of themselves, leaving room for calm and space around them. What you will not find in Ellison’s living space is industrial. “It only works well in actual industrial buildings and warehouses, it does not work in suburban renovations,” says Ellison. Cold concrete floors, subway tiles, and industrial lighting are far removed from Ellison’s look book. Her style is grounding, warm and sensory. Minimal and simplistic, Ellison’s modern and exclusive creative direction stems from her background in fashion design and discovering a middle ground between industries. “I began in fashion when it was still a pre-social media world,” says Ellison as she jogs her memory of her past experiences. Seasonal, competitive and generally revolving around a seemingly unattainable world, Ellison found immense difficulty when it came to cracking the system. “I had my brand but found the whole business quite impossible to navigate. I was also young and hadn’t gained much confidence in myself yet. I loved the creative process of watching an idea come into fruition through a collection. Though I believe it’s the same process no matter what the medium, the switch to interiors didn’t happen overnight. Gradual, over the years, it turns out fashion was more of a stepping stone to get me to where I needed to go.
When asked if there will be an introduction and incorporation of apparel within the Sarah Ellison Studio product design, Ellison laughed and swiftly tossed that possibility out the window. “No, definitely not. I will just stick to my lane and do what I’m good at,” Ellison concluded.
L-R: Linen Muse 3-Seater, $4,285; Oak Tide, $1,495; Velvet Huggy, $1,595