In the world of interiors, there are few design elements that say as much – with as little – as colour. Colours also have the power to evoke an era, to be a reflection of where the world is at a particular time. Take Millennial Pink. The dusty blush shade dominated fashion, beauty and interiors from circa 2016, only to be replaced by Gen Z greens in 2020.
Sarah Ellison with her business partner, Leigh McKeown. The pair co-founded Sarah Ellison Studio in 2017. It’s a calculated bet Byron-Bay-based furniture designer Sarah Ellison is willing to make: her latest partnership, unveiled last week, is a branded Pantone colour called Piccolo, a wholesome chocolate brown. Fittingly, the shade will debut on the homeware brand’s new Float sofa, a low-slung velvet sectional lounge, evocative of those ’70s conversation pits many of us grew up with.
Chatting to Ellison and her business partner, Leigh McKeown, at Sydney’s Ace Hotel, I gauge from the 44-year-old’s fidgeting unvarnished fingers, no-nonsense middle-part ponytail, unlined, makeup-free complexion and on-trend oversized blazer that all this attention feels a tad overwhelming.