Studio Plenty & Sarah Ellison Creative Studio

Designed in collaboration and shared by Studio Plenty and Sarah Ellison Creative, their new Byron Bay studio was conceived around material above all else, warm and tactile, measured in tone — and built for the kind of work that happens between two practices rather than within one.

That collaborative instinct shows most clearly in the material language. Walnut panelling wraps the working zones in a band of saturated colour and grain, drawn tight around desks and shelving, while a stainless steel materials library runs the length of one wall, left deliberately in the open. Above it, a textured acoustic ceiling softens the room in a way that is felt before it is seen, and underfoot, running uninterrupted through every part of the studio, Éminence.

Éminence has always been one of the quieter materials in the Fibonacci range, and that restraint is what gives it reach. Warm in base and finely composed, it holds the floor without overpowering it, complementing the textures and finishes around it rather than competing with them, and leaving the design of the space to come through. Specified here in the 600 x 298 x 20mm format, the tile draws the floor out along the length of the studio, settling the proportions of a compact plan.

The studio was designed with and is shared alongside Sarah Ellison, two practices shaping one space. What did you want this environment to do for the way you both work?

"Certainly an ambitious endeavour, and perhaps an even more impressive story that we remain best mates after designing a shared studio together. We see eye to eye on most things; of course, compromises were made, but ultimately we balance each other. The studio was conceived as a compact, collaborative space capable of sustaining the different modes and phases of two simultaneous design practices. Somewhere soft in the morning, yet increasingly energetic throughout the day."

Éminence holds the floor throughout, quietly receding behind the walnut, steel and velvet. What is it doing in the space that another material couldn't?

"Éminence provides both a textural and tonal counterpoint to the band of drenched walnut, while quietly mirroring the texture of the ceiling above. The terrazzo achieves a remarkable depth and tactility while remaining incredibly practical. Low maintenance, easy to clean and with the slip resistance required of a working studio."