Grand Designs Australia – Issue 6.3 – May 2017

Utopia Goods

Australian flora and fauna bursting with life and colour

WORDS // LAUREN MCGARRY

T

he creative duo behind Utopia

Goods, Sophie Tatlow and Bruce

Slorach, have made sure Australiana

is front and centre in the design

scene. Bringing the style back to life in the

best way possible, we just can’t get enough.

Sophie refers to her early years as a

“career student”, and she has quite the

collection of education merits to her

name. Having studied at some of the best

universities in Australia — in a diverse range

of fi elds — Sophie has an education most

people would love to have. From a Bachelor

of Arts and Design Diploma through to a

Masters of Arts and Writing, Sophie is armed

with knowledge and style.

Bruce is the visual creative behind the

company. Having studied Fine Arts at the

Victorian College of the Arts, he provides

all the hand-drawn illustrations for Utopia

Goods’ designs. Sophie refers to their style as

“a whimsical mix of tradition and modern,

imagined by Bruce in an illustrative form”.

The pair, in both life and design, has been

working together since 2000. Their strong

relationship and support of each other’s

ideas has allowed their business to grow and

develop. Along with working with some of

the most renowned architects, designers and

photographers in Australia, Sophie and Bruce

have been able to use their creative time and

space to develop Utopia Goods.

The company pays homage to Australia’s

native fl ora and fauna. Design inspiration

comes solely from the Australian landscape,

nature, fl ora, fauna and colours. “We reference

diff erent periods and styles and put them into

a contemporary context of lots of kaleidoscope

prints and textures to layer up,” says Sophie.

Their desire to create something out of the box

that will last and stand out from the crowd has

resulted in the eclectic and unique pieces that

make up their collections.

So often, Australiana-style design makes

you think of the dessert and baron lands, but

this range brings all the elements of Australia

into an extraordinary array of design products.

utopiagoods.com

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