Profile: Tamsin Johnson

Whether she’s creating stunning homes or eye-catching retail spaces, interior designer Tamsin Johnson has an enviable style that defies categorisation.

Few people truly have an eye for antiques. You can learn about the provenance of an object, understand how to identify authentic Murano glass or know what constitutes a bargain and when you’re being taken for a ride. But the learned skills form just part of a unique knack for finding, acquiring and ultimately placing such items. Tamsin Johnson is one such individual with that eye, and she has an important rule. “Patrick [Johnson’s husband and the founder of the P. Johnson tailoring business] comes with me to all the antique fairs and if we both like something, then it’s a yes. If I love it and he doesn’t, or he likes it and I don’t, then we won’t buy it, and if my mum ever comes as well, she’s the third voice. If we all like it, then you know it’s something special.”

With just about every piece a one-off, the inventory is never static, with anything from 1970s Italian light fixtures to 1940s Danish armchairs.

It’s simple maths, but it forms a litmus test for the worth of a piece beyond its price tag. In 2022, Johnson opened a showroom in Sydney’s Paddington – just around the corner from her design studio – that houses her trove of eclectic finds. With just about every piece a one-off, the inventory is never static, with anything from 1970s Italian light fixtures to 1940s Danish armchairs. “The reason I started it is because I wanted to add this unique layer for clients that they can’t get anywhere else,” says Johnson, noting that around a third of each shipment is already pre-sold to clients. “The rest is just things that we love. It’s probably the best part of my job.”

Having studied at the Inchbald School of Design in London, Johnson established her practice in Sydney after the couple relocated back to Australia, and some of the most prominent examples of her work have been the P. Johnson showrooms. Now totalling nine spaces, the showrooms set a new benchmark for retail design in crafting unique experiences that speak to the distinctive characteristics of the clothing. In each, Johnson captures the spirit of the city, manifesting it in a textural collection of art, objects, lighting and furniture that complement and contrast, conveying the versatility of Patrick’s garments.

“There’s a slippery slope there, and it’s about naturally curating everything together and trusting your design instinct.”

In the P. Johnson Paddington showroom, a sculpture wall presents playful carvings by Sydney artists Danny Morse and Brendan Huntley in a nod to the building’s former life as a gallery. The relatively new CBD showroom, by contrast, is anchored by a glass chandelier, a fittingly ostentatious accompaniment to the plasterwork of the heritage-listed St James Trust Building, but the historic grandeur is offset with hand-painted pink cabinetry and Art Deco dining chairs.

“At the end of the day, you don’t want a space to look stuffy, or feel that you’re walking into an antique store. And, on the other hand, you don’t want it to feel contrived either,” she says. “There’s a slippery slope there, and it’s about naturally curating everything together and trusting your design instinct.”

Johnson concedes that the showrooms provide her with the most amount of creative freedom to fully demonstrate her vision.

Johnson concedes that the showrooms provide her with the most amount of creative freedom to fully demonstrate her vision. “It’s where I can push things the most, and Patch [as she calls Patrick] is involved but he lets me go for it,” she says, citing the leopard-print carpet she pushed her partner towards (and that he now loves) in the new Strand Arcade womenswear showroom.

As a result of a style that defies categorisation and her prolific portfolio of public spaces, which also includes hospitality and accommodation venues such as Raes on Wategos and Her Rooftop, residential clients will often relinquish complete creative control to the designer. “When Raes first opened, people wanted that as their house, and obviously I wouldn’t give them exactly Raes, but that’s a pretty firm brief to know that they are going to want light, fresh tones, lots of loose linens and vintage items, something quite coastal,” she says. “But then, equally, people will come to me because they love the P. Johnson New York or Windsor showroom [in Melbourne], and they’ll want that look in their living room. Some clients will simply ask me to do what I would for my own home, which is probably my favourite brief.”

Johnson has intentionally kept the business small, always wanting to be hands-on and also for the very singular reason that good design isn’t defined by scale or budget – projects are taken on when there’s an alignment of aesthetics.

Johnson has intentionally kept the business small, always wanting to be hands-on and also for the very singular reason that good design isn’t defined by scale or budget – projects are taken on when there’s an alignment of aesthetics. “There might be a job where it’s just some furniture and curtains, or just a kitchen or bathroom, and we’ve done that a lot. We do cap the number of jobs we take on, but not because they’re not big enough.”

Residential projects make up around three-quarters of her practice, and though people often ask, she doesn’t have a favourite between residential and commercial spheres. “Having the balance is what I love, because they’re such different beasts and one inspires the other. But no matter which, you’re creating something special and unique. That is what’s most important to me.”