Congratulations on your publication Spaces for Living. Could you please talk about the collection of projects in the book and how they capture your career to date as both an eminent antique dealer and interior designer?

Tamsin Johnson: Thank you! The book features some of my favourite projects, and they span quite a few places and stages of my life and career. Some projects are reflections of my path, such as a New York apartment that I lived in years ago with my husband, Patrick, when we were there to set up a showroom for his tailoring business in SoHo, which I also designed. I designed a local showroom for the P. Johnson brand features in the book – located in a Melbourne townhouse. It feels like a trunk show, gallery space and home all at once.

And of course, there is our previous house in Tamarama, where we lived with our two children. This is joined by some other beachside projects, from a Bondi bungalow to a grand home in Palm Beach and the iconic Raes on Wategos hotel in Byron Bay. There are also some beautiful older city houses in Sydney and Melbourne and a Paris apartment in a gorgeous 17th-century building.

I guess you can see that whether I’m designing for a beachside home or an older city residence, my approach is always to create beautiful spaces that are not too overworked and that have a sense of timelessness. Things feel as if they have always been there, and the homes are liveable above all – where every space can be used and loved.

In terms of collecting, many of the projects showcase my interests in mid-century furniture, the textural appeal of cane and rattan, the beauty of Daum and Murano glassware, the style of Edgar Brandt, and of Art Deco and Art Nouveau. 

How would you define your aesthetic – and how is ‘Spaces for Living’ reflective of this?

Tamsin Johnson: I’d say my aesthetic is refined yet relaxed, where spaces are beautiful but also functional, livable and full of life. I like to establish a dialogue between old and new, the dynamic and the calm, the polished and the textural, the ordered and the delightfully dishevelled – what I like to call ‘tactful disharmony’. I strive to create spaces that show respect for materials and craft alongside a sense of adventure and play. I’d like to think that the book reflects this through the beautiful photos of the projects and its insight into my approach to the different spaces. I have always loved that quote of Diana Vreeland’s, ‘The eye has to travel’, and I think an interior designer – and certainly a book about one – has the potential to offer that wonderful journey of discovery.

What is the most memorable project you’ve worked on to date?

Tamsin Johnson: Probably the boutique hotel Raes on Wategos in Byron Bay. When they engaged me to do the job, I spent a week there, with a night in each different room, to experience the place and understand what worked and what didn’t. I was with my husband, Patrick, and our son, Arthur, who was only six weeks old. Months later, I returned with my son and my mum, who’d come to help me, and we spent a week installing all the new pieces. Again, we stayed in a different room each night, on what was literally a building site. I’ll never forget it! Raes was a beautiful project to create, and we all still feel like we’re part of the family whenever we visit.