In partnership with James Dunlop

Sarah Ellison has a way of making old things feel new. Her work borrows from decades past yet never reads as retro, and that same instinct runs through Homage, her first textile with James Dunlop.

It started with a conversation about traditional mohair velvet, the kind you might remember from a grandparent’s armchair, and how it could look through an Australasian lens. What followed was several years of back and forth between Ellison and the James Dunlop team on colour, texture and how the fabric would actually sit in a home.

“I’m designing for myself at the end of the day,” Ellison says. “Being a parent with a kid and eating on the couch, practical stuff always plays a role.”

That practicality shows. Homage is a faux mohair with a long, plush pile, a blend of polyester and wool tested to 100,000 Martindale rubs, so it can take the dinner-on-the-couch routine Ellison describes. It works for upholstery as well as cushions and other accessories.

Colour is where the two sides pushed each other. Ellison, better known for warm neutrals, was coaxed towards deeper shades, while her fashion background brought something new to the James Dunlop palette. The result is 20 colourways, from Burgundy, Rouge and Sumac to Deep Teal, French Blue and Moss, with softer tones such as Ballet, Dove and Cashmere for anyone who prefers to keep things quiet.

“I’m always trying to inject a kind of mood or a feeling or nostalgia into things,” she says, “but then bring it forward and make it feel classic.”

Homage is the first chapter in an ongoing collaboration, with more work on colour, pattern and texture still to come. It is available now through James Dunlop.