Studio Space: Fox & Ramona

April 29, 2016 Susan Fitzgerald

Kristy in her studio. Photo by Susan Fitzgerald.

Fox & Ramona is Melbourne-based brand creating bold and unique hand painted concrete planters, homewares & jewellery. The person behind the brand is Kristy Tull and I had the pleasure of visiting her studio/workshop this month. Kristy's been in her current workshop, situated in the inner west, since earlier this year. It's amazing how well she's settled in and how she's filled the huge space with all her creations, especially as she was working from home before this!

Kristy started out making resin and polymer jewellery while working as an assistant in an architecture firm. She began experimenting with concrete to make small planters and didn't look back - two years ago she quit her day job and started working on Fox & Ramona full time. It seems she's come full circle, having just introduced some fabulous concrete jewellery (here and here) to the range.

FOX & RAMONA: Q & A

How long have you been in the space and where did you work previous to this? I’ve been here for almost 4 months and beforehand worked from home. I’d taken over my garage, living room and dining table so it was time to move out!

How many hours a week do you spend in your workspace? About 30 hours a week in the workshop. Most computer/admin work I take home and do in the evenings - hence why I always send emails late at night…!

How, if at all, has the space influenced your work? I wouldn’t say it's influenced my work as such but it has definitely made life easier, being able to spread out and get messy. If anything it's given me a chance to work on some new projects and designs which I wouldn’t have been able to do at home.

What would your dream workspace look like? Concrete floors, white or exposed brick walls, bright, light and with a big roller door. Preferably in Spotswood, so I could walk to work from home!

Do you prefer working alone or with others? A bit of both. I love having company at the workshop and often have my recently retired Dad pottering around me, which is really nice. It’s also good to have some downtime, thinking time and design time without any interruptions.

Which other creatives inspire you (personally or professionally)?

Rachel Castle - I love the way she uses shapes and colour.
Marnie Hawson - my photographer/stylist extraordinaire - she always captures simply gorgeous photos.
Gorman - Their use of colour and out-of-the-box designs.