The Designer

It’s no secret Tamara Watts loves big colour, retro textiles and European Modernism. For over 13 years, she’s brought all three to the forefront as founder of Retro Print Revival.

After a childhood in the country, Tamara moved to Melbourne to take up studying visual merchandising at RMIT. Here she delved into the world of vintage textiles, prints and patterns, fashion, music and furniture.

Like a bowerbird, she frequented markets on weekends, trawled estate sales + op shops, all with the aim of adding to her fabric collection, with no vision just yet of what she’d do with them. She then made her first wall hanging - which garnered her fans, before creating a matching lamp - gaining even more admirers, and from there she started production of her retro-inspired lamps.

For Tamara, supporting Australian manufacturers has always been at the heart of her ethos. She sources as much as she can within her community, with the intent of minimising carbon footprint and supporting locally-founded business. “It’s important to me to support our artisans + makers, we source as much as we can right here in Melbourne - in fact in adjoining suburbs to my studio, keeping business within my own community.”

With new designs launching, Tamara believes there’s joy to be found in breathing new life into old ideas. Her sculptural pieces not only add artistic appeal and ambience, but the custom-made quality ensures they will be enjoyed for many years to come.

Her roles as designer, stylist and visual merchandiser mean Tamara has a sharp eye for creating a truly unique style regardless of whether you’re a minimalist or maximalist.