Night Palm’s Tiffany Howell and Ellison Studios Unveil Sofa Collab Blending 70s Sensuality with 80s Decadence.

Ellison Studios’ Founder & CEO, Leigh McKeown, with LA designer Tiffany Howell of Night Palm, seated on the new Poet sofa, seen here in the Malibu Dune colourway. Photo credit: Ellison Studios.

Hot off the heels of Ellison Studios’ recent opening of their game-changing physical space in Sydney, the Australian powerhouse has just unveiled a brand new product designed by LA designer Tiffany Howell of Night Palm. The result is ‘Poet’— a statement sofa that shows what happens when two design studios with serious style get together.

The Poet sofa is a clever fusion of decades, evoking both the decadence of the 80s and the sensuality of the 70s. This undulating piece emerged from Howell’s vintage references, which were then modernised through Ellison Studios’ signature approach to living. For both brands, comfort was just as crucial as visual impact—a philosophy that runs deep in both their design approaches.

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Available in three colours, Poet draws inspiration from West Coast landscapes. ‘Malibu Dune’ presents a sandy toned neutral in tufted velvet, while ‘Malibu Willow’ offers a botanical tone in the same luxurious tufted finish. The third option, ‘Airlie Camel’, features a soft boucle weave that adds textural interest to the sculptural form.

The collaboration stems from a genuine friendship between Howell and Ellison Studios’ Founder & CEO, Leigh McKeown, who connected in Los Angeles several years ago. Their shared vision had been brewing for years before they finally embarked on the Poet concept. The project filled a specific gap Howell had identified in her design work—the need for something curvy, sculptural, and prominent in scale.

For Howell, the sofa holds real romantic significance in personal storytelling. “It is often the location of the first kiss, a place to daydream, the space for a dance party with friends, where to watch old movies with family,” she explains. “It’s as big figuratively as it is emotionally, every imprint left on the fabric is a poem.”

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This poetic approach to furniture design reflects both studios’ commitment to creating pieces that are more than just really, really, ridiculously good-looking. The collaboration showcases Australian design meeting American creative vision—and with Ellison’s Sydney flagship generating serious buzz in the local design community, the timing couldn’t be better.

Ellison Studios has already caught the attention of luminaries like Jenna Lyons, Elsa Hosk, Elaine Welteroth, Olivia Wilde, Aurora James, Helena Christensen and more. With Poet now joining their collection, the brand continues to prove that their distinctly Australian approach to modern living keeps hitting the mark.

Poet represents a meeting of creative minds that balances storytelling, comfort, and sculptural beauty in equal measure. Fittingly, Howell had named her design debut Poet before she had met McKeown, framing the intersection of sensual form with rich sentiment.

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[Photography by Ellison Studios.]