About

Ella and Sofia was named after two coffee shops situated in Sydney’s inner west. It was there in 2003 that the idea of a textile and interiors studio was formed. The intention of Ella and Sofia is to create stylish, contemporary, well made pieces for the urban space with the attentiveness of craftspeople from eras ago.

Karie Soehardi, head designer, is of both Australian and Indonesian descent, her inspiration is diverse. Constantly enthused by the beauty of ‘things’ – be it a grate on a Spanish street or a shell found on a sandy beach. She has always been interested in society, cultures and traditions formed, and the way they can intertwine.

It is through creating designs that would work in an eclectic range of living spaces that she feels most productive.

Karie completed a BVA at Sydney College of the Arts, Sydney University, majoring in jewellery design before moving to London in 1995 to work with milliner Stephen Jones. She then moved to the Middle East working in real estate for several years, before returning to Sydney to complete Fashion Design at East Sydney Tafe. On completion, she worked in fashion buying at Australian department store David Jones.

Now with her focus on a textile studio which offers not only beautiful customised hand printed wallpapers and screen printed textiles - woven upholstery fabrics are now being developed. The results can be seen through collaborations with furniture designers and fabric mills. Giving interior designers, architects and home stylists alike refreshingly different options which do not date from trend to trend but instead hold a lasting impression.