The Fantasy You’ve Been Flirting With

You’ve considered swapping your side table for a marble plinth.
You whisper travertine like it’s a sacred word.
You’ve stared at a weird sculpture and thought, “Is this… genius?”

Tamsin Johnson’s style is what happens when a Parisian gallery owner and a brutalist architect elope to Australia and decorate with antiques, plinths, and just the right amount of weird.

It’s sculptural. It’s moody. It’s minimalist—but only in the most interesting way.
Think: quiet luxury meets surrealist cool.

And yes, you can absolutely thrift this look.
Let’s break down how to channel Tamsin Johnson at the thrift store—without ending up in sad minimalism or “modern farmhouse with a sculpture problem.

What Makes This Style So Good?

Tamsin Johnson’s spaces are unexpected but somehow effortless. It’s minimalism with a pulse. Artful without being try-hard. Think: if a Parisian flea market took acid and enrolled in architecture school.

Color Palette: Cool neutrals (greys, alabasters, ivory) punctuated by natural stone, blackened bronze, and the occasional pop of deep marine or emerald.

Mood: Sculptural, offbeat, sexy, and a little aloof.

Texture & Materials: Marble, travertine, chrome, fluted wood, and smooth lacquer. Lots of stone. Bonus points for patina.

Design DNA: Parisian gallery meets 1980s Milan with a dash of Surrealism. It’s brutalist, but make it pretty.

The Do’s + Don’ts of Thrifting the Look

You’re Going For:

Natural stone (real or convincingly vintage-faux)
Clean-lined but chunky furniture with presence
Found-object art and oversized sculpture
Old-world materials with a modern cut

Avoid at All Costs:

Faux-distressed “industrial” furniture with wheels
Mass-market “minimalist” decor in sad MDF
Anything that looks like it belongs in a suburban dentist’s office
Decorative signs that say “Home”

👋 If it’s trying to look cool by being bland, it’s not cool. It’s just bland.

What to Actually Look For (and How to Spot It)

Stone Pieces with Substance
Look for: travertine coffee tables, marble plinths, stone lamps, or even solid alabaster bowls. Anything that says “I was mined, not molded.”

Furniture That Grounds a Room
Think: blocky club chairs, chrome and glass tables, vintage Milo Baughman-style sofas, or anything with fluting or curves. Clean lines, bold forms.

Art That Asks You to Stare at It a While
Sculptural pieces, abstract oils, or vintage photography. Weird is good. Sexy is better.

Metal Moments with Edge
Wrought iron, brushed steel, blackened bronze. Especially in lighting, side tables, and unexpected places (hello, chain-link coat rack).

Architectural Oddities
Corbels, pedestals, plinths, and fragments. Yes, even that statue head that scares your mother-in-law.Search Term

Cheat Sheet:

Plug these into FB Marketplace, Craigslist, or the deep Etsy scroll:

Travertine coffee table
Plinth pedestal
Brutalist sculpture
Vintage chrome chairs
Alabaster lamp
Postmodern side table
Art deco marble
Abstract oil painting
Burl wood console
Wrought iron floor lamp

Pro Tip:

This look is personal, not performative. The goal is to collect, not decorate.

Ask Yourself:

Would this hold its own in a gallery?
Does it feel found—not staged?
Could a mysterious ex-art dealer live here?

TL;DR

If you love Tamsin Johnson, thrift this:

Travertine and marble with presence
Furniture that makes a sculptural statement
Odd, gorgeous objects that make people ask questions
Vintage art with emotion or edge
Metal details with weight and weirdness

Want the Johnson look without the heavy lifting?
DM “FIND IT” and I’ll go full gallerist mode. You get the sculptural vibes—without having to outbid someone’s uncle on Chairish.

Thrift This If You Love… Tamsin Johnson