A decade ago, in Melbourne, I stumbled upon a yellow coat in a vintage store that whispered to me, “I’m yours.” I tried it on, loved it, it felt like home. But as a student, only just beginning to dabble in the world of freelance writing, I wasn’t exactly flush with cash. I couldn’t justify the cost, and so I placed the yellow coat back on the rack. All these years later, I still think of the coat and wonder where it ended up. Is it is loved the way I would have cherished it? Sometimes, an object just speaks to you, and it’s impossible to get it out of your head.
I tell the story to Tamara… is that palinopsia? “Exactly!” she says. “It happens to me too, usually with certain colours. I still remember walking through IKEA years ago and being really taken by a bowl that was a particular shade of yellow. I remember staring at this bowl for so long, I felt really connected with it. It was overwhelmingly beautiful. But it was just an IKEA bowl!”
When Tamara heard the word palinopsia, she knew that would be the name of her business. “That’s how I see these ceramics… you can’t get it out of your mind. It fires you up, and brings you joy. Kind of like when you look at the sun and look away, but you can still see it there.”
Born in former Yugoslavia and raised in Auckland, Tamara’s history is as storied as the beautiful handmade ceramics she designs and imports from a family-run studio in a seaside village on the west coast of Portugal. At the age of seven, she moved with her parents and older sister from their civil war-torn country to the side of a volcano in Auckland, New Zealand, where they were granted asylum. This is where Tamara still calls ‘home’, despite relocating to Newcastle as a teen, moving to Melbourne for seven years, and then developing her career in Sydney. “We won the life lottery, that’s for sure, but it was a complicated contrast. My parents didn’t speak any English and we grew up living such a different lifestyle in New Zealand to what my parents thought we would. I think that’s where my rebellious side comes in. It hasn’t been easy for my family to see me stray from the path of a secure job to pouring my savings into my own business.”
When Tamara heard the word palinopsia, she knew that would be the name of her business.
“That’s how I see these ceramics… you can’t get it out of your mind. It fires you up, and brings you joy. Kind of like when you look at the sun and look away, but you can still see it there.”
Tamara worked for many years in textiles, manufacturing, sales and production, and product development, before branching out on her own to create the Palinopsia brand. Burnt out and uninspired by what she saw as a culture of waste and disposability in many companies across Australia and the world, she craved a slower, more sustainable approach. “It took five years from when I first had the idea, to actually making the decision to quit a secure job and break away from the mould of family expectations. You have all those thoughts… Who am I to do this? Am I good enough?”
In a twist of universal fate, six months after quitting her job, the company she was working for liquidated. “So there really was no turning back!” she laughs. “I had to succeed in the business and make it work. Now, with the pandemic situation, it really is one day at a time.”
Palinopsia launched in 2020 as an online store, ahead of what was to be a physical shopfront in Sydney. Then, the world as we know it changed. Tamara started to see the cracks in city living during the pandemic, so she made the decision to relocate (again) to Newcastle to be closer to family and start her business in a supportive, friendly community. She started with a pop-up on Hunter Street and is now housed on the corner of Darby and Queen St, in the old Blackbird Corner building. “The most amazing thing about Newcastle is the community. I have made best friends with my neighbours here on Darby Street and I’ve been so supported by Nicky and Shawn from Blackbird Corner, David from Cooks Hill Books, Anthony from Three Monkeys. Things are so different here than in the bigger cities. There is so much creativity.”
The studios Tamara works with in Portugal are family-run, third and fourth generation, and they absolutely love what they do. Tamara designs the pieces from scratch – from the shapes, colours, textures, and glazes.
The Cooks Hill shopfront is truly stunning, with its unique shape, exposed brick walls and sun-drenched interior. As we chatted behind the counter, iced tea from Baba Yaga in hand, countless people wandered in, transfixed and calm, with big smiles on their faces as they complimented Tamara on her beautiful store. Along the back wall, you’ll find shelves stacked high with handmade ceramics in all their ranges, from the neutral-based Malo to colour-blocked Sabe and the bold and textured Pollock pieces. She also stocks local makers, celebrating female entrepreneurs in particular, such as unique ceramics by Teval Guner and prints by Melody Suranyi. A long dining table is the centrepiece, designed as a table setting that makes you want to pull up a stool and wait for the wine to be poured. It truly feels like a table of art.
The studios Tamara works with in Portugal are family-run, third and fourth generation, and they absolutely love what they do. Tamara designs the pieces from scratch – from the shapes, colours, textures, and glazes. She has spent countless hours with the makers, watching and learning, collaborating; always hungry for more. It’s a heavily hand-finished process.
“Ceramics is part of the DNA of Portugal. I had years of experience in textile design and development in Portugal and I always had this feeling in my gut that I’d work with clay, ceramics, and stoneware one day. I’ve kept my finger on the pulse of what was happening in Europe. Compared to the fast-moving consumer goods industry I’ve worked in, like lingerie development in Sri Lanka, manchester in Pakistan, and furniture in China, Portugal always remained in my heart for the slower, more conscious lifestyle and products. I wanted to go to the source, where the ceramics are part of the culture.”
“Ceramics is part of the DNA of Portugal. I had years of experience in textile design and development in Portugal and I always had this feeling in my gut that I’d work with clay, ceramics, and stoneware one day. ”
Tamara’s career started out in the textile industry, just as screen printing was dying out and mills around Australia were closing, so she’s no stranger to the challenges of import and export. As much as she’d love to design tableware to be made in Australia, we just don’t have the resources here. “Covid has definitely put the pressure on to expand, because lots of companies are moving out of China and into Europe. So that means my lead times for the ceramics have moved from three months to around two years. What I hope is that this turns the tables for us to bring manufacturing back here to Australia.” Fortunately, Tamara’s relationship with the family-run studios in Portugal is thriving, with regular trips overseas to work closely with the manufacturers.
Stories and culture are baked into the handmade ceramics. The pieces made from durable, natural, and raw materials are designed to keep and cherish. The Palinopsia brand is about honouring the legacy of artisanship and pushing back on our increasingly throwaway culture. Tamara’s designs are a nod to the landscape and its rich minerals, a homage to the beauty of our planet. “It all starts with mud and ends as mud, back to the earth.”
Stories and culture are baked into the handmade ceramics. The pieces made from durable, natural, and raw materials are designed to keep and cherish.
