Carving A New Silhouette: Tom Butterworth On Materiality & Identity

I like to feel it was the universe guiding me to tap into my true passion, a new world of exploration, creativity and craftsmanship. I was super unhappy at the time and mentally not in my greatest state. My back from being on the job site was sore and my overall excitement with life was lacking, probably because deep down I knew I wanted to be creating in another form, but I just didn't know what.

If I can inspire one reader: continue to follow your ideas. If something comes to mind, try it once. It may not stick, but that's cool, maybe the next idea will. All ideas are inspiration sent from somewhere, and if you don't try it, it's a waste of energy.

I started carpentry in my late teens, unsure of what to do. It’s basically what you do here in Sydney when you’re a young fella — you jump on a job site. After a few injuries, though, I found myself heading to design school, which led me into the graphic design and branding world. Around the same time, I picked up a camera and started doing bits of photography. Then COVID hit, work slowed down, I jumped back on the job site — and then everything you’ve seen followed.

If I didn’t have my carpentry background, there’s no way I’d be able to do what I do now. Those skills are the foundation. At the same time, my experience in design and branding gives me the business understanding and ability to bring my whole practice together. It doesn’t stop when I leave the studio. Having all those abilities means I can genuinely do it all myself.

Surfing my whole life with sandstone headlands in view 100% of the time is something super special. It’s hard not to be in awe of this coastline, and it has definitely played a pivotal part in my art and design practice.

I’m a very grateful human. To all my collectors: you’ve given me another chance at life that, at one point, I didn’t think was possible.

I’m really drawn to creating pieces that carry a strong sense of the feminine. It’s not always obvious at first glance, but it’s there, embedded in the lines, in the posture, and in the flow. If you look closely, a lot of the curves echo the silhouette of a woman’s body.

I’ve come into this world so raw, and I think that’s what collectors have been drawn towards. There have been no boundaries from the start. No one else does exactly what I do, so I think it’s caught everyone's eye.

Not exactly. I just create from whatever has been sent to me, wherever these ideas come from. I follow them, and if people connect with the work, that brings me a lot of love.

It’s definitely incredible how old sandstone is. There’s something about it — the age, the history, that creates an immense grounding effect in a space. I’ve had clients tell me it’s completely transformed their space, which is such a beautiful thing to hear.

It’s about creating a real sense of groundedness. There’s something powerful about immersing exterior into the interior — by including the outside elements within, it creates a deeper calm, a presence that makes the space feel more honest.

Oh wow, I would say just shedding all those conditioned layers one day at a time. I was definitely afraid to fully express my creativity as a younger male through my early 20s, but this journey has allowed me to be the truest version of myself.

Flow is a big one for me. Without flow you’re pushing against what is, and that can definitely translate into how I express myself through fashion. Dress for you, nobody else.

I look for quality, because then I know it will be a piece of longevity and this is something that really lights me up!

I’d make a dining table and then have a dinner party.