Chloe Tozer
CLO Studios was originally conceptualised by Chloe Tozer and her mother Trudy seven years ago. CLO is now embodied by Chloe’s innate curiosity and courageously intuitive approach towards design.
Photography: Jessie Prince, Nick Tsindos & Tim Salisbury
Chloe Tozer from CLO Studios in newly renovated CLO Studios Atelier in Noosa. Photo: Jessie Prince
Nomad Bolster in Vieux Rose/Ecru from CLO Studios. Photo: Nick Tsindos
H&F: Hi Chloe – what led you here and how has your journey evolved?
Chloe: Whilst I was in University I launched CLO Jewellery, which was designed and handmade by me here in Noosa. In 2016, we opened our doors to CLO Studios, which then naturally evolved into offering our Interior Design service with a wonderful team of interior designers.
We recently also announced our exciting new artistic direction, introducing our rebrand, new website and our newly renovated Atelier space to the world. We have experienced monumental growth, with the business now consisting of a beautiful boutique, design atelier, warehouse, and e-commerce platform.
It’s crazy to think this has all happened in just seven years, but I am super excited to see where this new direction takes CLO Studios and to continually celebrate creativity and growth.
Do you have a disciplined studio routine and any rituals to help keep you focused?
Ideally, I like to start my day early; arriving in the office first gives me the chance to visualise a successful day for myself and my team; this allows me a moment to reflect on the past day, review my action list and set some goals for the day ahead.
My day consists of collaborating with my team on current design projects, meeting with new clients, site visits, and communication with our international makers. We also have our Boutique which I love visiting throughout the day to get some midday inspiration.
I love that no one day is ever the same, always full of excitement and super-fast paced.
As a creative director, what’s the best lesson you’ve learnt along the way?
To give myself time for reflection and creativity, so when I immerse myself back into the business side of CLO, I am motivated and inspired for all the exciting prospects that lay ahead.
When did you first understand design as a form of expression?
Art for me has always been a brilliant source of inspiration that has constantly intrigued and evolved. From a young age I loved creating with my hands, which then led to studying fine art at university. Art and design for me has always been a way of expressing how I feel.
What drives you as a designer to keep exploring new ideas?
Curiosity and changing our clients' lives, how they live, and how design makes you feel within a space. Design is constantly evolving with endless possibilities, which keeps me motivated to explore and discover fresh new ideas.
The CLO Studios boutique space in Noosa. Photo: Jessie Prince
‘Design is constantly evolving with endless possibilities, which keeps me motivated to explore and discover fresh new ideas,’ says Chloe Tozer. Photo: Jessie Prince
“Embrace failure – I feel it’s the only way to learn. I see failure as motivation to drive forward and improve.”
From the momentous art and design movements of Bauhaus and Art Deco, to the rich and vibrant colours of Morocco, Chloe Tozer’s captivation lies in the ancient sculptures, old books and treasures that are waiting to be discovered. Photo: Jessie Prince
325 designed by CLO Studios. Photo: Tim Salisbury
‘We have been fortunate to travel far and wide to find the most interesting treasures, artisans, and brands. Bringing this vast collection together is what creates the CLO unique aesthetic,’ says Chloe Tozer. Photo: Jessie Prince
CLO Studios' interior design Atelier offers an intimately tailored and comprehensive experience. Photo: Jessie Prince
Potters Cushion in Ecru/Blue Ciel from CLO Studios. Photo: Nick Tsindos
Bulimba Park House designed by CLO Studios. Photo: Cathy Schusler
What influences your work?
My interior style is inspired by past experiences, travels, memories, and a mixture of new and old. I'm a huge art lover and collector, so I love drawing inspiration from paintings, sculptures and history. Worldly travels are our number one inspiration. We have been fortunate to travel far and wide to find the most interesting treasures, artisans, and brands. Bringing this vast collection together is what creates the CLO unique aesthetic.
We are still buying from the same artisans as our first trip to Morocco 6 years ago, I follow my gut instinct and love to stay loyal to the same artisans and suppliers. I feel we have a job to share their stories to people that walk into the Boutique or Atelier! Together this inspiration has empowered CLO Studios creative direction, which continues to evolve constantly.
What do you value most about working as a team?
I refer to my team as the CLO Family, as they really feel like an extension of my family. They are the heart and soul of CLO. We have an incredibly diverse team made up of 24 employees across different departments, and whilst we all come from different backgrounds, we connect with our mutual passion for design. Nothing would be possible without them!
How has CLO Studios evolved in recent years?
This year has really been the peak CLO evolution so far, we have really found our voice and feel really excited for our next chapter and new wave of CLO. We are working on some beautiful projects in 2023 and have new capsules and collections in the pipeline for our Boutique. We cannot wait to share them with the world.
Is this your dream job?
Of course, I’m living my dream! Working with an incredible team, clients and artisans every day. Creating beautiful spaces and influencing people’s lives by design.
Have you faced any hardships to follow this path?
Yes, there are always going to be challenges along the way. Covid provided its challenges for every industry. We noticed lead-times push out, and product inventories ran dry. Sea freight prices hit records, and we had to adapt to not being able to travel to source and quality control. Trades became hard to reach and property prices boomed. It was important for our team to keep open communication with our clients and suppliers. We had to adapt to the new way of doing things, such, working from home, lots of zoom meetings and missed not being able to easily go to site, visit suppliers and have in person client meetings.
Reflecting, we are incredibly lucky we are a multifaceted business so we could support each department during the hard times and closures. We all learnt a lot from Covid, and I believe we have come out stronger and more determined. A lot of what we implemented during that time we have continued.
What is a good piece of advice you’ve been given or would give?
Embrace failure – I feel it’s the only way to learn. I see failure as motivation to drive forward and improve.
What does success mean to you?
Success equals a happy team and beautiful culture for my people to thrive and grow.
What are you looking forward to most next year?
We’ve just had our first container from Paris arrive, which we are so excited about. We can’t wait to have our own antique inventory for interior design projects and to offer them as part of our curation. My partner and I are moving into our new home, Villa des Fleurs, which is an extension of CLO. We plan on holding intimate events and workshops in this space. We are working on new collections of furniture designed in-house, and our boutique is getting a facelift in early 2023.