Walk a Country Metre

For decades, Warwick Fabrics has built strong and enduring relationships with clients across regional and rural Australia. These connections extend far beyond business, often evolving into long-standing partnerships and friendships that have become an integral part of our story.

Working closely with our regional clients has also played a meaningful role in shaping and enriching our fabric collections. Over time, we have come to understand how geography can influence preferences for composition, texture and design. Lifestyle, local industries, the surrounding landscape and the architecture of regional homes all contribute to a distinct aesthetic identity.

Designing fabrics that span a range of styles and resonate across rural communities is something we consider a privilege. Guided by an appreciation for honest materiality, enduring craftsmanship and timeless design, we create fabrics that honour tradition, celebrate artisanal qualities and can complement heirloom pieces within rural homes.

The Wren Collection captures this spirit with ease. With its naturally textured cloth and timeless stripe offering, it draws on a country aesthetic long associated with farmhouses and functional, hardworking fabrics.

To celebrate this launch, we wanted to acknowledge the skilled makers who bring textiles to life within regional communities. We invited four upholsterers from across Australia to create a piece from the Wren Collection using 1 metre of fabric, each reflecting the character of their town, community, its local history and surrounding landscape. Each piece celebrates not only the design itself, but also the time-honoured skills, heritage and sense of place that define regional Australia.

Join us as we walk a country metre across Korumburra (VIC), Milpara (WA), Camperdown (VIC) and Childers (QLD).

S.O.F.A Upholstery – Vanessa                     

Korumburra, Victoria 

Vanessa of S.O.F.A Upholstery is deeply connected to her community and landscape, residing in the picturesque town of Korumburra in South Gippsland, Victoria. She describes the town as having a “strong sense of community… full of talented, generous people and a growing number of lovely artisan and boutique businesses.”

Her business has grown from a long-standing admiration for restoring quality furniture, grounded in sustainable practices and the preservation of traditional skills. What began as a hobby evolved through training, mentorship and hands-on experience, shaping a deep respect for well-made furniture and enduring techniques. She also prioritises collaborating with and supporting other small businesses and artisanal makers where possible, “particularly those that are becoming harder to find in regional areas,” while “helping to keep skills, services and meaningful pieces within the community.”

Vanessa recognises that her customers share a strong appreciation for traditional methods and the revival of sentimental pieces. “We place a lot of value on family history and the stories carried by well-loved furniture,” she says. “Many of the pieces we work on have deep personal meaning, and that’s something we’re always mindful of.”

For Walk a Country Metre, Vanessa selected an old chair discovered outside a local mechanic’s workshop — a piece that required complete stripping, refurbishment and reupholstery before being brought back to life.

To reflect the surrounding rural environment, she incorporated appliqué and embroidery. “I chose to appliqué and embroider Callistemon flowers to reflect our rural environment and connection to place,” she explains, creating a piece that celebrates both landscape and storytelling through craft.

She also highlights the importance of access to considered fabric selections within regional areas. “One of the things our customers appreciate most is having access to a thoughtfully curated fabric range locally, without needing to travel long distances.”

Albany Upholstery – Graham 

Milpara, Western Australia 

Albany Upholstery has been part of the Milpara township since 1965, originally established by Graham’s uncle. Taking over the business in 1996, Graham has continued its legacy with a focus on quality workmanship, service and the preservation of traditional upholstery methods.

Graham’s introduction to the trade began early, following a work experience placement during his school years that quickly turned into a full apprenticeship. “My mother suggested I try upholstery and follow in my uncle’s footsteps,” he recalls. “The place where I did work experience offered me an apprenticeship, and I left school at 14 and got started.”

Over the years, Graham has worked across Perth and Bunbury, briefly exploring other trades before returning to Albany and upholstery, a craft that has become a constant. “I’ve never loved it,” he admits candidly, “but I’m naturally quite a neat and tidy person, and this trade calls for that all the time.”

This attention to detail continues to define his work today. Now operating independently, Graham remains committed to the precision and care that have long underpinned the business, while reflecting on the challenges of maintaining these standards in a changing industry.

For Walk a Country Metre, Graham upholstered a 1950s ottoman, allowing the fabric’s texture and character to take focus through a simple, functional form. The piece was photographed against Albany’s most recognisable landmarks, grounding the work within its local context.

Among them is King George Sound, where in 1914 a fleet of transport ships assembled before departing for war, the last view Australia had of many who left its shores. The imagery also features the Brig Amity replica, marking early European settlement, and Dog Rock, a well-known granite formation resembling the head of a bloodhound.

Together, these locations provide a quiet but powerful backdrop, connecting the piece to the history and identity of Albany.

N & J Covers – Nigel 

Camperdown, Victoria 

Located in the historic, agriculturally rich region of Camperdown, Victoria, N & J Covers sits within a community shaped by farming, skilled trades and hands-on industries. Nigel and his family have operated the business since 2020, building on years of experience and continuing a legacy of specialised craftsmanship within the region.

“We took over from my old boss as he was looking to retire, which I gladly took the opportunity, having worked for him since I was 15. What began as a work placement led into a full apprenticeship and a long career in the industry.”

Supporting a community grounded in agriculture and skilled trades, Nigel, his family and long-standing colleague Trevor have shaped the business to meet a broad range of needs. From upholstery and truck tarpaulins to shade sails, canvas work, interior and exterior blinds, and custom auto trimming, versatility sits at the core of the offering. “We take pride in all our work and always push the boundaries to design something different,” he says, including their patented Gumnut Swags, designed and made in-house.

As a family-run business, N & J Covers is deeply connected to its community, supporting local initiatives from car shows to events, often seeing their work on display in custom interiors.

For Walk a Country Metre, Nigel took a personal approach to the pieces he created. “The two chairs belonged to my grandparents. The cow cushion was made for my wife, and I thought it would be a bit funny to put a tag in its ear. The kelpie dog head is for my daughter, and these photos are from our farmland.” The result is a collection that feels both playful and deeply rooted in family, memory and place.

Childers Upholstery – Marion and Duane 

Childers, Queensland 

Childers is a small rural town shaped by a rich and diverse history, known for its strong sugar cane industry, heritage architecture, and surrounding fruit, vegetable and nut farms. Since 1992, Childers Upholstery has been part of the town’s fabric, servicing coastal, rural and farming communities through both traditional and modern upholstery, alongside custom canvas work. Their team specialises in reviving vintage and antique furniture using enduring techniques, as well as producing harvesting items, and vehicle and canvas work including seating, tonneaus, canopies and shade cloths.

Owners Marion and Duane have tailored their specialised services to the needs of the diverse communities they support, particularly local farmers. In honour of these hardworking communities, and to encourage them to “put their feet up”, Marion and Duane created an upholstered ottoman for Walk a Country Metre, positioned beside the iconic Peanut Van, a nod to the region’s long-standing peanut industry. The piece forms a playful juxtaposition, echoing the van’s form and distinctive yellow stripe.

Walk a Country Metre reflects the relationship between time-honoured trades, artisanal skill and community. Each maker brings a unique perspective to the project, shaped by their surroundings, local history and personal connection to place. Through the Wren Collection, these interpretations are expressed in natural texture, timeless design and a deep respect for traditional upholstery methods. Together, they form a considered portrait of regional Australia, where making remains closely tied to people, place and memory.