Our story — Meet ROBERT
I spent more than 30 years in the advertising world, mostly in Sydney. If you’ve ever walked past a billboard in the 90s or early 2000s, there’s a decent chance I worked on it. It was a fast-paced life — long hours, big budgets, constant deadlines. By the time I hit my 50s, I started to feel like I’d done my time. My wife, Fiona, and I began talking seriously about leaving the city for something quieter. In 2015, we sold up and moved to a small property just outside Margaret River.
At first, I thought I’d just enjoy a slower pace — maybe plant a veggie garden, read more books, that sort of thing. But after a few months, I realised I missed having a project. I’d always enjoyed working with my hands, and I started tinkering in the shed, making things for the house. I’d never made so much as a coffee table before, but I found I enjoyed it. I started looking into different materials — bamboo, merino wool from suppliers in Northern Tasmania, reclaimed WA jarrah. The idea for Colton grew from there.
The actual start of Colton Goods came during a market day in 2018. Fiona signed me up for a local maker’s market without telling me. I wasn’t sold on the idea, but I went, mostly because she’d already paid the stall fee. To my surprise, people were genuinely interested in the small batch of desk organisers and homewares I’d brought along. By the end of the day, I’d sold everything I’d made. That night, we had a chat at the kitchen table, and I decided to give it a proper go. I registered the business as NOWLAND ADVERTISING PTY. LTD. — the only company name I had handy.
These days, Colton Goods keeps me busy in the best way. We run the business from a small workshop here in Margaret River, sourcing materials from all over Australia. Most days, you’ll find me in the workshop sanding something down or finalising an order. We’re still a small team, but that suits me fine. Every product we ship out has been through my hands. It feels good to be putting something useful out into the world.
— Thanks for stopping by — ROBERT, ROBERT GRAHAM NOWLAND
Journal
The Bamboo Desk Organizer and Morning Light
I’ve started keeping our bamboo desk organizer near the window for a surprising reason: the morning light.
I’ve always been a morning person, something that started when I worked in finance — early trains, early meetings. It’s a habit I’ve kept out here in Margaret River, but now my mornings look different. Lately, I’ve been paying closer attention to light. Specifically, how it moves across my desk between 6 and 8 AM. The bamboo desk organizer, which we’ve been selling for a while now, casts these long, soft shadows that shift as the sun comes up. It’s oddly satisfying. A reminder that small things, like where you place a desk organizer, can change your space.
When we developed the organizer, we wanted something simple but functional, with enough compartments to stop the chaos, but not so many that it felt over-engineered. It’s made from bamboo because it lasts, and let’s be honest, it doesn’t hurt that it looks clean. But watching how it interacts with light wasn’t something I’d thought about until recently. Now, I keep it over on the sill near the window. Pens, a few receipts, the odd spare screw. And morning shadows.
Bamboo’s a good material for this kind of product. It grows quickly, and it’s hardy. The supplier we work with is based in Indonesia, and their operation is small but efficient, which is exactly what I wanted. They showed me how they split and laminate the bamboo to make it strong enough for repeated use. A lot of bamboo products don’t survive long, but if you take a closer look at the joints and edges of ours, you’ll see there’s no skimping out.
Spring mornings in WA are a mix of warm and cool. A breeze through the window throws the papers off my desk half the time, but I’m trying to leave the window open more anyway. It makes mornings slower, in a good way. And somehow, the desk organizer has become part of that routine. Not just a thing to chuck pens in anymore. Funny how that happens.
Maybe this is just a long way of saying I like mornings. Or light. Or bamboo. But I think we notice things differently when we make a change. I don’t know if I’d have paid attention to something so small living in the city. Probably not. But now I’m out here, small things feel bigger, and a bit more important.
Setting Up a Spring Picnic with a Merino Throw
A sunny Sunday, a vineyard near Metricup, and our merino throw as the base for an impromptu picnic.
Last Sunday, we packed the car and made a quick drive to a vineyard near Metricup. No planning — just a couple of sandwiches made on the fly, a bottle of something white, and our merino throw. We ended up staying until the sun dipped, lying on that throw for half the day. It was one of those afternoons that reminds you to slow down a bit. Spring in the Margaret River feels like the best time for that.
The throw was never really designed as a picnic blanket. It’s made from merino wool, not some hardy, wipe-down material. But I figured it’d survive. Merino’s durable in a way you don’t quite expect from something so soft. The one we had with us was the charcoal grey — it hides marks from dirt, which was helpful when I accidentally spilled a bit of the semillon. It was local wine, too, a 2022 Leeuwin Estate.
When we were first sourcing the wool, I took a trip to a farm outside Albany. The farmer, Ian, runs about 300 sheep, mostly Saxon and Peppin Merino, and he’s meticulous about quality. The wool needs the right crimp, the right micron (ours sits around 18.5, if you’re curious), and he’s a stickler for how the sheep are handled, too. After spending a day with him, I knew it was the kind of operation we could trust.
That throw ended up doing more than I expected on Sunday. We wrapped it around our shoulders when the afternoon cooled. It padded the hard ground. And yes, it caught a couple of crumbs from those sandwiches. But it handled it all well. A quick shake and it was basically back to normal, ready for the drive home. I think that’s the thing about merino — it’s forgiving.
It was a good day. I don’t think I’d use the throw for a picnic every time, but for a spring day like that, it worked. Just enough sun to take the chill off, just enough wine to make the spill funny.
Choosing the Right Yoga Mat Materials
Our yoga mats are made from natural tree rubber and jute. Here’s why we chose those materials.
Yoga mats come in all sorts of materials: PVC, TPE, cork, rubber. When we started looking into designs, we knew we didn’t want synthetic. They’re often slippery, and they wear out faster than you’d think. Instead, we landed on natural tree rubber and jute. Both are more resilient than they look, and they don’t have that awful chemical smell you sometimes get with mats.
Tree rubber comes from, unsurprisingly, trees. Specifically rubber trees on plantations in Thailand. The process of collecting rubber sap is slower than I expected — one tree might only produce 3-4 kg of raw rubber a year. But what you end up with is this elastic, grippy material that’s tough enough to take daily use. Perfect for a mat.
Jute’s an interesting one. It’s a natural fiber, lightweight but sturdy, and it comes from a plant that grows mostly in India and Bangladesh. We chose jute because it balances the rubber out. It gives the mat a textured surface that feels steady under your hands, without making it bulky. Plus, it’s breathable, which helps if you’re doing yoga outside in summer — no slipping around in the heat.
I’ve been using one of the prototypes myself. It’s a mix of trying things out and reminding myself why we made the choices we did. Honestly, it’s held up better than I expected. A year in, and it still feels like the right call to go natural. Synthetic mats might be cheaper, but they rarely last this long, and they’re far harder on the environment.
Every material has a story behind it. Some are just easier to justify than others. Rubber and jute may not be flashy, but they do their job. And at the end of the day, that’s what you need when you’re in downward dog, not sliding all over the place.
Behind the Scenes: Bottles in the Making
Our stainless steel water bottles go through a surprising number of steps before they’re ready to sell.
If you’ve ever held one of our stainless steel water bottles, you might not think much about how it’s made. I didn’t either, until I started sourcing them. Turns out, a lot goes into making something that looks so simple. Ours are made in a factory outside Geelong. They specialise in small-batch production, and I spent a full day there last year to see how it all works.
The steel itself is 18/8 grade, which just means it’s 18% chromium and 8% nickel. Durable, doesn’t rust, and it’s food-safe. The process starts with sheets of steel that get stamped into shape. Watching the stamping machine was something else — each bottle takes about 20 seconds to form, but it’s loud, precise work.
From there, the bottles go through polishing. A lot of it is done by hand, which surprised me. The workers buff out imperfections on every single bottle, and it’s a long process — around 10 minutes per piece. After that, they’re cleaned, tested for leaks (yes, every single one), and then sent off for powder coating if it’s a coloured run.
One thing I hadn’t considered: the lids. They’re their own separate production line. Silicone seals are cut and fitted, and then each one gets screwed onto a bottle during final assembly. It’s oddly satisfying to watch the whole thing come together. All up, about 25 separate steps go into one bottle. It’s not quite as simple as I’d assumed.
The next time you twist open a water bottle, think about how it got to that point. At least 30 hands were probably involved, from start to finish. Makes you appreciate it a bit more. Or maybe that’s just me after spending too many hours watching stamping machines.
Autumn in WA and Taking It Slow
Autumn in Margaret River feels like a deep breath. The mornings are cool, the afternoons golden, and everything slows down.
April’s here, and with it, the first real cool mornings of the year. Margaret River in autumn is hard to describe without getting a bit sentimental. The vineyards start to turn gold, the beaches empty out, and the air smells different — crisper, maybe. Even the mornings seem quieter, like the year’s taking a breath before winter shows up.
I’ve started walking more in the mornings again. Less heat to contend with now, and the evenings get dark earlier anyway. Usually, I’ll take a Colton water bottle with me, filled with tea instead of water. Strange habit, maybe, but it keeps my hands warm. Plus, it’s a nice ritual, sipping tea while I wander down toward the coast.
While the mornings are fresh, the afternoons are still holding onto the sun. It’s a good time to shake out the merino throw and sit outside. The sheep down in Albany are probably glad for cooler weather, too. I imagine Ian’s been shearing already, prepping for the next lot of wool to come through.
I’ve been thinking about that balance a lot — cool mornings, warm afternoons. How to slow down and make the most of the in-between. It’s easy to let it all rush past, but autumn doesn’t work like summer. It’s quieter, less demanding. More time for second cups of tea or re-reading a book you half-finished last year. More time for noticing light, like I wrote about a while back.
Not much else to report, really. Just autumn doing its thing. Slowing things down, and making the mornings feel like they’re worth paying attention to. Maybe I’ll start carrying a notebook with me on those walks. Or maybe I’ll just keep carrying tea.
Customer reviews
Emma B. — Fremantle, WA — 2024-02-15 — 5/5
Exactly what I needed
I ordered the Colton Bamboo Desk Organizer for my home office, and it’s perfect. It arrived faster than I expected and keeps everything tidy.
James H. — Newtown, NSW — 2024-03-06 — 4/5
Great blanket, minor issue
The Colton Merino Wool Throw Blanket is warm and soft. However, I noticed a small loose thread after a few weeks of use. Still love it though.
Laura P. — Brunswick, VIC — 2024-05-12 — 5/5
Perfect water bottle
I bought the Colton Stainless Steel Water Bottle. It keeps my drinks cold for hours and has a sturdy design. Very happy with the purchase.
Daniel T. — Paddington, QLD — 2024-06-25 — 5/5
Highly recommend
The eco-friendly yoga mat exceeded my expectations. It's durable, doesn’t slip, and arrived in eco-conscious packaging.
Sophie M. — Adelaide CBD, SA — 2025-01-03 — 5/5
Ideal wallet
I ordered the Colton Leather Wallet as a gift, and it’s both stylish and practical. The delivery was on time, and it came in great condition.
Ben C. — Hobart, TAS — 2024-11-20 — 4/5
Good value
The Bamboo Desk Organizer is well-made and looks great on my desk. Would’ve liked an extra compartment, but it’s still functional.
Olivia R. — Bondi, NSW — 2025-03-10 — 5/5
Best blanket I’ve owned
The merino wool throw is so soft and warm. It was delivered quickly and has become my go-to for chilly nights.
Liam G. — Darwin, NT — 2024-12-14 — 5/5
Better than expected
The stainless steel water bottle is perfect for the heat here in Darwin. I take it everywhere now and it’s holding up great.