My journey into the industry began serendipitously during my first year at UNSW. Initially studying  horticulture, I realized my creative path lay within the built environment and switched my focus to Interior  Architecture. After completing my degree and gaining experience with leading Australian architecture  practices, I stepped out on my own and founded Decus. 

Inspired by my childhood in the US and global sourcing trips, I draw on the Mid-Century Brazilian designers’  ethos, blending form, balance, and texture. My work is characterized by refined curation, whimsical detailing,  and provocative combinations of finish.

Over the years we’ve realized that interior design is only one ingredient in the recipe. A truly fulfilling project  involves understanding how clients think, what their values are and what they are really trying to say so communication is key. We’ve developed an exhaustive detailed briefing process over the years that gives us insight into these aspects of clients so we can craft a response that is unique to them.   

Trust. Trust is critical to a successful project. I acknowledge this is a big ask for a client who you may have only just met. But I’ve never seen positive outcomes from micromanagement. The success of a project boils down to clients giving us the reins to lead the project. And humour is a vastly underrated tool. Keeping things light when people are investing so much and working so hard to make things come together helps to  cut through the pressure and stress. There has to be joy and playfulness in this or else why would anyone be mad enough to do it? 

I often joke that I’m polyamorous when it comes to design. When I studied Interior Architecture, we were in the thick of early naughts minimalism here in Australia. It was a sea of terrazzo, Carrara stone, and white polyurethane as far as the eye could see, or you were in the other camp, overzealously specifying mouldings, grasscloth papers, and intricately detailed mosaics.   

I think now people are less puritanical about design and open to blending of genres and design movements, whilst simultaneously becoming more rigorous in the execution of the details.

I’d say right now it’s a tie between our Pierre Paulin Alpha Lounge and my Charles Pollak executive chair. Possibly because I spend so much time in each doing markups.

Do your research about what the industry is like before taking the plunge. Get comfortable with managing multiple deadlines. Look at salary schedules. Reach out and speak to people in the industry first to understand what it’s like. It’s easy to be swept away by the seemingly glamorous elements of the profession, but to do anything with exceptional quality takes commitment and can be gruelling at times.