Originally beginning as the Australian office of one of Londonโs leading firms, Universal Design Studio, it wasnโt until 2011 that all the power (and the pressure!) was transferred to Damien Mulvihill and Mark Simpson, as the office transitioned to become their very own firm, DesignOffice.
โI never had any plans to set up my own studio but when the opportunity came up to join the new Melbourne studio of Universal it was too good an opportunity to miss,โ explains Damien. โDesignOffice was a very natural progression a few years later and although weโre now a separate business, we still think of Universal as a sister company. It’s great to have a wider network of experience and support, both locally and globally.โ
Having now run their own interior design and architecture practice for the last three years, they work across a range of sectors. For them, itโs all about meeting their clientsโ needs, whether that be designing an exhibition at the Powerhouse Museum, working on the new store layout at Witchery and Mimco or creating a temporary bar for Space Furniture. โAt their heart, our projects should be a direct response to the clientโs brief,โ says Mark. โThis involves a process of listening, observing and questioning before creating what we hope to be original and authentic responses, tailored to their brief and brand.โ
With a core team of four, they’re receiving some well deserved attention, including winning Best in State for Commercial Design at this yearโs Interior Design Awards. And while they clearly have a strong connection with commercial and retail design, it is their recently completed residential development that they are particularly excited about.ย โWe recently had a great experience working on our first residential development doing the interiors for the Park & Raphael Townhouses,โ explains Mark. โThe client, Kalex, genuinely wanted to challenge the notion of a townhouse development, tailoring the approach directly to the lifestyles of their target audience and it is these opportunities to respond to a client’s ambition which excite us.โ
With a style that has been called complex simplicity, their projects, while differing dramatically, have an underlying consistency that includes craft and materiality and a specific interest in colour and light. By keeping their studio small, theyย have also ensured that their style remains constant, with both Damian and Mark working on every single one of their projects. โWe can be personally involved in every project,โ explains Mark. โAs well as this, we still get to work closely with the contractors and craftspeople who bring it all to fruition.โ
Damian and Mark see their friendship as the most important ingredient inย the success of their practice. โI would never attempt to run my own studio without a business partner who I genuinely respect and genuinely like — you will spend a lot of time together,โ says Damian. โRunning your own studio is incredibly rewarding, but also a lot of work, soย two heads are better than one!โ
