From Milan to Mumbai – and with more than a few stops in Melbourne along the way – 2024 was a year packed full of design encounters. From interviews to company Q&As, we’ve been learning more about some familiar designers as well as getting to know emerging talents from scratch. Away from the project features, here is a whirlwind tour of some of our top profile and people picks for the year – in no particular order, here are eleven profiles to enjoy!
Michael Graham (MEGA)
We said in no particular order, but it seems fitting to start with one of our 2024 Winnings x Habitus House of the Year award winners. Michael Graham of MEGA took out the Winnings Emerging Talent Award at a pumping awards night in November in Melbourne on the back of Little More House, a project completed with Kim Kneipp and Sawsee.
“I’m not really a typical architect when it comes to hobbies,” says Michael when asked about his sources of inspiration. “I love spearfishing, hunting and so on – I’m a really outdoorsy person. A lot of what influences my work comes from growing up exploring our beautiful High Country, [with its] remote cattlemen’s huts. That’s where a lot of the forms for my buildings come from – I just love the ruggedness and resourcefulness of the construction of those buildings.”
Georgina Wilson
The founder and principal of architecture and interiors firm, Georgina Wilson Associates, has hundreds of thousands of social media followers. She joined us for a podcast interview (to be released in 2025!) in Sydney, and shares her personal journey and insights here.
“There is an overwhelming amount of misleading information about design and renovation out there,” says Wilson. “From glossy images of impractical and ineffective ‘moments’ to unqualified ‘educators’ giving bad advice. Architects are not engaging with the general public at all – it’s no wonder people are confused. I wanted to bring a professional, experienced, pragmatic and relatable perspective to the masses, hoping to assist the millions striving to optimise their homes.”
Elyza Veta
An artist and designer who goes by the handle @vetaelyza on Instagram, she describes her portfolio as “envisioning the intangible,” drafting renders and digital furnishings inspired by high-end fashion houses. Lauded sartorial trends – namely the Miu Miu slingbacks and Maison Margiela Tabi boots – are transformed into digital chairs.
“I grew up in a traditional post-Soviet household in Ukraine, where innovative design was non-existent, and I instinctively felt its absence,” Veta tells us. “I began taking art lessons at six and became passionate about design-build by nine after discovering renovation TV shows. When I moved to New York later on and had to choose a college major, I went with interior design – it sounded like both a practical and creative choice. After graduation, I worked in commercial design-build and got to see the construction side of interiors, witnessing how everything was made, from the digital drawings I created to the real-life spaces.”
Dean Williams (AKA Architect George)
Another Winnings x Habitus House of the Year standout contender, Architect George is an emerging practice in Sydney that made the 20-strong shortlist of projects from across the region with Apartment in Double Bay II.
So, how exactly did the name, Architect George, come about? “There are so many people involved in an architectural project, so I knew that I didn’t want to ever work on my own – I wanted to work in a very collaborative environment,” says Dean. “The whole ethos of the practice is not about one person; it’s not about me, not about my name on the door. In jest, we picked a somewhat generic, unisex name that represents everyone.” There is also, of course, the nod to George Costanza and his propensity to pretend he was an architect…
The Vrindavan Project
Over to India now – based in Haryana, The Vrindavan Project are a duo of creatives, Ranjeeet and Shreenu Mukherjee, who deliver a range of residential projects. Each work is highly bound to its context and the families that occupy them through the embrace of place-specific innovations.
Delivering a modest two-bedroom weekend getaway for a small family from busy Mumbai, The Vrindavan Project’s design for Farm House embraces non-traditional construction materials in an innovative home that is both sustainable and bold in its design. In contrast, their City House project, sited in the winter capital of Jammu and Kashmir is a large eight-bedroom home housing multiple generations under a tapestry of the architects’ experimental design ethos.
Nathan Ruttner
Nathan Ruttner, the founder of Nathan Ruttner Interior Design, approaches his craft with an effortless and unforced familiarity. Setting up his own studio in 2023 provided Ruttner with the opportunity to establish a design philosophy that resonated with him, one grounded in authenticity. “My aim is for the final design to feel effortless and true to itself,” he shares.
SAHA
Ok, this one might technically be reaching back to the end of 2023 – but these guys are going places! For Harry Catterns and Sascha Solar-March, the pair behind SAHA, questions of density seem to be the creative catalyst for several projects. This small practice based in Sydney is gaining significant recognition for its inventive and elegant approaches to residential sites that are – to put it simply – small.
Zerom
Back to India again with New Delhi interior design studio, Zerom. The practice is forging a new path for Indian design aesthetics, one that is set on breaking expectations while honouring traditional crafts.
“India holds a treasure trove of traditional skills,” says Devika Jain. “We’ve been collaborating with artisans to preserve these techniques, integrating their expertise into contemporary designs.” This synergy not only breathes new life into ancient crafts but also creates pieces that tell a story of cultural revival.
Hannes Peer
“I started as an architect. I design everything as an architect,” Hannes Peer tells us – a statement that resonates deeply in his collaboration with Minotti, now at the third generation and explored in-depth in this interview. The collaboration between Hannes Peer and Minotti is more than serendipitous; the partnership has brought forth a mutual tendency towards perfection and the placing of herculean importance on family.
Fisch Designs
Earlier in the year we spoke with Ash Fischer, founder of Fisch Designs, a sustainable design company located in Sydney and last year’s recipient of the Carl Nielsen Design Accelerator at Powerhouse. “It’s an interesting period for design because the word ‘sustainability’ is thrown around so much to a point of losing its truth to some degree,” says Ash Fischer. “I think it needs to be more than just materials; how things are manufactured? How far do they travel? Why have you chosen that particular material? [These] are all things you should consider as a designer.”
Sarah-Jane Pyke
Finally, something a little different. The Arent&Pyke co-founder is one of the first guests on the new podcast, Stories Indesign. Check out the interview here!
