From hotels to superyachts: Meet Blainey North, interior architect to Australia's elite

 From hotels, apartments and spas to super-yachts, Blainey North is at the forefront of high-end design.

We spoke with North about how she became interior designer to prestige property owners across the country. 

Q: When did you realise you were destined to become an interior designer?

A: I have always been intrigued by both art and design and it was my art teacher who persuaded me to consider architecture. It became clear that architecture was my space and working within that was my unique passage to take in life.

Q: Tell us about your overseas work.

A: We now have an office and showroom in Mayfair, London. Many of our clients have residences around the world, so we oversee projects on different continents. We have also been working with the fashion designer Alice Temperley on her new store interiors globally, all inspired by the mosaic mirror art of the Iranian artist Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian.

Q: Closer to home, what are you working on in Australia?

A: Our projects include: the spa at the new Crown Barangaroo, which references that feeling when you’re slipping from consciousness just before you fall asleep; a new Australian hotel inspired by the digital relationship with the past; The Revy apartments in Sydney, exploring the layering of rich historical craftsmanship with refined modern details; a number of grand residences in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane; as well as a super-yacht.

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Q: How did the Blainey North Collection of furniture come about?

A: Through designing pieces we couldn’t find easily for our clients. My current collection was inspired by my own experience of the city – surprisingly, my favourite place to be. The pieces explore that complex relationship between our bodies and the built world.

Q: What is your favourite room at home?

A: My bedroom. Inspired by a surrealist painting by Yves Tanguy where the land and sky combine, the walls are silk and lurex wallpaper, with a black silk velvet bedhead and tassel shade pendants which create a watery effect when light shines through them.

I also have an amazing Simon Chaput waterfall photograph in the theme of surrealist fantasy, which is how I want to dream.

Q: How does the fashion world influence interiors – and vice versa?

A: I love the constant creation of the fashion industry; the pressure of a number of collections a year means the industry comes up with some brilliant new ideas.

As a design studio, we are also driven to be at the forefront of design innovation and craftsmanship.