Six questions with Anna-Carin McNamara, Sydney's Scandi style authority

You can confidently say Swedish-born interior designer Anna-Carin McNamara knows a thing or two about impeccable Scandinavian style. After meeting her Australian partner abroad, she now calls the country home, serving up minimalist and sustainable designs from her Rushcutters Bay-based studio.

We spoke to McNamara about the influence of her upbringing and Viking mythology on her design.

You have more authority than most people to talk about Scandi style. Tell us about where you grew up.

I grew up in a village in the south of Sweden surrounded by forest, lakes and small dairy farms. I was eager to leave but have now come to realise that my upbringing gave me the foundations for my strongest traits as a designer.

Respecting and understanding where raw materials come from is fundamental to my work. I’ve experienced how long it takes for a tree to mature before it can be cut down to become a chair. M

y upbringing also shaped my concept of home. The house I grew up in was simple yet it epitomised the idea of home as a place of belonging and connection.

Describe the path that led to you becoming an interior designer.

I started out studying engineering but soon realised I was more interested in smaller-scale design. I moved to Stockholm and landed an internship with an architectural firm, where I came across the work of Rupert Gardner. He became my mentor and remained so until his passing eight years ago. 

How did you end up in Sydney?

When I was studying at the Royal College of Art in London, I met and fell in love with an Australian. I moved here with him, having no real concept of how far away from Sweden it is. That was in 1995. I love Australia. It’s my home and I belong here yet I will always be a Swede at heart.

Tell us about your Rushcutters Bay-based studio, ANNACARIN.DESIGN.

ANNACARIN.DESIGN works predominantly in the high-end residential sector. Our design philosophy is deeply rooted in the Scandinavian principles of simplicity, functionality and sustainability. I’ve also recently launched a new rug collection for Designer Rugs, inspired by the colours and patterns of the runes in Viking mythology. 

Your recent book, Make a Home to Love, emphasises the importance of removing clutter. Tell us more. 

I write about removing and reorganising but the most important chapter is about reacquiring. We bring too much stuff into our homes. If we are more conscious in our purchasing, there will be much less need for decluttering. 

Describe your favourite room in your own home – and why you love it.

We live in a terrace house. My favourite room is the kitchen. There’s a sofa and a big central table. I love a table in the middle of the room rather than an island bench. It invites conversation and prompts eating sitting down together.