Design M Studio

Design M Studio We take away the stress of decision making and empower you to build your dream home with confidence.

She sent me her floor plan. She liked it a lot but something felt off and she couldn't quite put her finger on it.Here's...
17/06/2026

She sent me her floor plan. She liked it a lot but something felt off and she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

Here's what I spotted, and what we did about it.

1. The large window felt like it was floating. Nothing was anchoring it given the ceiling height. We resolved where the stone splashback stopped and added feature lighting above it.

2. The cooktop wall had a cavity sliding door on one side and a stacked oven tower beside it, leaving it off-centre with no clean resolution. Floating timber shelves tied to the ceiling beams balanced it out and kept the kitchen feeling minimal.

3. The island didn't have enough counter space for how her family actually uses the kitchen. We extended it slightly but stayed within a standard slab size. No joins, no wasted stone.

None of this would have been obvious until she was living there. By then it's expensive to fix.

If you've got a floor plan you like but something feels off, comment BLUEPRINT below and let's take a look.

This client was building their final family home. Plans and build through a volume builder, with a selections meeting fa...
15/06/2026

This client was building their final family home. Plans and build through a volume builder, with a selections meeting fast approaching.

They knew exactly what they loved. French provincial. Monochromatic black and white. Timeless, considered, classic.

What they needed was help turning that vision into actual decisions, using what was available in their builder's selections guide.

We started with the inspiration they'd already collected and went through their selections guide together, room by room. Tapware, tiles, joinery profiles, lighting. Every choice considered against the whole scheme, not in isolation.

The result is a home that feels cohesive from the ensuite to the living room, built entirely from options their builder already offered. No guesswork walking into that meeting. No decisions made on the spot under pressure.

This is exactly the kind of project I love. Taking a clear vision and a stack of options, and turning it into a scheme that actually holds together.

If you've got a selections meeting coming up and want to walk in with a plan, comment 3D and I'll send you the details.

14/06/2026

Before a single selection gets made, I need to know how you're actually going to live in the space.

That's Function — step one of The Dream Home Framework.

→ What happens in this room daily?

→ What needs to be stored and where?

→ What do you want to feel when you walk in?

Your answers to those three questions should drive every decision that follows.

Follow for part 2 — Foundation. That's where the room starts to take shape.

Some materials just work. We keep coming back to them, not because they’re trending, but because they’re timeless.Swipe ...
10/06/2026

Some materials just work. We keep coming back to them, not because they’re trending, but because they’re timeless.

Swipe through to see the three we reach for most in Australian homes, and why they work so well together.

Oak timber brings warmth, travertine adds depth and texture that ages beautifully, and linen takes a space from looking considered to actually feeling like a home.

The three together create a foundation that will still feel right in 20 years.

Save this if you're in the middle of choosing your material palette.

I've noticed something in my recent enquiries.More and more people are coming to me having already used AI. Asking ChatG...
07/06/2026

I've noticed something in my recent enquiries.

More and more people are coming to me having already used AI. Asking ChatGPT to review their floor plan, generate inspiration images, or used it to put words to a feeling they couldn't describe.

And I think that's genuinely great. It means you're engaged, thinking ahead, and taking your home seriously.

But here's what I want you to understand before you go too far down that path alone.

AI can generate a fancy kitchen. But it can’t necessarily design the perfect kitchen for you.

It doesn't always take into consideration important elements, like which way your living room faces in the afternoon. It can't tell you the ceiling height will make that island feel cramped. It won't flag that the layout your builder quoted won't work the way you're imagining it.

It generates from your prompts. It doesn't interrogate.

A job of a experiences designer is to ask the questions you or AI doesn't know to ask. How does your family actually move through this space? What happens to this material choice in five years? Is this decision going to make sense when it's built?

Homes built on AI-generated ideas without a design filter are the ones that look great on a screen and feel wrong when it come to living in it. Not because the AI was bad. Because no one translated the idea into a real decision, for a real space, for a real life.

Drop a comment if you've used AI in your design process. I'm genuinely curious how. 👇

Same kitchen. Same layout. Two completely different directions.This client was renovating and couldn't land on a directi...
03/06/2026

Same kitchen. Same layout. Two completely different directions.

This client was renovating and couldn't land on a direction… so we designed both options in 3D and let them actually see what they were choosing between.

Option A: Mid-brown timber joinery, grey marble stone, warmer and more grounded. The kind of kitchen that feels considered and rich without trying too hard.

Option B: Bleached oak joinery, green quartzite stone, lighter and more contemporary. The kind of kitchen that feels fresh and bright at any time of day.

This is exactly why I visualise before anything gets built. Not just to make it look good, but to make sure you’re choosing the right direction for your home before it’s too late to change it.

What’s your vote for? Option A or B? Drop it in the comments. 👇

01/06/2026

If you’re building or renovating and haven’t thought about custom joinery yet, this is worth a few minutes of your time.

Here’s what I tell my clients before they make any decisions:

Custom joinery is designed around your home, not the other way around. That means no awkward gaps, no wasted corners, and no layout that’s been compromised because the cabinet didn’t come in the right size. Every centimetre is accounted for.

And the quality is just different. The materials, the hardware, the finish are all chosen with longevity in mind. This isn’t cabinetry you’ll be replacing in ten years. Done well, it will last a long time.

What I love most is how personalised it can be. Pull-out pantry systems, deep drawer organisers, integrated appliance bays can be designed around how your household actually functions. Not a generic layout. Your routine, your storage, your daily life.

And you’re not limited to whatever’s in the showroom. Timber veneers, polyurethane, laminates, custom colours, stone or timber benchtops. The finish can match your home’s aesthetic exactly.

Before any joinery goes to a builder or cabinetmaker, I design it in 3D first. So you can see exactly how it looks in your space, whether the proportions are right, and how it flows with the rest of the design before a single piece is built or quoted.

Save this if you’re in the planning stages. 👇

Skirtings are a small detail in the overall space, but the right choice can quietly elevate a room in a way that’s hard ...
17/05/2026

Skirtings are a small detail in the overall space, but the right choice can quietly elevate a room in a way that’s hard to put your finger on.

What I’m currently crushing on:
→ Tall, deep profiles that add presence to high-ceiling spaces
→ Contrasting finishes like metal, marble or timber
→ Integrated LED skirting for a modern, understated glow
→ Unique scalloped shapes for something a little unexpected
→ Shadow lines for a sophisticated architectural edge

Save this for later 👇

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Melbourne, VIC
3000

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