byhayleyjohnston

byhayleyjohnston Hi, I’m Hayley - Interior Designer & Founder.

I work with busy professionals undertaking full-home renovations who want a clear, considered outcome, without managing the process themselves.

Here’s exactly what happens when you book a consultation with us.No discovery calls. No back and forth. You book directl...
05/06/2026

Here’s exactly what happens when you book a consultation with us.

No discovery calls. No back and forth. You book directly through my website, I come to you.

I work with clients across the Eastern Suburbs and inner city, and I always meet at the project site, because there’s no substitute for actually being in the space. We walk through it together. You tell me what’s not working, what you want to change, and what you’re trying to create. I ask a lot of questions. It’s also a chance for us to work out if we’re the right fit, that part matters as much to me as it does to you.

After our meeting I put together a fee proposal tailored to exactly what we discussed. No ballpark figures, no surprises. Just a clear scope and a clear path forward.

If you’re renovating in Sydney and you’re not sure where to start, this is where you start! Book your initial design consultation via the link in my bio.

03/06/2026

Don’t trust your builder to design your kitchen.

Builders are excellent at what they do. But what they do is build, not design.

When I renovated my own apartment in Rushcutters Bay, the first question wasn’t what goes in the kitchen. It was whether the kitchen was even in the right place. It had been sitting in a poky little room since 1937, because that’s where kitchens went in 1937. We moved it into the hallway, opened up the floor plan, and created space for a built in dining banquette that genuinely changed how the apartment felt to live in. A builder working from an existing plan would never have raised that question. That’s not a criticism, it’s just not their job.

And that’s exactly the problem when builders are left to “handle” the kitchen design.

No one is asking how you actually cook. Whether you host dinner parties or eat at the island bench. Whether you need a second sink or just think you do. Whether the island you’ve always wanted will actually make the kitchen harder to move through. A builder’s job is to execute and they’ll execute beautifully. But if the brief is wrong, the kitchen will be wrong, and you won’t realise it until you’re living in it.

The kitchens I see that don’t work aren’t ugly. They just haven’t been thought through. There’s nowhere logical for the things you use every day. Small frustrations that compound over time and by the time you notice them, everything is already built.

These aren’t building problems. They’re design problems and they need to be solved before anyone picks up a tool.

Get a designer first. Then let your builder do what they’re brilliant at.

Hi, I’m Hayley 👋I’m an interior designer based in Sydney, running my own studio, By Hayley Johnston.Most of my clients, ...
03/06/2026

Hi, I’m Hayley 👋

I’m an interior designer based in Sydney, running my own studio, By Hayley Johnston.

Most of my clients, renovating or building, want someone who actually knows what they’re doing to take the reins. People who are time-poor, overwhelmed by decisions and just don’t want to get it wrong.

I’m currently renovating my own home so when I say I understand what you’re going through, I mean it.

I offer full service interior design for Sydney based clients, plus online services including floor plan reviews, lighting reviews, and selections reviews if you’re not in Sydney or just need a second opinion.

If you’re about to start a renovation and want someone in your corner from the beginning, send me a DM and I’ll send you more information about how we can work together.

22/05/2026

SAMPLE SELECTION | Early finish selections for our renovation.

One of the most important parts of the design process is seeing how materials, tones and textures work together in real life. A finish can look beautiful individually, but the magic is in how everything relates together within the space.

21/05/2026

LAST NIGHT WITH | Good showroom design actually helps clients make better decisions.

We visited the new Reece showroom opening in Rosebery last night and what really stood out to me was the central maker’s studio space. It was designed so designers and clients could come together to pull finishes, tapware, vanity colours and materials all in one place and properly workshop a bathroom.

It felt much more collaborative and interactive than a traditional showroom experience, which I think is incredibly important when clients are trying to confidently make selections for their home.

Seeing products in person will always matter. Finishes, texture, colour and scale read completely differently in real life compared to online, and having the ability to physically compare materials together makes the design process so much easier to navigate.

I also grew up in Rosebery, so it’s really nice seeing new life brought back into these old warehouse spaces.

07/05/2026

Most people think hiring a designer is all about creating a beautiful home. But what they don’t realise is that it’s also about strategy.

The real value of a professional designer isn’t that we can “make things look nice”. It’s that we know how to think through hundreds of decisions in the right order, and ask the right questions before they become expensive mistakes.

Because by the time you’re selecting tapware or stone, the most important questions have already been asked and the key decisions have already been made.

A good designer looks beyond the finishes and asks questions most people haven’t even considered yet.

How do you host friends and family?
What frustrates you about your current home?
What rituals matter to you daily?
How do you move through your kitchen when you cook?
How can we create a bathroom that functions comfortably every day?
Does your home support the way you entertain, work, recharge and live?
Is there somewhere to drop your keys when you walk in the door?
Is your towel rail close enough to reach, but not sitting in the splash zone?
Does your kitchen have drawers where you actually need them, and enough storage for the way you cook?

These aren’t just design decisions. They’re life decisions.

I’ve redesigned kitchens around someone’s love of cooking.
Built coffee stations because the morning routine matters.
Integrated bars because entertaining is a huge part of their lifestyle.
Added storage that completely changes how a family functions day to day.

Yes, a beautiful home matters.

But the aesthetics are the result of strategic thinking, not the other way around.

14/02/2026

Trying to be aesthetic in a non aesthetic house 🫠



To say we’ve been busy is an understatement 🫠🫠Deep into renovating our new home, DA documentation well underway, and als...
01/02/2026

To say we’ve been busy is an understatement 🫠🫠

Deep into renovating our new home, DA documentation well underway, and also owners of a very large jacaranda tree

We also welcomed our little furry addition, Fred 🐶

And, The Object Collective continues to grow 💗

Saying goodbye to our first home! After 3 years of ownership and countless hours of renovating, this apartment has been ...
27/09/2025

Saying goodbye to our first home! After 3 years of ownership and countless hours of renovating, this apartment has been such a special chapter for us. We’ve learnt so much along the way, and loved the process so much that we thought we’d have another crack at it.

New project coming soon 🙌🏼

Photographer

SUNDAY RESET | Fresh sheets for the new week. New Love Linen set in Natural for that perfect Sunday reset. ...
10/08/2025

SUNDAY RESET | Fresh sheets for the new week. New Love Linen set in Natural for that perfect Sunday reset.


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Rosebery, NSW
2018

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