Firstly we’d love to hear about how you got into the design industry and what/who inspired you to design for a living. Do you hold any formal qualifications?
From the time that I had an idea that people worked for a living I wanted to make houses for people. I had an idea that I wanted to become an architect but I wasn’t so keen on the idea of 6 years study so I went into Graphic Design. I studied fine art and graphic design which covered all of the fundamentals of design, drawing, light and shade, composition, colour and hue etc etc etc so I have formal training in design though I worked in Advertising for a number of years then web and started my own Graphic Design company. I changed careers when I was 27 as I knew it was either think about interiors all day and be unhappy with my work or do what I’ve always wanted and create spaces for people. I was fortunate enough to work with a dear friend and my mentor who helped me to learn the necessary skills related to the building industry.
I am aware of your various projects and would be interested to know what your favorite type of client is and why you prefer to work them?
I am adept at adapting to the client brief but one of the things I love about the place that I am in my career is that people come to me so they can have a space that reflects my aesthetic. I really enjoy meeting people and starting and keeping client relationships and I can honestly say I don’t prefer any particular client above the other. Obviously someone that is decisive, has a good sensible budget and has seen and loves my work is my ideal client. I tend to do very masculine work for men, but soften my style when I design for women or married couples. It’s all good work and I love it all.
Do you have a place that you prefer to work, maybe at home office / studio or somewhere entirely different to your ‘practice’. Which environment inspires you.
I have an office in Surry Hills that I share with a number of creative, like minded people. It’s a great space with around 6m high ceilings and windows along 2 full walls, lots of natural light and it’s a bit rustic and a bit industrial and a really nice place to work from. I inevitably have any number of designer bits and pieces hanging around in my office, currently I have 2 pendant lights and 2 paper maché animal heads from South Africa on the wall. I really don’t sit and work anywhere else though the problem with being a designer is that every moment of quiet you have seems to be an opportunity for a random design/job related thought to enter your mind. I have toyed with the idea of including showers in my billable hours though I think that might be a little hard to explain…
What do you think your practice offers as far as a point of difference?
Darren Palmer Interiors is all about bespoke, customised solutions to design problems, whether they be storage, layout, light, or just general “lacking in interest” issues we create solutions to problems that function first and foremost, answering the client’s requirements with attention to every detail and a high level of finish. The ethos of the practice is to make beautiful spaces that function well, improving the appeal and the value of the property. I put this into practice when working on my own projects also and think that it’s important to not just throw money at a problem, but rather look at the best way to solve it and spend money on things that have impact whilst finding interesting solutions whatever they may be.
There are so many designers out there, in your opinion, what would you say makes a great designer?
A great designer solves problems well, does not impose their style onto people but rather brings their style to compliment the client’s own. They see solutions to problems in ways that others can’t, and have an innate sense of elegance, refinement and sophistication.
Where do you feel your practice is heading and what future trends in design do you see?
My practice is focused on improving property and making beautiful spaces so I will continue to provide great solutions in residential projects for clients and for myself. I would like to turn my attention at some point to doing hotel interiors as my work is very well suited to the sort of challenges associated with hotel sizes and uses. In terms of trends I really don’t tend to think much about trend driven design. I think great design is timeless and classic and not trend driven or compliant.
What industry tricks and inside knowledge in design could you divulge to us?
haha, that would be telling now wouldn’t it… No I don’t have too many tricks up my sleeve. I just like to keep my design classic and functional and tend to use the same suppliers over and over as I know who has what I like and who’s good to work with.
How would you define your personal style?
My style is very natural – that is inspired by nature. I really enjoy natural palettes, like those earthy, black or green based colours, I love natural textures like grass cloth and wood but I also really love animal influences like horns, hides, leather and I’m even using a faux crocodile skin wallcovering at the moment. It sounds bad but it’s actually super good. I like to design with the solution to problems as the primary concern. I like to layer natural textures rather than colour or pattern. I love metallics and sculptural pieces as accents rather than throw rugs and the like. My style is well suited to a masculine brief though I successfully translate my style to interiors for women and couples. I enjoy structural work in terms of fixing floor plans, light issues, or general lack of interest through architectural detailing, and I love a niche or a fire place, something built and interesting to give a space an extra dimension.
In conclusion have you any advice for young aspiring designers who are out to make it big in the creative interior design world?
Absolutely. Be passionate. Love it. If you don’t you’re in the wrong place. It’s a really rewarding feeling to be able to imagine something, build it, then stand with it all around you. What ever you have to do to realise your passion to create do it. Find a mentor, someone who does what you do but better and learn from them. I was very fortunate to be able to do so and I think it’s an absolute necessity. Don’t worry about what other people are doing or what trends are hitting. Just do what you feel is stylish, sophisticated or whatever your style is aiming for. Just do it.
Can you recall your first design project
My very first design project was my own 2 bedroom apartment in Potts Point. I completely changed the whole apartment and every single surface was updated in some way. I did a lot of the work myself, designed and project managed the whole thing and spent a year’s worth of weekends doing the labour but at the end of it the apartment was brilliant. It was published in that year’s Belle Renovation Issue. You can see it online here: http://www.darrenpalmer.com/belle This property was also what my mentor saw which allowed him to take me on as his protégé.
Do you have a favorite book or magazine on design, or how about favorite sites or blogs?
favourite book would be either of Christian Liagre’s books. Both FULL of beautiful inspiring images. Mags would be Belle, Habitus and GQ but have a great many that I read or have laying around my desk.
Would you call interior design an art or a science?
Definitely both. There is a creative flair that you need to have. It can’t be taught. It’s inherent. There’s also a discipline of training, of practice, of time. Being precise in your thoughts and decisions, your detailing and your documentation. It’s a lovely balance between art, spacial awareness and mathematics.
With no limits ( money, resources ) what would you create
BESPOKE. I would just finish all of my joinery as beautifully and carefully as it’s possible. Lovely bronze details between wood panels, customised furniture designed to suit the space and the client. I’d just make the most perfect version of what the client would love and enjoy as I could imagine, and I could imagine some fairly interesting things…
If you were going to design for a celebrity who would you choose and what reasons?
I’m not really into ‘celebrity’ that much. I’d be happy to design for whoever came to me looking for my aesthetic.
Do you have any colour combinations that you are favoring at the moment?
haha, I favour a natural palette most of the time. I do love black and raw tallow at the moment (what my little 1 bedder is being finished in). I love the wheaty natural earthy palettes with a punch of metallic.
Is there a decor fad you hope never to see again?
Hmm… I don’t know, everything that was ever stylish has some merit I’m sure. People seem to be reinventing things that were passé in ever increasingly interesting ways. It all comes back around eventually.
