CREATIVES WE LOVE:

If interior designer Renee Britton isn’t on your radar as yet – she should be. With 17 years’ experience in the industry, the former Three Balls Red in-house interior designer now head ups up new boutique design studio, The Design Hookup.

Offering a full suite of packages for large and small-scale residential projects, as well as hospitality, retail and boutique commercial environments, Renee and her team pride themselves on being warm and collaborative as well as creating functional and intuitively-designed spaces their clients love.

Three Balls Red caught up with Renee to chat about her career, inspiring new projects and why The Design Hookup team is passionate about ensuring intelligent design is accessible to everyone.

Can you tell us a little about how you became an interior designer?

My dad is a builder and for as long as I can remember, I just knew it's what I would do as a career. I have a thorough knowledge of the building process, thanks to my dear old dad! He insisted I learn all of the unglamorous aspects of the building game - from site clean-up and architrave prep to reading plans. I was encouraged to get further education in 2001, so I moved to the Gold Coast to study interior design. I started my own business in 2005 and now, 17 years later, I have joined the collaborative team, The Design Hookup.

How would you describe your style?

My style is textural and relaxed. I borrow elements from different styles like BAUHAUS, art deco, mid-century and pop and apply them to interiors to reflect the client or products’ personality in a natural way.

How do you help your clients turn their vision into reality?

The easiest way is to have a client put together a file of images that speak to them. From these images, we can create a loose concept and then apply this practically to the architecture with shape, texture and function.

How do you combine beauty and function?

With smart cabinetry and custom lighting. Shape and texture also play their part but there's a lot more to it and I don't want to give away all my secrets! [laughs].

Whom/what are your design inspirations?

Flack Studio and Kelly Wearstler are my favourites. They are both so playful with spaces and textures and colour.

What projects are you currently working on?

We have a lot of residential projects on the go at the moment, as well as a super high-end sky home with custom everything. We are also working on another project for a fun Burleigh family where we are melding new styles together. Stay tuned!

How does The Design Hookup compare to other studios?

TDHU allows me to work with a number of leading and emerging creatives. It's inclusive and we all work to our strengths. I have never felt so supported and I feel I'm producing my best work yet. For more about The Design Hookup, click here.