Decorating
Interior Design
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Designer Profiles: Meryl Hare On the Power of Layering
With decades of experience under her belt, the queen of layering shares her insights on stylish interior design
Meryl Hare, of award-winning interiors practice Hare & Klein, is a veteran of the industry, who is still leading the pack in beautifully layered and constructed residential interiors.
What are the three most important things to consider when designing a home?
- The client’s lifestyle
- The architectural envelope
- The opportunity to create something beyond the client’s expectation that adds value to the project.
How should a client form a brief for their home?
By thinking about how they want to live, now and in the future. A home is an expression of the owner, so it’s important to take the time and opportunity to think through likes and dislikes and to communicate them to the designer, either in discussion, in writing or through images.
Sometimes a room remains unused because, for instance, the formal light pendant in the dining area doesn’t reflect the owner’s casual approach to entertaining. So we need to ask the right questions to get inside the client’s head.
Bay house, Sydney
By thinking about how they want to live, now and in the future. A home is an expression of the owner, so it’s important to take the time and opportunity to think through likes and dislikes and to communicate them to the designer, either in discussion, in writing or through images.
Sometimes a room remains unused because, for instance, the formal light pendant in the dining area doesn’t reflect the owner’s casual approach to entertaining. So we need to ask the right questions to get inside the client’s head.
Bay house, Sydney
What’s the first thing you do when you need to prune the budget for a project?
Every project is different, so there is never one answer. We would look for solutions with the builder or joiner, which don’t compromise the essential aesthetic, perhaps re-select finishes or redesign some elements – but always in collaboration with the client.
Every project is different, so there is never one answer. We would look for solutions with the builder or joiner, which don’t compromise the essential aesthetic, perhaps re-select finishes or redesign some elements – but always in collaboration with the client.
What’s the one thing you always include in a project?
Our design philosophy is embedded in our strong conviction that interiors should balance aesthetics with layers of visual generosity. We weave texture, visual warmth, refined comfort with a sense of the client’s personality.
This is the visual language that we start with in our concepts and that we stay with throughout.
Cliff Top house
Our design philosophy is embedded in our strong conviction that interiors should balance aesthetics with layers of visual generosity. We weave texture, visual warmth, refined comfort with a sense of the client’s personality.
This is the visual language that we start with in our concepts and that we stay with throughout.
Cliff Top house
Who is an established Australian architect/designer you admire?
I love John Wardle’s residential work, it has soul.
I love John Wardle’s residential work, it has soul.
Who is an emerging Australian architect/designer to watch?
TomMarkHenry. I love its 1888 Certified project – it’s so imaginative and interesting.
Mosman house
TomMarkHenry. I love its 1888 Certified project – it’s so imaginative and interesting.
Mosman house
Do you prefer a big or small home, and why?
It’s more about the proportions of the interior spaces. A big home works when it’s filled with people’s lives, and every space is used. I dislike rooms that serve no purpose. Small homes with generously proportioned rooms work better than lots of small spaces.
Curraweena house
It’s more about the proportions of the interior spaces. A big home works when it’s filled with people’s lives, and every space is used. I dislike rooms that serve no purpose. Small homes with generously proportioned rooms work better than lots of small spaces.
Curraweena house
Which is best, high-tech or low-tech, and why?
I am not really a ‘techie’ person, but most of our clients want automated systems, so we have to be across the technology options.
Kirribilli house
I am not really a ‘techie’ person, but most of our clients want automated systems, so we have to be across the technology options.
Kirribilli house
What’s your favourite room in the home, and why?
My favourite room in the home is the kitchen/dining/living room. It usually has the most interaction, so it exudes energy.
Peninsula house
My favourite room in the home is the kitchen/dining/living room. It usually has the most interaction, so it exudes energy.
Peninsula house
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What do you do?
We are interior designers and decorators. We offer a full interior design service, from concept to completion, including all aspects of the planning and documentation through to bespoke furniture and furnishings, and even the artwork.