January 21, 2022

Interior Designer: Anna-Carin McNamara

1. What are you passionate about?

I am passionate about homes and I am on a mission to bring joy, order and beauty into as many homes as possible.

2. How did you begin your career?

I started out studying engineering - I love working out how things work - but soon found out that I was more drawn to spaces and how people live so I switched to Interior Design. I studied in London at the RCA and worked in Sweden at Svenskt Tenn before I came to Australia. I love finding ways to integrate my Scandinavian design heritage with the Australian lifestyle and landscape.

3. What is your favourite Atley.co piece and why?

The Glass Mini Vase - I love to bring nature into a home be it just a twig picked up from the ground or a flower from the garden and this is the perfect vessel for it.

Atley.co Handcrafted Mouthblown coloured glass vase made in Melbourne

Atley.co coloured glass vase handcrafted mouthblown in Melbourne Australia

Image Credit Bea Lambos

4. What’s your advice for aspiring designers and stylists that you inspire?

If you have something to say there are no rules. Start with a whisper, test things out and eventually you will find your voice.

5. What is the first thing you ask a client to get a feel for who they are and what their needs are?

How do you want to feel in your home and what inspires you?

6. What has been your favourite project or story behind a project to date?

We have just completed a fantastic project in Newtown it’s an old bakery turned into a family home – beautiful clients beautiful tradespeople and beautiful spaces. Merging of old and new in a unique setting.

7. How do you deal with work stress?

Cold water and a hot sauna.

8. Do you have a preferred interior design style or aesthetic?

Well I can’t get away from my Swedishness…..

9. What’s the worst job you’ve ever had?

At an abattoir during summer between year 9 and 10.

10. Where do you find your inspiration?

There’s always something in an existing space that triggers an idea and inspires. For example a house we worked on had existing tiles around the fireplace with a Lily of The valley motif – Grace Kelly’s bridal bouquet when she married Prince Rainer so Grace Kelly became the inspiration for that house.

11. What annoys you most? And why?

Car horn beeping incessantly when there is no real danger.

12. Have you ever had a nickname? What is it?

13. What was the last TV show you binge-watched?

Nashville

14. If you could only play one music album for the rest of your life what would it be?

Bruce Springsteen “Born to Run”

15. Do you live by any piece of advice or motto?

There is always a solution

16. What is your favourite Friday night drink.

Campari & Soda

17. Dream holiday destination.