After 10 years at the helm of Vogue Living, David Clark has a finely honed sense of what makes a successful interior. In a new series, he introduces us to his favourite interior designers working in Australia today. To kick off, Iain Halliday of BKH, pictured below, talks to us about scale, proportion and the influence of James Bond.

 

What attracted you to the world of design and architecture?
From an early age I was obsessed with my surroundings and my idea of what was beautiful & glamorous. The look of certain movies and television programs both old and contemporary were a fascination. James Bond always seemed to have the best cars, watches and toys. Bond villains always lived in Lautner houses or on private islands. Movies set in New York always featured penthouses.


BKH's first New York project, the apartment of an expatriate Australian and her NY-raised husband, featuring 20th century furniture and antiques along with a bold custom-made rug. Image: Ditte Isager.

Who are the people alive or dead that you think are/were truly inspirational?
Such a difficult question – so many! Mies Van Der Rohe, Paul Rudolph, Halston, Josef Hoffmann, Constantin Brancusi, Gianni Agnelli, Tom Ford, Peter Marino, Anna Wintour, Yves Saint  Laurent, Donald Judd, Anish Kapoor.


A sculptural staircase in a family home on Sydney Harbour which features a minimal palette of sandblasted limestone and painted plaster as the backdrop to an extensive collection of antiquities and rugs. Image - Sharrin Rees

How would you describe your signature style?
Appropriate, sure-footed, elegant & stylistically diverse.

What matters to you most in the work that you do?
Seeing a client that is happy with what you have produced for them, knowing that you were able to deliver your best in the context of their needs and budget.


The design for Rosetta, Neil Perry's new Italian fine dining restaurant at Crown in Melbourne, was inspired by the restrained elegance of celebrated Venetian venues such as Harry's Bar. Image - Earl Carter.

Do you have a favourite residential project?
The Johnson – Nicols House in Whale Beach

What is your design pet hate?
Acres of furniture from only one supplier mixed with a bad high rise flower arrangement and bad art hung too high up the walls (does that constitute 3 hates?)


The cool grey interior of the Arkitex textiles showroom in Rushcutters Bay, Sydney. Image - Sharrin Rees.

What do you think works without fail?
Beautifully considered lines, attention to scale and an understanding of appropriate materiality.

You oversee a team of eighteen employees – what do you look for in the people you work with?
A genuine dedication to what we are selling – an understanding of proportion, appropriateness and quality. High levels of energy and patience.


David Thompson's Darley Street Thai restaurant featured hot and bold colours evocative of the exotic opulence found in Thai temples, with black rendered columns to give order to the space and unify the rooms. Image - Sharrin Rees.

You have had much peer recognition over the years. Is there a key moment that matters most?
Probably not one but several:  The opening of Darley Street Thai Restaurant (1993), the release of BKH Book 1 (2007) and the opening of BKH New York office (2008).

What would the future bring that would make your career complete?
A substantial commission in New York

Find out more at www.bkh.com.au or at BKH's Facebook page. You can also buy BKH (published by Thames & Hudson) in good bookstores or online.