采访档案 | Alexandra Donohoe
澳大利亚 | 室内设计师
Alexandra Donohoe 创办了总部位于澳大利亚的Decus室内设计工作室，Alexandra Donohoe有着无可挑剔的品味和与生俱来的时尚感，她可爱又滑稽，更重要的是，她敏锐的直觉、永不满足的好奇心，使她能够建立起一种受欢迎的室内设计实践，将美丽与原始和意想不到的设计融合在一起。她和她的团队设计的高端住宅项目，在精致与挑衅性、异想天开与经典、简朴与多彩之间取得平衡。每一个Decus项目都不仅仅是美丽细节和精致策展的总和。Alexandra Donohoe懂得非常规的组合、平衡和张力的力量，并创造了一种完全属于自己的设计语言。换句话说，她是一个传奇人物。
Apart from her impeccable taste and an innate sense of style, Alex is just bloody lovely. And rather hilarious. More importantly, her razor-sharp instincts, insatiable curiosity and an all-important ability to not take herself too seriously has enabled her to build an in-demand interior design practice that merges the beautiful with the original and unexpected. The exceptional portfolio of high-end residential projects her and her team regularly produce balances the exquisite with provocative, whimsical and classic, austere and colourful. Each Decus project is much more than the sum of beautiful detailing and refined curation. Al understands the power of unusual combinations, balance and tension, having forged a design language that feels entirely her own. In other words, she’s a bloody legend.
Photo by Nick Cubbin.
能给我们简单介绍一下吗？您什么时候决定要成为一名室内设计师的？您是什么时候决定创业的？
Could you please give us a quick introduction? When did you first decide you wanted to become an interior designer? And when did you decide it was time to start your business?
我最初在新南威尔士大学攻读景观建筑学学位(持续了整整一年)，但在土壤科学课上不断打瞌睡。我想当我脸朝下趴在桌子上醒来的时候，我突然意识到这并不适合我。就在那时，我意识到真正让我兴奋的是室内设计，于是我转向了室内建筑。我曾在一系列公司工作，从酒店到商业，最后在住宅领域站稳脚跟。2009年，在大环境不太好的情况下创办。
I initially began my degree studying landscape architecture at UNSW (lasted a whole year), but kept falling snoozing in soil science class. I think I had an epiphany that it wasn’t for me when I woke up full face down on my desk. It was then I realised that interiors was what really got me excited and I switched to Interior Architecture. I worked for a series of firms ranging from hospitality to commercial, landing in residential where I cemented my love affair. The rest is history. The business began in 2009 in inauspicious circumstances.
Woollahra House (2017). Photography by Felix Forest.
在开始项目时，您的首要任务是什么？是否有一些对您的实践至关重要的东西——您的设计理念和过程？
What is your main priority when starting projects? Is there something that is fundamental to your practice – your philosophy and your process?
我们为客户带来快乐的愿望是我们的首要任务。当他们搬进我们精心设计、细节精美的家时，没有比这更美妙的感觉了。就个人而言，最重要的是享受这个过程——我们确实希望获得乐趣，对我们正在做的事情感到兴奋。
Ultimately our desire to bring joy to the client is our fundamental priority. There’s no greater feeling when they move in to their considered, beautifully detailed home and they’re blown away by how it comes together. And on a personal level the priority is to enjoy the process – we really do want to have fun, get excited and amped about the what we’re doing.
Tamarama Home (2017). Photography by Felix Forest.
您的工作室是如何组织的？例如，您们中有多少人在工作室工作，您们有哪些类型的内部技能，您们有外包的项目吗，您们在同一时间处理多少个项目?
How is your studio structured? i.e. How many of you work in the studio, what types of skills do you have in-house, is there anything you are outsourcing, and how many projects do you handle at any one time?
我们的工作室涵盖了全方位的室内设计、装饰和造型。我们也有一个注册建筑师为少数建筑项目设计，我们负责所有的内部采购。在我监督每个项目的创意方向的同时，项目由高级设计师和项目设计师团队日常管理，由助理设计师，初级设计师和采购经理提供支持。工作室目前似乎正处于“婴儿”阶段。
Our studio covers a full scope – interior design, decoration and styling. We also have a registered architect for a handful of architecture projects, and we handle all procurement in house. Whilst I oversee the creative direction for each project, the projects are managed day to day by a team of Senior Designers and Project Designers, supported by Assistant Designers, Junior Designer and Procurement Manager. The studio seems to currently be in a baby-making phase.
Killcare House (2018). Photography by Anson Smart.
您如何组织和管理现代商业中和生活中的竞争需求？在您的日常生活中获得的帮助中，您有没有什么建议或技巧可以和我们分享?
How do you organise and manage the competing demands of modern business and life? Do you have any tip or tricks you could share with us that help you in your day-to-day?
老实说，最近刚生完孩子，我不知道自己是否能把这一切都安排得那么好。但我可能会说，这是目前生活中最具挑战性的方面，所以我的回答是，我仍在努力。在实践层面上，我们最近开始实施Todoist来帮助我们管理自己的项目!
In all honesty, having recently had a baby, I don’t know that I do manage it all that well. But I’d probably say this is the most challenging aspect of life at the moment, so my answer is that I’m still working on it. On a practical level we have recently started implementing Todoist to help us project manage ourselves!
Killcare House (2018). Photography by Anson Smart.
您觉得现在做设计师最具挑战性的部分是什么？如果您能改变这个行业的一件事，那会是什么?
What do you feel is the most challenging part of being a designer today? And if you could change one thing about the industry, what would it be?
这可能是一把双刃剑，事实证明这是一个相当大的挑战。虽然这是一个很好的工具，可以帮助客户向我们传达他们喜欢什么，但当他们不一定能清晰地表达出来时，如果你不小心，它可能会成为一个创意吸血鬼。一个设计练习可以变成一个复制粘贴练习，你想知道为什么客户不只是雇佣一个绘图员，我们真的必须悄悄地反对这一点。 当我们都有这么多的时间限制时，这是一个挑战，因为它是最简单的图像库，但绝对不是产生最佳设计的方法。
It can be a double edged sword which is proving to be quite a challenge. Whilst it can be a great tool to help clients convey to us what they like, when they can’t necessarily articulate it with clarity, if you’re not careful it can be a creativity vampire. A design exercise can become a copy and paste exercise instead and you wonder why clients don’t just engage a draftsperson. We really have to quietly rage against that. This is a challenge when we all have so many time constraints as it’s the easiest library of images to go to, but it is definitely not the way to produce the best design.
North Bondi Home (2017). Photography by Felix Forest.
您有什么方法可以保持动力，专注力和表达能力？您的灵感和参考资料的前3个主要来源是什么——是书籍，杂志还是网站/博客等？
What are some of your methods to stay motivated, focused and expressive? And your top 3 main sources of inspiration and references you are drawn to regularly – i.e. books, magazines, websites/ blogs etc?
旅行是100％保持动力和表达能力的最佳方式！走出澳大利亚旅游无疑是最好的灵感来源。冒着离婚的风险，我的丈夫每周都会被拖着去世界各地的多个展厅——无论是洛杉矶、哥本哈根还是蔚蓝海岸——这一切都证明，我们有那么多无限的可能性去探索。我经常提到《Elle Decor Italia》，老实说，这是因为在内心深处，我想我是意大利人。我在《法兰西广告》中看到的是一种无畏的精神，它似乎很快乐，不太关心其他人在做什么。
Travel is 100% the best way to stay motivated and expressive. Getting out of the Australian bubble is without doubt the best source of inspiration. At the risk of ending up divorced, my husband gets dragged to multiple showrooms a week wherever we are in the world – be that LA or Copenhagen or Cote d’Azure – it all proves there are just so many endless possibilities to explore. I regularly reference Elle Décor Italia – If I’m being honest it’s because deep down I’d like to think I’m Italian. AD France – there’s a fearlessness to what I see in the pages of AD France. It seems quite joyful and not overly concerned with what everyone else is doing.
North Bondi Home (2017). Photography by Felix Forest.
你有受谁的影响?总的来说，你还欣赏哪些其他设计师、同行和创意人士?
Who or what are some of your influences? What other designers, peers and creatives, in general, do you admire?
我有点迷恋那些名字以Pierre开头的法国人：Pierre Yovanovitch和Pierre Paulin。
I’m a bit obsessed with Frenchmen whose names begin with Pierre: Pierre Yovanovitch and Pierre Paulin.
Coastal House (2018). Photography by Anson Smart.
对于那些想要追随您道路的新兴设计师，您有什么建议？您从实践中得到的最大教训是什么？
What advice would you give to emerging designers who want to follow your path? What was one of your biggest lessons learned since starting your practices?
真正的品质需要时间。准备好流一段时间的血、汗和泪，因为建立一个稳固的企业不是一夜之间的锻炼。学习手艺需要时间，在学习的过程中，不可避免地会有很多次想说“唉，也许下次不会再这样了”，所以我们要一路学习。
Genuine quality takes time. Be prepared to shed blood, sweat and tears for a while, because building a solid business isn’t an overnight exercise; and learning your craft takes time. Inevitably, there will be a lot of “eeek, maybe wouldn’t do that again next time” learning along the way.
您能和我们分享一下您的愿景，您的一些目标（和您目前的一些项目）吗?
can you share with us your vision, some of your goals (and some of your current projects)?
对于正确的客户和正确的简报，我们愿意去任何地方(几乎)做任何事情。对我们来说，客户的态度是关键。这是关于客户的冒险精神和尝试的意愿。我们目前的项目包括Margaret河的海滨地产项目，和新西兰的几个项目。与Luigi Rosselli建筑事务所合作的美丽悉尼海港项目以及几个美丽的海滨别墅正在进行中。
For the right client and the right brief we would go anywhere and do (almost) anything. For us, a client’s attitude is key. It’s about the adventurousness that a client has and the willingness to experiment. Our current projects include a beachfront property in the Margaret River; a couple of incredibly-sited projects in New Zealand; a beautiful Sydney harbour-side collaboration with Luigi Rosselli Architects and a couple of beautiful beach houses in the works.
Coastal House Master Study Sketch.
Coastal House Powder Room Concept.
版权归属
Interview © Yellowtrace
Photos ©Decus Interiors
