International Seminar Series - Decor + Design Show

DAY ONE: WEDNESDAY 17 JULY

S1: 10.30am – 11.15am

BUILDING A LUXURY INTERIOR DESIGN BRAND

DAVID HICKS
In Conversation with Lucy Feagins, Editor of The Design Files

David Hicks is an internationally acclaimed designer whose eponymous practice is renowned for creating exceptional built environments. Established in 2000 in Melbourne, it has become Australia’s premier brand for luxury interiors and building design.

The David Hicks design philosophy considers architecture, interior design, and decoration as a cohesive whole. The practice’s signature is creating sophisticated and intelligent spaces that are both luxurious and functional.

A regular on the pages of international publications, the multi-award-winning designer is celebrated for a body of work that is graceful, sophisticated, and unmistakably luxurious.

Join one of Australia’s most trusted creators of timeless luxury in conversation with Lucy Feagins, Editor of The Design Files, to discover how to build a sought-after luxury interior design practice.

: @davidhicksdesign
: @thedesignfiles

$70

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GD1: 10.45am – 11.45am

Stunningly Good: Sustainability-First Interiors

Matt Woods, Killing Matt Woods
Taryn Cornell, Green Building Council of Australia

Matt Woods is the creative brainchild behind Killing Matt Woods, a Sydney-based practice. Making his name in hospitality interiors but also in high demand in the residential sector, he crafts beautifully refined, swoon-worthy spaces.

He also takes an uncompromising approach to sustainability. From low embodied carbon to material life cycle considerations, Matt’s clients only get one option – the one that’s best for the planet.

Originally studying industrial design, Matt moved into interior design and has also completed a postgraduate cerificate in Sustainable Architecture at Sydney University.

Join Matt in conversation with Taryn Cornell, Senior Manager – Strategy and Development at Green Building Council of Australia. Prior to joining the GBCA, Taryn worked for over a decade in interior and architectural design, specialising in high-end hospitality and residential work. She also holds a Diploma in Interior Design from RMIT.

You’ll walk away from this session with tangible strategies to work with clients on interiors that are stunningly good but put sustainability first.

: @killingmattwoods
: @gbcaus

$55

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S2: 11.45am – 12.45pm

2025 MAJOR DESIGN TRENDS FORECAST

VICTORIA REDSHAW

Join Victoria Redshaw, Lead Futurist at Scarlet Opus, for prescient insights into the key colours, patterns, materials, shapes, styles and products that will be sought after in 2025.

One of the UK’s leading trend intelligence agencies for the interiors sector, Scarlet Opus’ clients include national and multinational retailers, product designers, interior designers and manufacturers. Victoria has presented Trend Forecasts at the world’s leading interior exhibitions, including Grand Designs Live – London, INDEX – Dubai, SURFACES/TISE – Las Vegas and Decorex and EXCLUSIVELY in London. She is also frequently asked to provide trend insights for leading magazines and newspapers.

Victoria has been a pivotal part of Decor + Design over the years and a firm visitor favourite. Returning in person to Australian shores after a hiatus of five years, don’t miss her uncanny insights into the international influences that are shaping the future of interior design and interior products.

$99

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GD2: 3.45pm – 4.30pm

The Time is Now. Driving Circular Design in Commercial Fitouts

Taryn Cornell, Senior Manager Strategy & Development, Green Building Council of Australia
Sasha Titchkovsky, Founder, Koskela

Join industry leaders who are driving paradigm-shifting change in commercial interior design in Australia.

Sasha Titchkosky is the co-founder and CEO of Koskela; Australia’s leading sustainability practitioner in the furniture and design industry. Sasha has become an influential voice for circular business and social impact as she transforms Koskela towards total circularity by 2027 and absolute-zero emissions by 2035. She also leads programs that use design skills to support Australia’s Indigenous communities.

Taryn Cornell is Senior Manager – Strategy and Development at the Green Building Council of Australia. She is heading up the development of Greenstar Fitouts, the next iteration of Greenstar – Interiors.

Prior to joining the GBCA, Taryn worked for over a decade in interior and architectural design, specialising in high-end hospitality and residential work. She also holds a Diploma in Interior Design from RMIT.

Delve into key circular design principles for commercial projects, the revolutionary Koskela furniture subscription model, GBCA Greenstar strategy, ESG legislation and other ways to reduce waste and promote resource efficiency.

: @koskela_
: @gbcaus

$55

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DAY 2: THURSDAY 18 JULY

S3: 10.30am – 11.15am

VISUAL STORYTELLING

BRAHMAN PERERA

Award-winning interior designer Brahman Perera sees interior design as ‘an engineering of atmosphere’. Beautiful physical spaces which can break down barriers and enhance emotional connection. Join Brahman for a journey in visual storytelling which can transform the energy of a space.

Trained in architecture and with a background in fashion, food & wine, Perera effortlessly creates spaces you never want to leave. Cutting his teeth in some of Melbourne’s most renowned design studios, Perera has been winning plaudits since launching his eponymous studio. Over the past couple of years, he has won the IDEA Emerging Design Award, the Belle Faneuil Emerging Design Star Award and made the prestigious Est 10 and VL50 lists of top interior designers.

Be nourished by this visual feast with Brahman Perera.

$70

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GD3: Thursday 18th July, 10.45am – 11.45am

How Can the Design Industry Help Stop Modern Slavery?

Libby Staggs, Founder and CEO of Sustainable Business Matters
Katherine Featherstone, Senior Manager – Products & Materials, Green Building Council of Australia

Do you know who made your products and where they are sourced? Are they made with forced or child labour, are they sourced from a known country that has a high risk of modern slavery? Modern slavery and labour exploitation is a hidden scourge across industries, including furnishings, décor and materials for the built environment.

Libby Staggs is a sustainability leader and an expert in Modern Slavery, labour exploitation and supply chains. She has over 15 years’ experience working with small businesses who want to elevate their ethical and social standards. And she is on a mission; a mission to inspire, empower and activate businesses to take meaningful action towards ending modern slavery and labour exploitation.

Katherine Featherstone is Senior Manager, Products and Materials at the Green Building Council of Australia. Her role at the GBCA is to work with industry to improve access and availability for products that are responsible, healthy, efficient, and renewable in their use of energy and water and help transition towards a circular economy. Both Libby and Katherine were part of the production of the GBCA’s Responsible Products Framework.

This session will empower you to ask the right questions and inspire you to be part of a movement; a movement towards ending modern slavery.

$55

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KEYNOTE

S4: 12pm – 1pm

OUT OF THE ORDINARY. HOW TO CREATE EXTRAORDINARY INTERIORS.

ABIGAIL AHERN

Leading UK-based designer Abigail Ahern is known for being consistently ahead of the design trail.

Whether she’s pioneering botanicals or dark, inky colour palettes, Abigail’s trendsetting designs are synonymous with glamour, eclecticism and quintessential British humour. An arbiter of cool Brit girl style, her palette seamlessly fuses masculine and feminine for a gorgeous aesthetic that creates spaces you never want to leave.

Abigail began her career in interior design in the states, with a portfolio that spans lavish residential properties such as the Ritz Carlton Palm Beach.

Returning to London, Abigail founded her own retail business in 2003. The Abigail Ahern flagship store in Islington is one of the UK’s top design boutiques, voted one of the coolest places to shop by Elle Decoration and the Telegraph.

Abigail has a global following thanks to her retail and product designs, best-selling books and influential blog. She has also authored five interior books and is a regular contributor to newspapers and magazines.

Abigail has also almost single-handedly made faux flowers and plants cool again. Her foraged take on faux botanicals uses a wild aesthetic to merge house and garden. Think trailing tendrils, native branches, heirloom blooms and woodland fronds.

Join Abigail for an unmissable seminar on how to fearlessly create extraordinary interiors.

: @abigailahern

$99

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S5: 1.15pm – 2pm

CREATING AUSTRALIAN BEAUTY

KATE NIXON

Kate Nixon is an Australian designer, retailer and stylist with an award-winning Sydney-based interior design studio and home decor store.

Her reputation is built on passion and persistence, creating warm, inviting interiors which are classic and comfortable, polished and practical – equally at ease with elegant entertaining and everyday family life.

Kate spent over 19 years in publishing working in various editing, writing and styling roles for revered brands such as House & Garden, ACP Books, Gourmet Traveller, Table Magazine, Belle Magazine, Madison, Country Style and more.

Kate’s interior styling skills have also been sought internationally having worked on residential shoots in the Netherlands, France and Germany as well as commercial shoots for Busatti in Italy. In 2023 the KATE NIXON with Quercus & Co collaboration of patterned wallpapers and linen were launched in Australia, the US and Canada.

Join Kate for a beautiful session on styling interiors which are quintessentially Australian and brimming with warmth and beauty.

: @katenixon_official

$70

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S6: 2.30pm – 3.15pm

DESIGNING A LASTING BUSINESS

NATALIE WALTON

Natalie Walton is an interior stylist, designer and author known for simplifying the art and science of creating beautiful interiors.
She has gained a worldwide following through her bestselling books and signature program, The Styling Masterclass, helping creatives in more than 40 countries to take their interiors to the next level. She is also a mentor through her group coaching program, Design & Grow.

As the founder of Imprint House, a concept space and design studio based in Byron Bay, Natalie also creates genuine and atmospheric interiors, as well as meaningful products that embrace the principles of simple living. These ideas are distilled in her books This is Home: The Art of Simple Living, Still: The Slow Home, Style: The Art of Creating a Beautiful Home and Home by the Sea, as well as her podcast Imprint with Natalie Walton.

Her work has been featured in publications across the globe, including Elle Decoration, Vogue, and Harper’s Bazaar. She was deputy editor at Real Living magazine for five years.

Natalie also helps passionate creatives make a profitable and sustainable living doing what they love and runs a popular coaching program for designers.

Join Natalie in conversation with Design Consultant Juanita Marlowe, as she breaks down the key steps in creating a successful interior design business with global clients.

: @nataliewalton

$70

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W2: 2pm – 3pm

DULUX COLOUR APPLICATION AND TRAINING

Andrea Lucena-Orr, Colour and Communication Manager, DuluxGroup

The Australian colour palette has its own distinctive tones. Join one of our foremost voices on colour, Andrea Lucena-Orr, for this practical workshop on how to apply colour for both interiors and exteriors, for commercial or residential projects in a quintessentially Australian way.

Colour and Communications Manager for DuluxGroup, Andrea has a strong background in colour and design, and has been working with colour for over twenty-five years. She executes colour training, trends and colour forecasting and presents her findings to trade, retail and media – and her recommendations play an integral part in Dulux marketing strategies.

A member of the international Colour Marketing Group (CMG), Andrea scours the globe in pursuit of her passion for colour forecasting.

This session is essential for interior designers, decorators and design students who want a practical grounding in the application of colour.

: @duluxaustralia

$65

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GD5: 3.30pm – 4.30pm

HOW TO SPOT AUTHENTIC DESIGN & GREENWASHING

Anne-Maree Sargeant, Authentic Design Alliance®

With 30 years of experience in the design industry, Anne-Maree Sargeant is a passionate advocate, curator, journalist, speaker, and creative problem solver. She fuses her background in law and design as the director Authentic Design Alliance® (ADA), a for-purpose industry association that is leading the fight against furniture design theft in Australia and promoting the value of investing in original and sustainable products.

As part of the design industry, you can be instrumental in stopping design theft in Australia. Learn how to ask the right questions about product licensing and authentic design, plus spot the obvious signs of greenwashing from companies across the spectrum.

Get educated in this session and use your purchasing power for good.

$44

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S7: 3.45pm – 4.30pm

DIGITAL MASTERCLASS

Jen Bishop, Interiors Addict
Farah Halabi, Oh Tu Agency

Jen Bishop is the charismatic founder of hugely popular design site Interiors Addict. The design journalist took her passion for interiors and made it into a highly ranked website with 150K+ visitors a month and a combined social following of almost 200K. She is in demand as a brand ambassador and collaborates regularly with designers.

With nearly 20 years of experience in media and marketing, Farah Halabi is a go-to guru for navigating the ever-evolving landscape of digital marketing. From her beginnings at Group M, where she tackled media buying for major players, to her stint in publishing, connecting with small businesses, Farah’s journey has been defined by passion and results.
She has helped businesses across various sectors – from fashion to hospitality – achieve impressive growth through savvy social media management and strategic ad campaigns.

Her agency, Oh Tu (a playful nod to the vitalising power of oxygen) centres around the notion that digital marketing will bring your brand to life. She prides herself on working collaboratively with her small business clients to build genuine connections with audiences – and develop sophisticated strategies that drive long-term results.

Join Farah and Jen as they cut through the noise to give you the strategies that work. This is an unmissable session for anyone in the design sector who truly wants to drive growth online.

: @interiorsaddict
: @abigailahern

$70

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Day 3: FRIDAY 19 JULY

GD6: 11am – 1pm

Intensive Workshop: Sustainable Design Fundamentals

Karie Soehardi, Circular Design Thinking (CDT)
This unmissable session is essential for interior designers and suppliers across sectors who want to be ahead of the game.

With ESG reporting becoming mandatory, sustainability is no longer a ‘nice to have’. This unmissable session is essential for interior designers across sectors who want to be ahead of the game. This intensive 2-hr workshop will help you embed sustainable processes in your practice right now – from knowing how to select the best products to obtaining certification and tracking carbon.

Your teacher will be Karie Soehardi, founder of Circular Design Thinking (CDT), an experienced designer and tireless activist for sustainable design. Karie has worked in the design industry for over twenty years, as a commercial product designer and buyer for major brands. Running her own furnishing business for ten years, clientele included Coco Republic, Lend Lease, Sydney Living Museums and many residential customers. She now works with major interiors and furnishing brands as a Sustainability Advisor and change activist.

Your choices can change the world. This session will empower you with a solid understanding of sustainability fundamentals for interior designers and suppliers alike.

$65

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S9: 11.45am – 12.30pm

MAXIMISING PERFORMANCE: DESIGNING FOR PROPERTY DEVELOPERS

LORENA GAXIOLA & JAMES TREBLE

Want to create stylish, functional spaces that property developers love? Don’t miss this informative session with expert designers Lorena Gaxiola and James Treble.

Lorena Gaxiola is a renowned Mexican-born interior designer and entrepreneur. With a passion for merging cultural influences with modern aesthetics, Gaxiola has carved out a unique niche in the world of interior design.

Her leading international design practice has extensive market expertise in property. Established in America in 2000, it has been headquartered in Sydney since 2016.

James Treble is an award-winning interior designer, TV presenter and writer with over 25 years’ experience in the building & design industry. In addition to his vast expertise and experience in the construction and renovation of new homes, he is a qualified real estate agent, colour consultant and interior designer.
If you’d like to gear your practice towards property development, this is an unmissable seminar to learn from two established experts in the field.

: @lorenagaxiola
: @designerjamestreble

$65

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S10: 1.15pm – 2pm

THE “IT” FACTOR

GREG NATALE

Greg Natale has “it”. Over the past two decades he has become one of Australia’s most celebrated interior designers. As Jonathan Adler says: “his rooms are designed with such sureness that they look as if they were always meant to be.”

Since founding his eponymous studio in 2001, Greg has pioneered a new Australian interior, one that is unafraid of the big notes, unapologetic and – though bold – is also considered, intricately layered and beautifully measured.

The multi-award-winning interior designer has become known for his masterly use of pattern and colour, and his bold application of both in creating tailored, innovative, and sophisticated spaces.

Greg’s business has gone from strength to strength, with designs featured in numerous local and international publications including Architectural Digest, Harper’s Bazaar, The Wall Street Journal, Vanity Fair, Vogue Living and Belle Australia.

Greg has extended his passion for pattern, line and colour into other design disciplines, exploring his love of geometric and organic designs through the creation of ranges of rugs, carpets, wallpaper, tiles, furniture and homewares. He has collaborated with local and global brands such as leading Australian firm Designer Rugs and Italian tile experts Bisazza.

He has also published three books, The Tailored Interior, The Patterned Interior and The Layered Interior.

Don’t miss this masterclass with Greg, as he unpacks his inspirations in creating interiors that have “it”.

: @gregnatale

$70

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GD8: 3pm – 4.30pm

LET’S CELEBRATE A CIRCULAR FUTURE!

Karie Soehardi, Circular Design Thinking
Josh Ellis, CULTIVATED
James Treble

The future is now. From circular design to digital passports for products, we’re at the nexus of change. Join us for an afternoon of drinks, canapes and discussion about how we can continue to make beautiful objects but preserve the planet for future generations.
Karie Soehardi has 25 years’ experience as a designer and is the Founder of Circular Design Thinking (CDT), Official Sustainability Advisors to the Green Design Show. Karie is passionate about changing the way products are designed and utilising waste as an asset, as well as fundamentally shifting the values of the industry.

Josh Ellis heads up Cultivated, an award-winning product stewardship program for authentic design, furniture and lighting. Cultivated educates the market on the value of good design and supports clients by providing circular solutions for their furniture and lighting waste.

Join Karie and Josh in conversation with James Treble, award-winning interior designer, TV personality and sustainable building expert, for an entertaining afternoon which will connect you with like-minded people.

$65

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