Introduce yourself.

[Lauren]Hi, I’m Lauren – Architect + Interior Designer = Interior Architect, wife of a cyclist, Mum, colour devotee, serial plant killer, semi-retired furniture/object maker, gin aficionado.

Tell us a bit more about S.IA.

[Lauren] S.IA is the cumulation of over 15 years of practice and is the new identity for DesignFolk, the practice I founded in 2016. It is interior and architecture practice completely integrated, delivering personality-packed spaces that capture the imagination, transform client visions and deliver multi-dimensional experiences.

How did you come up with the name?

[Lauren]As a kid I refused to tell anyone my middle name, so the new name may well come as a surprise to many!

Sophia Interior Architecture or S.IA allows me to be the brains (and braun) behind the practice, but also share it with others who help me deliver my projects.

What is your core aesthetic?

[Lauren]Every project takes on it’s own unique signature that is a response to a close and detailed collaboration with each client. This aesthetic is built from a clear and conscious process of discovery that forms a well-rounded strategy and becomes the backbone to all our further decision-making.

The outcome is a tailored and deliberate aesthetic, that packs a punch where it needs too, but also has the ability to sit back and be the background element that allows an interaction or a vibe or a function to just take place. I’m not afraid to use colour, but I use it meaningfully, with care, articulation and balance.

Would you say that you have a ‘signature touch’ on every project?

[Lauren]Vibe – for me personally there is nothing more important than the feeling you get from being in a space. Is the space welcoming, do you feel like you belong, are you comfortable, is it fun, does it represent your business, your space won’t be all of these things but it will always have a vibe – crafted distinctly for you.

What inspires you?

[Lauren]Current photo count on my phone is 14,071, so inspiration is everywhere, always!

What are you designing currently, that’s not for someone else?

[Lauren]Something not interior related at all! A crazy mid century modern-esk, elevated concrete planter that wraps around our front yard to mediate the neighbours intrusive garage! Yes, we all have those problems, even architects!

• Favourite
  book? A little life by Hanya Yanagihara
• Favourite
  album? Impossible…
• Favourite
  show? Schitts Creek
• Dream
  project? The one I’m not expecting