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Brooke Aitken is one of Sydney's most quietly powerful voices in residential design — a Registered Architect AND Interior Designer who has spent 21 years building Brooke Aitken Design into one of the few practices in the country with the rare ability to both build a home and furnish it. But somewhere in the middle of that journey, on a panel in front of an audience, she said something that stopped the room cold: “I was happy. But I was broke.”
This is the conversation every creative who has ever wondered if their craft will ever pay off needs to hear — an unflinchingly honest reckoning with the gap between award-winning work and a sustainable business, and what it actually takes to close it.
In this episode, we explore:
Why Brooke walked away from a place in medical school to pursue architecture — and the moment she “cut my hair off, dyed it white blonde” and went all in
Inside the legendary DCM years: being project architect on the interiors of the Melbourne Museum at the very start of her career
Founding Brooke Aitken Design in 2004 with no business training, no marketing, and clients already waiting at the door
“I was happy but broke” — what rock bottom actually looked like ten years in, while going through IVF, undiagnosed endometriosis, building her own home, and paying her staff before herself
The Business of Design podcast moment that changed everything — and why Brooke now sits in a peer mastermind comparing real figures every six months
Daniel Priestley’s “11 touchpoints” rule, and how Brooke rebuilt her entire marketing engine around it after a decade of hiding her work behind bad photography
“Soft Modernism,” slow architecture, and why she’ll usually fight to save a 70s building rather than knock it down
Inside the studio: a sister, a “design alumni” WhatsApp group, design charrettes, and why “no one has just one problem”
“Systems will set you free” — the Asana templates and operating system every creative business owner should steal
ChatGPT, Midjourney and how an architect known for craft is quietly experimenting with AI
What she would tell her younger self — and why she still insists success “hasn’t happened yet”
Why this conversation matters
In a design industry that polishes every portfolio and hides every struggle, Brooke Aitken does something rare: she tells the truth. For any architect, designer or creative business owner who has ever wondered why beautiful work isn’t translating into a beautiful life, this is the conversation that names the gap — and shows what’s possible on the other side.
About Brooke
Brooke Aitken is the founder and Principal of Brooke Aitken Design, a Sydney-based studio she has led for over 20 years from her base in Ultimo. A registered architect and interior designer — one of the few in the country who delivers both — she is known for an aesthetic she calls “Soft Modernism”: contemporary, considered, deeply liveable spaces shaped by the brief, the building and the way people actually live. Her work spans heritage homes in Sydney’s east, sustainable rejuvenations of mid-century houses, and award-winning international projects in San Francisco and Palo Alto. She is also the founder of Rill + Stone, a home
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Kym Elphinstone | How to Collect Art: A Curator's Guide to Living with Art
Kym Elphinstone is the founder of Articulate, one of Australia's most respected contemporary art and culture agencies, and the author of Collecting and Living with Art. A lawyer turned curator, advisor and strategist, Kym has spent her career immersed in the art world — from the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia and New York's New Museum to building audiences for the Biennale of Sydney, the Venice Biennale, Sydney Contemporary, the NGV and private collectors across the country.
In this episode of Build Beautiful, Kym reframes art not as luxury or decoration, but as language — a way of seeing, feeling and remembering. For anyone who has ever hesitated at the threshold of a gallery wondering where to start, this is a warm, expert invitation to walk in.
In this episode, we explore:
Kym's unlikely path from law in London to a life in contemporary art
The "baptism by fire" years at MCA Australia working on 12–15 exhibitions a year
Founding Articulate sixteen years ago — with the Biennale of Sydney as first client
Why she wrote Collecting and Living with Art — and the foreword by John Kaldor
"There are no wrong answers" — the biggest myth about how to start collecting
Walking into a gallery for the first time — why gallerists genuinely want you there
Fostering, not owning: collecting as a form of custodianship for future generations
The King's College London study proving art physically changes us — heart rate, cortisol, inflammation
Understanding the value of art — artist reputation, galleries, career milestones and the market
Why emerging artists need collectors most, and how to spot a singular point of view
Sydney Contemporary as "time travel for art" — 45 minutes to take the pulse of the sector
Advice for designers and architects: commission artists early in the design process, not at the end
How to help clients see the value of a $50,000 artwork the way they see a $50,000 sofa
Kym's most cherished piece — an Oliver Wagner canvas made from house-paint dust

Why this conversation matters
In design and architecture, art is too often the final decorative layer — if it is considered at all. Kym Elphinstone offers a quietly radical counterpoint: art should be part of the conversation from the very beginning of a home, a career, a life. For designers, architects and anyone wondering how to begin collecting, this is an expert, unintimidating invitation into the art world — and a reminder that living with art changes how we feel inside our own spaces.

About Kym
Kym Elphinstone is the founder of Articulate, a Sydney-based agency specialising in contemporary art, culture and design. A lawyer who left London for the arts, Kym held senior roles at the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia — including on secondment at New York's New Museum on the Bowery — before launching Articulate sixteen years ago. Articulate's clients span the Biennale of Sydney, the Australia Pavilion at the Venice Biennale (including the 2024 Gold-Lion-winning Archie Moore / kith and kin presentation), Sydney Contemporary, the NGV, Nonsingular in the S
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Alexandra Donohoe Church is one of Australia's most sought-after interior designers — founder of Decus Interiors, a Sydney-based studio she has led for over 16 years that has become synonymous with a rare kind of beauty: restrained, layered, and deeply felt. Her work has graced the pages of Architectural Digest, Elle Decoration, Vogue Living, and Belle. But what sets Alexandra apart is not her portfolio — it's how she thinks. She grew up between Sydney and Seattle, came to design via landscape architecture, and built a business starting alone from her apartment in 2009. That she now leads a team of 10–12 on some of Australia's most exquisite residential projects is both a triumph of vision and a testament to something quieter: the courage to do less, not more.
In this episode of Build Beautiful, we go beneath the surfaces Alexandra creates — into the psychology, discipline, and emotional intelligence that make her work unforgettable. This is a conversation about what it means to truly listen. To read a client's life, not just their brief. And to build a studio — and a creative self — that lasts.

In this episode, we explore:
Growing up between Sydney and Seattle — and how living across cultures shaped her eye for space
The unexpected path from landscape architecture to interior design — and why she never looked back
How she reads between the lines of a client brief: decoding desire, not just preference
What clients think they want vs. what they truly need — and the art of delivering both with integrity
Creating 'tension in a space' — why conversation between art, furnishings and architecture matters more than matching
The psychology of restraint: why editing is her most powerful design tool
Running a studio for 16 years — what she's outgrown, what she's fiercely protected, and what's kept her going
The emotional weight of creative leadership — and the discipline required to carry it with grace
Her obsession with detail: the proportions, edges, and grooves most people will never consciously notice
What 'building beautiful' means to Alexandra — in work, and in life

Why this conversation matters
In a design world saturated with trend cycles and visual noise, Alexandra Donohoe Church offers something rare: a practice built on discernment, psychology, and restraint. Her philosophy — that great design is an extension of the client's inner world — is a reminder that the most enduring spaces are not designed to impress, but to hold. At a time when authenticity is more sought-after than spectacle, this conversation is a masterclass in what truly matters.

About Alexandra
Alexandra Donohoe Church is the founder of Decus Interiors, a Sydney-based interior design studio she established in 2009. Over 16 years, she has built a reputation for creating luxury residential interiors that balance refined beauty with the unexpected — resisting signature style in favour of deeply personalised spaces that feel like extensions of their inhabitants. Her work has been published in Architectural Digest, Elle Decoration, Design Anthology, Vogue Living, and Belle. She leads a team of 10–12 designers on high-end residential projects across Australia and internationall
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Darren Genner, co-founder of Studio Minosa, is one of Australia's most awarded interior designers — a man who began his career on a factory floor producing 34 kitchens a day, and built one of the country's most quietly powerful design studios over 24 years. Alongside his partner Simona, his studio is known for its signature approach to 3D visualisation, its "Design Life Better" philosophy, and an unwavering belief that great design starts with function — not finish.

This is a conversation about what it means to build a creative life from the ground up. From sawdust and apprenticeship to bespoke interiors, award-winning process, and the resilience required to survive the GFC, a studio robbery, and the strange fog that followed Covid. It is also — in the most unexpected and moving way — a love story.

In this episode, we explore:
How a kitchen factory apprenticeship on a production line became the unlikely foundation of a world-class design philosophy
The mentor who told a young Darren: "A chef will never tell you the ingredients" — and why watching became his greatest tool
Meeting Simona at a Poliform showroom — the chance connection over Italian kitchens that changed everything
Starting Studio Minosa with $400, a shared dinner idea, and a water-conscious Corian washbasin called the Puddle Scoop
The white box method: stripping all colour from 3D renders so clients can truly understand space, function and scale before choosing materials
Why being an early adopter of 3D visualisation — long before SketchUp — gave Studio Minosa a 24-year competitive edge
The bad client experience that forced them to rethink contracts, communication, and the courage to have hard conversations
How the GFC, a studio robbery, and the post-Covid slump each tested — and ultimately forged — their resilience
The "Design Life Better" tagline: not a catchphrase but a moral compass, developed with a Nike brand strategist in 2016
Hiring for personality over skill, building a team that stays for 10+ years, and why fewer clients done better is now the goal

Why this conversation matters
In an industry that often chases aesthetics over substance, Darren Genner is a reminder that the most enduring design practices are built on craft, curiosity, and the courage to put process before polish. Twenty-four years in, Studio Minosa is proof that when you genuinely design life better — for your clients and for yourself — the work takes care of itself.

If this episode resonated, please like, subscribe and share — it helps Build Beautiful continue to tell deeper stories from the world of design, architecture and creative life.

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If you'd like to be on the podcast, or want to collaborate with Build Beautiful feel free to contact us on [email protected].

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Refugee Roots to Merivale Design Director: Nasim Koerting on Creative Freedom
In this episode of Build Beautiful, Refugee Roots to Merivale Design Director: Nasim Koerting on Creative Freedom, Nasim Koerting shares how her refugee background shaped her identity, leadership style, and creative direction at Merivale — Australia’s most iconic hospitality group. From migrant identity and self-worth to creative freedom, intuition in design, and leading large-scale hospitality projects, this is a deeply personal conversation about building atmosphere, soul, and meaning into public spaces.
As Design Director at Merivale, Nasim works across some of Australia’s most recognised venues, helping shape spaces that are known not just for their style, but for their emotional impact. We explore what it means to design from intuition, how constraints can elevate creativity, and why the journey matters more than the outcome.
If you are a designer, creative, migrant child, or anyone navigating identity and ambition, this conversation will resonate.

In This Episode:
00:00 – Introduction: From Refugee Roots to Merivale
01:20 – Discovering interior architecture by accident
03:00 – Growing up as a migrant child in Australia
05:55 – Breaking cultural expectations in creative careers
09:50 – The pressure to prove yourself as a refugee’s child
11:03 – Publication, ambition, and the myth of “making it”
14:20 – Moving overseas: Israel, Spain, and London
16:38 – Creative direction in London and non-linear career paths
17:40 – The call from Merivale
18:13 – Leading design at scale across iconic hospitality venues
19:51 – Creative freedom vs brand and business constraints
21:00 – Sourcing vintage pieces in France
23:36 – When design mistakes become breakthroughs
25:42 – The collaborative Merivale design process
31:26 – Why Merivale built an in-house design team
32:21 – Living with your spaces and constantly evolving them
36:31 – Where creativity really happens
38:36 – Leadership, self-doubt, and managing large teams
41:12 – Burnout, boundaries, and reclaiming creative energy
45:45 – Advice to young designers from migrant backgrounds
53:25 – What “Build Beautiful” means to Nasim
Connect with Nasim Koerting 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nasimkoerting/
Connect with Build Beautiful
Instagram: @buildbeautiful_podcast
Website: buildbeautifulpodcast.com
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To get in touch with Build Beautiful or to follow us head to our socials: 
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If you'd like to be on the podcast, or want to collaborate with Build Beautiful feel free to contact us on [email protected].