2014 International Design and Architecture Awards

Virtual reality: An affordable way to design your home

Sometimes the best ideas come to you unexpectedly, which was the case for Milray Park founder Sally Bevan. Struggling to decorate her home, she was overwhelmed by the magnitude of options. Furniture shops left her feeling directionless, while interiors on Pinterest found her questioning how on Earth she could bring them to life, especially with a budget! So, Sally enlisted the help of an interior designer online and via email they came up with a design she was happy with.

Jump forward a few months and Milray Park was conceived, with the hope no one else would ever have to deal with the same stress. 100% online, the platform allows you to access all of the tools you need to achieve a beautiful home. “We’ve plugged in the best interior designers, custom built the eDecorating platform for seamless designer-client collaboration and have disrupted the pricing model to provide a full design service at $299 flat-fee per room.”

However, Milray Park’s recent development is the most exciting, with the launch of the ‘View my room in VR’ service. This allows you to fully visualise your new space with a realistic 3D rendering, so you can actually try pieces of furniture in your home before you buy. And the best part? It’s only $99 per room. “Before virtual reality, it was impossible to know exactly how your furniture would look like in your home,” explains Sally. “Now, our customers can make much better purchasing decisions and with confidence. This is particularly important when buying pieces like dining tables and couches, which are investment items that you don’t want to get wrong.”

So the big question: Does it work? Well according to client Erin Smith: “Yes! When Milray Park suggested using ‘View my room in VR’ we jumped at the idea of seeing our space perfectly designed, before hitting the buy button for our big ticket items. The VR service gave us full confidence in our design.”

Before Milray Park came to Erin’s rescue!

While eDecorating can seem a bit daunting, for peace of mind Milray Park offers a designer callout service (for $149 per visit), however both Sally and Erin agree it’s not necessary. “I fell in love with the concept of having a beautiful, professionally designed space without the huge price tag,” says Erin. “With Milray Park I was able to bring to life the interior design I envisaged and be involved in the process.”

For more on Milray Park | Designers we love

Small Brisbane design firm wins big in London

Small Brisbane firm Sublime Architectural Interiors were a long way from home when they were recognised as one of the world’s best, winning Asia Pacific Best Kitchen Design at the 2014 International Design and Architecture Awards in London.

The 2014 International Design & Architecture Awards were hosted by leading UK interior design magazine, design et al.

Sublime’s design director, Kim Duffin, was acknowledged for his work in transforming a derelict block of flats in New Farm into a magnificent home. But up against international design firms from China, Singapore and India, it was no easy win! “Being recognised at an international level is something all Australian designers aspire to,” says Kim. “The design community in Brisbane has really come of age and is up there with the world’s best.”

This is the first international design award won by Kim and takes his award tally to over 80 regional, national and international awards in eight years. Having won Australian Kitchen Designer of the Year five times, Kim still believes this award is especially exciting as it is a stepping stone into the exploding Asian market. “It was a privilege to be able to breathe new life into an old character home. This project highlights how our lifestyle revolves around our beautiful climate and that the blur between indoor and outdoor living is a necessity in our daily lives. I am thrilled to be recognised at this level.”