Edit Interiors

✨Moray St Rooftop | Project Complete ✨

We’ve recently wrapped up the design of this rooftop space for a Moray St apartment building, creating a relaxed, elevated outdoor retreat with beautiful natural stone, lush planting, considered lighting and plenty of spaces to gather, entertain and enjoy the views.

The finished result is exceptional, and even better: a very happy client! 🤍

A huge thank you to TPS for trusting us with the project. There were plenty of moving parts along the way, but with a great team and a lot of problem-solving, it all came together beautifully.

Another one ticked off the list ✔️

📸 Carlo | Photographer

Demo day has officially begun on our Coronation Drive project with Uneek! ✨

Using green as the hero colour, beautiful river views and expansive spaces designed for collaboration, connection and entertaining are all coming together.

Can’t wait to see this one transform from shell to finished space. Swipe to see the renders 💚

InteriorDesignBrisbane OfficeRenovation

Do you need a decorator, an interior designer or an architect for your commercial fitout?

It depends on what you are actually changing.

A decorator can help with the visual layer of a space: furniture, artwork, styling, paint colours and accessories. This may be suitable if the layout, services and built elements are staying as they are.

An interior designer looks at how the space needs to function as well as how it looks. For a commercial fitout, this can include:

📐 Space planning and layouts
🪵 Custom joinery design
💡 Lighting and electrical coordination
🎨 Finishes, fixtures and furniture selections
🚪 Partitions, doors and accessibility considerations
📋 Detailed drawings for builder pricing and construction

An architect may be required where the project involves significant changes to the building itself, such as extensions, structural alterations, façade changes, planning requirements or more complex approval pathways.

Some projects need one of these professionals. Others need a team.

For many internal commercial fitouts, an interior designer can manage the overall design and documentation while coordinating with the builder, certifier, engineers and other consultants as required.

The most important thing is choosing someone whose experience matches the type and complexity of your project, not simply selecting the broadest service.

Did you know the difference between these roles before starting your fitout?

Send me your tenancy plan and a brief description of what you are changing, and I can help you understand what level of design support your project is likely to need.

Check the tenancy guide before designing

Before falling in love with a shopfront, sign or finish, check the landlord’s tenancy fitout guide.

Shopping centres and commercial buildings can have detailed rules covering:

🪧 The type and location of signage
🛍️ Shopfront materials and finishes
🚪 Doors and concealed back-of-house areas
🧱 Approved wall and joinery finishes
💡 Lighting and illuminated signs
🔩 Fixings and penetrations into the existing building

Existing conditions do not always mean they are automatically approved for reuse. Something already installed, such as an aluminium shopfront or lightbox sign; may still need to be reviewed by the landlord or Retail Design Manager as part of the new fitout.

Finding these requirements early can prevent redesigns, delays and unexpected costs later.

Business owners: did your tenancy guide contain any rules that surprised you?

Before committing to a commercial lease or fitout design, send the tenancy plans and fitout guide through for review.

What looks simple usually isn’t...

A laundromat may look like rows of machines, some seating and a folding bench, but there is a lot happening behind the finished walls.

Each machine may require specific power, water, drainage, ventilation and maintenance clearances. The walls and joinery also need to coordinate with the exact equipment dimensions.

On a recent laundromat project, the layout needed to consider:

🧺 Machine sizes and servicing access
💧 Hydraulic connections and waste locations
⚡ Electrical requirements
🪑 Comfortable waiting and folding areas
✨ Lighting, signage and customer experience
🧱 Wall finishes that work around the equipment

The practical requirements always come first, but that doesn’t mean the space needs to feel purely functional.

Good commercial design is about making the services work while still creating a space customers enjoy using.

What is the best-designed laundromat feature you’ve seen: comfortable seating, folding space, charging points or something else?

Have a specialised fitout in mind? Send me your equipment information and tenancy plans to discuss the next steps.

The cheapest fitout decision is often made early!

One of the best ways to control the cost of a commercial fitout is to involve your designer and builder before any design decisions have been locked in.

Recently, I worked through a project where the client had a firm construction budget. Instead of continuing to add new joinery, lighting and display elements, we issued the current design for pricing first.

Once the builder’s costs are known, we can make informed decisions about which extras provide the most value.

It is much easier to adjust a shelf, finish or lighting selection during the design stage than it is to remove it after construction has started.

My advice:

💰 Be honest about your budget from the beginning
📋 Separate essential items from optional upgrades
🔨 Obtain pricing before approving additional features
📐 Leave room for services, approvals and unexpected site conditions

What would you prioritise in your fitout: custom joinery, lighting, signage or furniture?

Planning a new commercial space? Get in touch before signing off on your layout.

Why a floor plan isn’t enough...

A floor plan might show where everything goes, but it doesn’t give a builder all the information they need to accurately price and construct a commercial fitout.

A complete construction drawing package includes:

📐 Dimensioned plans, elevations, sections, callouts and details
💡 Lighting, data and electrical layouts
🚪 Partition types and door/hardware details
🪵 Joinery documentation
🛖 Ceiling Plans
🎨 Finishes and fixture schedules
🪧 Signage locations and specifications

This is why there can be a big difference between a concept design and an Issue for Construction (IFC) drawing package.

Concept plans help establish the direction. Design Development (also called Detailed Drawings) help remove assumption and improve pricing accuracy. IFC are what the builder and trades use on site to build from.

Are you currently at the ideas stage, or are you ready to obtain builder pricing?

Send me a message if you’re unsure what level of documentation your fitout needs.

While we wait for signage to be installed, I'd love to share my latest project with Chantal Louise Skin and River Glen Builders!

This project was designed to capture the warmth and coastal vibes of the Mediterranean, using natural stone, warm timber, soft lighting and earthy finishes to create a textured and warm interior.

The reception area was designed around the beautiful stone feature wall and Blackbutt timber ceiling battens, with concealed lighting used to bring out the texture and create a softer atmosphere. The same material language continues through the retail display and vanity areas, tying the spaces together without making them feel overly matched.

Laminex Pale Honey was selected for the coloured joinery to add warmth while still keeping the overall interior light and calm. Bronze tapware adds a subtle contrast and complements the earthy tones throughout.

A simple palette, but one with plenty of texture and detail.

Suppliers and finishes:

🪨 Stone: Artisan Culburra
🪵 Timber joinery: Builder’s own Blackbutt
🎨 Coloured joinery: Laminex Pale Honey
🚰 Tapware: Reece bronze tapware

Design: Edit Interiors

Every project starts with understanding how our client wants to work.

For OMR Property, the brief was to move away from the traditional corporate aesthetic and create a workplace that felt lighter, warmer and more inviting. A refined palette of soft creamy beiges, light timber, stone-look surfaces and brushed brass detailing establishes a calm, contemporary environment that reflects the client's brand.

A key feature of the fitout is the ground floor entertaining bar. Rather than treating the kitchen as a back-of-house utility, it was designed as a destination within the workplace. A space that supports informal meetings, client hospitality and day-to-day interaction between the team.

The upper level continues the same material palette, incorporating collaborative breakout spaces, flexible workstations and quiet areas that respond to the different ways people work throughout the day. Every element was considered to create a workplace that is both highly functional and cohesive.

Projects like this demonstrate how thoughtful planning and carefully selected materials can transform a commercial office into a space that not only supports productivity but also enhances the everyday experience of the people using it.

Thank you to OMR Property for the opportunity to create such a beautiful palette, and to Ignite Fitouts for delivering the project with such a high level of craftsmanship.

Interior Design: Edit Interiors
Builder: Ignite Fitouts

Compliance is one of the most underestimated parts of a commercial fitout.

It’s not just something to tick off at the end. It influences layout, door widths, circulation, accessibility, fire egress, services, and how the entire space is planned.

When compliance is considered too late, it usually leads to redesign, delays, and unnecessary cost.

We often see projects where layouts need to be reworked because door clearances don’t comply, travel distances exceed limits, or accessibility hasn’t been properly resolved.

Engaging a designer from the beginning means compliance is built into the design from day one, not forced in later.

It creates a smoother approval process, clearer documentation, and a space that actually works both on paper and in reality.

If you are planning a fitout, getting the right advice early will always save you time and money.

Have you ever had to change a design late in the process to meet compliance?