Darren Palmer is a heavy hitter in the interior design industry. His “contemporary, accessible and aspirational” tastes have scored him some big gigs with the likes of Audi and Domain, with his most well-known role playing judge in four-time Logie winning show, The Block. But for the design giant, interior planning goes well beyond the camera.
“I’ve always loved design,” he said. “When I was a kid I loved to draw. As I went to high school, I studied art and graphics and I excelled at both. I studied fine art and graphic design at college and worked in advertising and had a graphic design company before turning my hand to interiors.”
Throughout his career, the 39 year-old has moulded a style unique to his character, fusing natural texture, colours and materials from nature.
“I work with Asian, African or other traditional patterning and love the layering affect that including treasured mementos from your travels has on your home.”
But make no mistake, Darren has the good sense of bending his taste for his clients, always placing their needs first.
“You’ll always find representations of traditional patterns whether they’re English, Asian, African, or any other cultural reference that the client wants in their home.”
The worldly designer admits that he spends a lot more time on the homes of other people than he does on his own.
“My house is always pre-reno and always a work in progress,” said Darren. But he doesn’t seem too fussed about this, and shrugs off the small detail. “I style my home only rarely if we have guests or a shoot in my home. It should be noted that we usually have a pretty presentable house but it’s not always photo shoot ready, unless it has to be.”
At this time of year Darren might be excused for his neglect, as he is preparing to release his latest project at Myers. It is a new homewares collection exclusively available at the department store, intentionally designed for the Australian home.
“There are beautiful linen sheets, textured towels, a simple and luxurious palette of materials and some really interesting decor pieces, all of which feel luxurious and curated, but at an achievable price point allowing all Myer customers to include them in their own interiors.”
The Darren Palmer collection is available in Myer in stores now.
By Aidan Wondracz
