With an unusual background combining hairdressing, colour and building industry work, Royston Wilson is a design veteran who continues to make waves.
With such a diverse background, it isn’t surprising that Royston Wilson has an eye for successful design. Coming to Australia at only 16 years of age, Royston took on a variety of jobs in the building industry. His fundamental love of colour and design led him to become a leading ladies’ hairdresser. After working in Knightsbridge, London, and Melbourne, as a hairdresser, Royston decided to combine these skills with his building experience and take a different path. “I felt a need to return to the building industry and not just on weekends, as I had been doing.This time I wanted to be on the design side,” says Royston. And so in the ‘90s Royston studied and gained qualifications in colour, interior design and decoration and also became a Registered Building Practitioner. Thus began Royston’s successful design career in which he has won numerous Australian and international awards for the design work of his business, Royston Wilson Design. The close-knit team of seven at Royston Wilson Design are quirky and innovative, renowned for thinking outside the square to come up with creative solutions to complex design challenges. They specialise in high-level residential and hotel resort complexes. The company’s work is ideally suited to major companies requiring design or redesign solutions and residential projects in need of practical design. Royston reveals that his design philosophy focuses on three important elements: light, colour and form.
His philosophy is expressed through his functional showpieces of design. Not only does his work exceed clients’ expectations, with its elegant style and timelessness, but Royston does it all within budget! With years of experience and plenty of awards behind him, Royston is passionate about his industry. His design portfolio is fittingly diverse. Although known mostly for his award-winning kitchen and bathroom designs, he also has a wealth of experience in varied areas. His portfolio includes residential housing, building design, concepts and applications for the retail industry (in particular hairdressing salons), and innovative restaurant design in the hospitality industry. His commissioned work has taken him from Australia to international destinations including the UK and Dubai. Royston generously shares his knowledge with the design world by mentoring up-andcoming designers and speaking at industryrelated conferences. He is a dedicated committee member on a number of industry bodies including the HIA Kitchen & Bathroom Industry Association. His leadership, industry advice and encouragement to colleagues are all a reflection of his extensive experience in the design world. As Royston himself says, “In all of the work that Royston Wilson Design is involved in, be it small or large projects, the excellence of design, beauty of form and pure functional quality are paramount.”
