Indoors: the designer making a sense of surprise part of the plan

It is interesting to watch an interior designer with a strong and confident aesthetic move from newbie to award-winning emerging designer to fully fledged identity in what seems like no time at all. David Flack of Flack Studio in Melbourne falls squarely into this category, with clients drawn by a growing body of work that seems to bear the mantra, "We don't want to be boring."

Flack's full makeover of an Edwardian-era house in Melbourne's Malvern (pictured) was approached with a clear brief: go hard or go home. "The clients wanted their personalities and love of art and travel to be reflected in the formal spaces," says Flack. "They also expressed a desire for surprises."

The directive was clearly a joy for Flack, who was able to dial up the intensity as he mixed Chinese red cabinetry backed in deep olive-green leather with patterned Volcano Onyx marble around the fireplace and solid American oak flooring. "The clients are regular visitors to China, a country that has often been their second home. The walls and ceiling in the living room are the same red as the shelving, and we channelled a modern oriental flavour in the material palette by adding Asian-inspired objects in the curation of the shelving."

As for surprises, By Lassen's "The Tired Man" chair, with its comfort, tactility and playfulness, all but sums up the studio's ethos. "It's like a warm hug," says Flack.