‘Briony Fitzgerald, a former fashion designer, has a lineage that is part of Australia’s decorating history. Her mother Ann Gyngell was one of Sydney’s most prominent decorators and designers of the 1980s. Ann worked with Marion Hall Best and is known for her bold, but carefully considered use of colour. Briony continues the line and has developed her own way with fabrics, texture and colour’
David Clark, Design Editor
From a young age Briony went to work with her mother to Marion Hall Best’s shop in Queen Street, Woollahra where she was surrounded by contemporary furniture, fabrics, tiles, colour and inspiring women.
‘I was made incredibly aware of detail and was taught to open my eyes to what was around me, so the environment in which I spent my time has profoundly affected the way I see the world. I have always lived and breathed design. For me colour evokes emotion and my ‘feeling’ for the world is purely visual’, she says.
Briony believes that colour uplifts interiors and exemplifies this through her unwavering use of textiles, glazing walls and ceilings, aware that the coordination of light and colour can significantly change the ambiance of a space.
‘For some clients the expression is bright and bold, for others it is subtle and nuanced. Whatever the outcome the process in developing the interior is the same – it is intense and thoughtful, intuitive and imaginative’, says Briony.
This all takes time and Briony has both the patience and the address book to see each project through from furniture floor plan to the creation of bespoke furniture pieces, her signature approach to the layering of fabric, the sourcing of furniture and the application of painted surfaces.
She feels firmly that a house ‘tells me what it wants’ and that may be opening it up to views, relocating a kitchen or reconfiguring the flow of a space as much as its decorative content. “It’s important for me to discover how the client lives and what their requirements are. A home should be an expression of the owners’ personalities and their way of life. It is our job to read their taste, help them to realise their vision and educate them through the design process so we can create their dream home’, she says.
To deliver this Briony works with the highest level of artisans, architects, landscape designers and builders. ‘Collaboration is the most inspiring and creative process – to work with other talented people who have an open mind and an eye for detail is energizing and creates a flow of new ideas and possibilities’.
We are committed to providing an excellent, highly personalised service and include our client in the creative process, so they are engaged in the design and their input is reflected in the final result. Briony uses colour, textiles, widely sourced products and bespoke diesgns to create a unique expression for the client.
We offer a full-scale interior design service working in close collaboration with client, architect, landscaper, builder and other skilled trades to make each project unique.
Our services include
- Review of architectural plans
- Documentation
- Drawing + documentation of custom cabinetry
- Selection of all finishes
- Kitchen + bathroom design
- Interior + exterior colour
- Project management
- Furniture selection + layout
- Design + documentation of custom furniture
- Selection of soft furnishings
Briony Fitzgerald Design acknowledges the Gadigal People of the Eora Nation, the traditional custodians of the land on which we work. We pay our respect to Elders past, present and future.