The Creative Type Sydney interior designer Cameron Kimber.
The Sydney interior designer shares the influences and highlights that have figured in his creative journey.
My childhood definitely had an impact on me choosing a career in the design industry. I think the house you grow up in always affects you, and in many different ways. I am fortunate that I grew up in a safe and comfortable family home. My parents took an active interest in their house and garden and both were always immaculately kept. My mother is now 86 and pays just as much attention to her surroundings today. That has definitely influenced the way I live.
A successful design studio is as much about the team a designer has
around them as the designer. And my team is the best! There is no such thing as an average day for me, but I generally start my morning slightly after my team arrives, by which time they have usually sorted out the day’s schedule and begun responding to emails.
I’m the type of person who needs quiet when I work. That’s difficult enough in an office with phones going and so on, so I definitely couldn’t deal with music or podcasts in the background as well.
Probably the biggest challenge of my career has been believing in myself.
It takes a certain amount of courage to design interiors that go against the current trends. Of course I always look at what is fashionable, but if I think something is ugly, I will never present it to my clients.
I think the achievement I’m most proud of is having met and worked with
so many wonderful people. That includes all of my clients, of course, but I’m also really proud of the people who work for me and the list of industry contacts and suppliers I’ve made. It has taken years to build that network.
Most weekends, I escape to my house in the NSW Southern Highlands.
It’s a beautiful place where I can totally unwind and plan my strategies for the coming week. It’s so important for maintaining my work/life balance. Having a wonderful circle of friends who don’t work in the design industry keeps me grounded as well.
I find houses and gardens endlessly inspiring. It doesn’t matter where they are in the world. If I can, I’ll explore them in person. If not, I’ll be reading magazines or books, or scrolling through images on Instagram. I think if I could choose a painting to own, it would have to be something by [Latvian-American abstract artist] Mark Rothko. I love his choice of colours, his method of layering and the way he uses the space on the canvas.
What’s on my reading list? Graham Norton’s Home Stretch.
When it comes to fashion, it’s all about the classics for me. Tailored shirts, dark-blue jeans and Tod’s shoes. I do love my Hermès watches as well. True luxury is a great night’s sleep in a beautifully decorated bedroom. There’s no simpler pleasure.
I’d have to say my all-time favourite city is London. It has everything! I adore all the galleries, the shops, and the English style of decorating. Italy is also high on the list. The scenery is incredibly beautiful, but I also love the food, the clothes and the way Italians live.
I’m very fortunate to have lots of fabulous cafes and restaurants near me.
Close to the office, Bistro Rex, Fei Jai and Fratelli Paradiso [all in Sydney’s Potts Point] are favourites. When I’m in the Southern Highlands, the Exeter General Store is the perfect weekend breakfast spot.
In the future, I would like to design a range of homewares in collaboration with an established company. Cameron Kimber Design; cameronkimber.com.
“True luxury is a great night’s sleep in a beautifully decorated bedroom.”