PROFILE: AMANDA TALBOT
Meet a designer making a difference
Interior designer, editor, trend forecaster, entrepreneur – Amanda Talbot is a woman of many talents. With a successful career spanning decades and continents, Amanda has managed to juggle writing books with interior-design projects and launching her very own ethical retail platform, all with the goal of bringing the world hope through positive design thinking. “I’ve always been focused on the human spirit and the environment around me, rather than embracing trends,” says Amanda. “I want to create optimism, community and a sense of belonging with my work.”
While Amanda’s design business, Studio Snoop, is the powerhouse behind some of Australia’s most beautiful hospitality venues, such as Little Felix, Miss Chow, The Paddington and Coogee Pavilion, her firm has recently shifted focus from residential and commercial spaces to local and global social buildings. “Each venue is so unique and has been so much fun to do, but there are global challenges that we, as designers, can play a big role in,” says Amanda. “With climate refugee displacement and housing affordability issues, our cities need to be designed to support communities, the share economy and the circular economy, to combat loneliness, support food and water supplies, and the future of education, work and wellbeing. We need to restore our planet, rather than consciously adding to a system our planet is unable to support. We, as a studio, are looking at ways to design for the future.”
The desire to make a positive impact on the world led Amanda to create The Together Project, an online ethical retail marketplace where every purchase supports the United Nations’
Sustainable Development Goals. “I believe The Together Project can play a part in changing how we design products, brand our businesses, and sell and purchase products,” says Amanda.
“We have less than 10 years to tackle our ‘planetary emergency’ before we face irreversible damage. Our 10-year goal at The Together Project is to positively impact one billion lives and plant one billion trees. Launching this has brought me fulfilment – it’s my heart, and the only thing I know I can do to contribute to the climate crisis. I’m so blown away by my team, who are bringing the most remarkable and gorgeous products and stories to the platform. I’ve built The Together Project so we can have a say and take action towards a future that is beautiful and full of hope.”
Tackling such polarising issues while staying at the forefront of the Australian design scene is a feat few others have achieved, however Amanda says the key to her success is simply being curious, and constantly open to learning from the world and the people around her. “Learn to become a storyteller through your designs, and never copy others,” she says. “My biggest tip for everyone right now is to focus on positive environmental and social impact – it’s fundamental that we take the lead on this.”
And take the lead she has, facilitating change in every aspect of her work, from designing beautiful homes and venues to creating opportunities for ethical businesses to grow and succeed. “Good design makes us feel happy,” says Amanda. “It allows us to feel at ease, be productive, be still, connect with each other, or have the opportunity to be alone.”
See more of Amanda’s work at studiosnoop.com or thetogetherproject.co