Trying to design a small creative studio in Brisbane has been weirdly difficult
I have a ~75m² studio on the CBD fringe that I operate my business from, by appointment only.
It has good bones, character, nice natural light etc., but currently still feels like the “cool empty shell with potential” phase of its life.
I’m less interested in a polished generic commercial fitout, and more interested in creating something atmospheric, restrained, and intentionally designed. Somewhere between architectural studio / gallery / client space… rather than “office”.
What I didn’t expect was how absurdly difficult it would be to actually hire someone to help evolve it.
Over the last ~6 months I’ve contacted interior designers, interior architects, shopfitters, builders etc.
Specifically people whose work I genuinely like and who seem aligned with more premium / architectural / creative spaces (not generic corporate office fitouts).
The responses have ranged from:
- no reply at all
- “too small”
- “we only take full-scale projects”
or
- “you already seem to be going in the right direction”
…which is confusing because yes, I have ideas — but that’s because I care about design, not because I’m trying to cosplay as an interior architect.
One interaction recently went:
- sent enquiry
- followed up with a phone call one week later because no response
- resent email because they “couldn’t find it”
was immediately asked “what’s the size?” and “what’s the budget?”
- replied honestly: not enormous, but open to guidance/options/staging
- then ghosted again
Maybe I’m naïve, but asking budget before even seeing the project feels a bit like a doctor asking “how much money do you have?” before looking at the injury.
For context: I’m not expecting a $500k hospitality venue experience on a shoestring budget. I’ve been involved in commercial fitouts/business/design for ~13 years and my previous space was a fairly significant project that ended up receiving international design recognition.
This project is just smaller, more personal, and probably more creatively interesting than financially exciting.
Anyway… if anyone in Brisbane (or broader SEQ) knows designers/studios/shopfitters who actually enjoy thoughtful smaller-scale projects with a more architectural/art-direction vibe, I would genuinely love recommendations or referrals.