Meet the designer
Milray Park Gold Designer Gabrielle Reinhardt found her way to interiors while setting up homes for her family of six… four times in as many cities and in three different countries.
With her children all grown up and a Diploma of Interior Design from Mercer under her belt, she founded Berkeley Interiors, a boutique interior design studio based in Brisbane.
We met with Gabrielle over coffee to talk about her design influences, inspiration, family and life on the move. We can even tell you the one thing she likes to do every morning to start her day.
“We respond to easy living on an intuitive level. I have always felt that one of the greatest compliments that anyone visiting your home can pay you is to sit down and take off their jacket unprompted, to be easy and comfortable in your surroundings as you are. Although serendipity may come into it, such ease isn’t accidental, on the contrary comfort, simplicity, pleasure and practicality are the natural by products of good design, a combination of intelligent planning, informed choices and creative application. I believe that where and how we live is fundamental to our well-being”. – Terence Conran
Tell us a bit about your path to becoming an interior designer.
With a Bachelor of Communications I worked in Public Relations for 10 years before I had children. After four children and with my husband travelling I decided to take time out to be a stay-at-home mum. During this time we moved a lot and lived in Singapore and Shanghai, as my husband had a furniture business and manufactured in Asia.
I have always loved sewing, fabrics, furniture and design. Setting up homes for my family of six in different countries and cities and living in different cultures created my passion for interiors and developed my skills in how to turn any kind of house into a home.
Over the years we have lived in lots of different styles of homes including modern architect designed houses, Queenslander homes in Brisbane, a Victorian cottage in Melbourne, a modern four bedroom apartment in Singapore and a four story American style home in a compound in Shanghai. In new cities I loved to discover furniture and homewares shops and over time I have developed my own sense of style.
After my second daughter finished high school we moved to Melbourne. With more time on my hands I decided to turn my passion for interiors into a career so I could help others create a beautiful home environment. I studied a Diploma in Interior Design at the Mercer School of Interior Design run by well-known American designer Diane Bergeron.
We recently moved back to Brisbane and I set up my own business Berkeley Interiors, working from a studio in my home. I am also involved in a new furniture manufacturing business with my husband, Circa 64. I have completed interior design and property styling projects in Melbourne, Brisbane, Noosa and Perth. I do not feel that distance is a barrier with interior design with access to the internet, Skype and email.
How having lived in different countries has influenced your work?
Living in Singapore, I fell in love with the black and white houses and the English colonial style as well as contemporary Asian furniture. Shanghai was such an exciting place to discover interiors and furniture with interesting antique shops, warehouses and small interior shops hidden down alleyways and in back streets. I found travelling in Asia – Thailand, Vietnam, Bali and Cambodia – the most inspiring as these countries have a natural, beautiful aesthetic and way of living in a tropical climate.
Tell us a bit about your home? Is it a mixture of all the places you have lived or do you start from scratch each time?
I believe your home tells a story of who you are. In Brisbane, I currently live in an old traditional Queenslander and my home is a mixture of furniture and accessories from the places I have lived combined with Australian made designer furniture, classic pieces and contemporary Australian art. I love fabrics, lamps, art, books and baskets and with a family of four children, I like to create a home that is functional as well as beautiful.
Where is your home away from home?
I feel most at home at the beach. I grew up spending every holiday at the beach and I love to swim in the ocean even in winter (in Queensland). My favourite home away from home is at Stradbroke Island, which has the most beautiful beaches in Queensland and is a simple and peaceful place to holiday.
What is your favourite café in Brisbane?
My local café is Three Girls Skipping in Graceville, which has a lovely neighbourhood vibe.
What’s your Brisbane Gem?
James Street in New Farm is becoming the hub of interiors and design in Brisbane. New Farm is a beautiful heritage suburb stretching around the river and featuring lovely Queensland style homes and cottages.
What’s your best home décor tip?
The secret is in the layers. Often people buy a few pieces of new furniture and put it in a room and wonder why the room looks cold and un-lived in. In my living room alone – I have book shelves filled with books, ornaments, picture frames, a comfortable Nook sofa from Jardan, two arm chairs made of timber and rattan, an Armadillo hemp rug, scatter cushions in beautiful fabrics, a throw rug, a sofa table with two lamps, a side table, and a coffee table with books, candles, ornaments and a rattan tray to hold magazines.
What’s your most precious item?
A painting of Kathryn Gorge by Neil Frazer. With each move I have hung this painting in a different room – living room, bedroom, hallway and it always looks amazing and becomes not only the focal point of the room but the focal point of the house.
What’s your favourite thing to cook?
I like to cook simple pasta dishes with a tomato sauce and lots of fresh Parmesan cheese and rocket. This is the best lunch on a weekend with a glass of wine. Other than something simple like this I am not the cook in my family. Lucky for my kids and me my husband is a great cook and does most of the cooking these days.
What’s your guilty pleasure?
My latte each morning made on my Nespresso machine.
Get your space designed by Milray Park Gold Designer Gabrielle Reinhardt and see more of her portfolio here!
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Knowing your design style is the first step in decorating a home that feels like you.
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