Design culture organisation DesignFreo has launched its 2026 program, kicking off its sixth year of events celebrating design and design ideas in the West.

The DesignFreo 2026 program invites audiences to tour award-winning projects by Perth‘s leading architects, including spaceagency, vittinoAshe and MDC Architects. The event will play host to conversations that give voice to practitioners and their work, exploring collaboration and creativity across all design disciplines.

The first event of the year was DesignFreo Conversation 12, with UK-born, Fremantle-based interior designer and stylist, Jessica Rayment of Jessica Alice Design and Studio Plinth.

The recent event was hosted in her warehouse studio – a treasure trove of furniture, objects and art that reflect her passionate support for the work of local designers and artists and a unique curatorial eye.

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The second event, DesignFreo On Location 21, will visit a modest-scale family home designed by highly awarded practice Philip Stejskal Architecture. It aligns with DesignFreo’s interest in opening homes that showcase quality over size, with a focus on sustainability. Stesjkal and the homeowner will discuss the design and build, highlighting a clever floorplan that uses tactile materials to create a warm, inviting home.

In October, Fremantle will come alive with the third Fremantle Design Week, a biennial festival of design and design ideas that was Western Australia’s first design week in 2022. This year will bring over 60 diverse events to the port city under the theme ‘Imagine.’ A walkable festival, it takes place in and around Fremantle’s historic West End and is embedded in the city.

DesignFreo is a not-for-profit founded in 2020 to build design culture in Western Australia by connecting the public with the profession. As design advocates, the organisation is on a mission: to demystify design and show that good design isn’t expensive or superficial and should be accessible to all. Good design makes life easier and more joyful, and is an investment in a healthy, equitable society.

Fremantle has a large design community that punches well above its weight on the national and global stage. DesignFreo aims to give talented designers from Fremantle and further afield a platform to bring design conversations into the public realm.

Book tickets to DesignFreo’s events here. New events are added regularly – visit designfreo.org for more information.