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Smac! Shona McElroy’s story in design

From a Paddington studio to the streets of Paris, with the odd Irish rural pub in between, the founder of Smac Studio shares her inspiration in design.

Smac! Shona McElroy’s story in design

Photo by Dave Wheeler.

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Having launched her own practice at a relatively early career stage, Shona McElroy discusses her journey through the design world (so far) in this podcast episode. Indeed, the question of when and how to launch one’s very own distinctive design studio is a topic she discusses at this event with Royal Oak Floors in July.

Related: Roundtable on the NSW Pattern Book

Meanwhile, Smac Studio has once again teamed up with Hali Rugs and Smac Studio for a new Icons collaboration designed to bring together elegance, personality and a confident design evolution. The collection features four distinctive designs – Vicenza, Monaco, Seville and Marseille – each available in three colours. Pictured below, the new collection will be available from September 2025.

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Listen on Spotify here.

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Smac Studio
smacstudio.com.au

Hali Rugs
hali.com.au

Learn more about Stories Indesign here, and keep an eye out for new episodes – remember to subscribe and review!

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Alex Bain on finding his anchor in Herman Miller’s Aeron Chair

Alex Bain on finding his anchor in Herman Miller’s Aeron Chair

In the last instalment of our three-part performance seating series, Alex Bain from Architectus explains why sitting well shouldn’t feel like sitting at all and explores an unexpected success metric of the hybrid workplace: the grounding power of emotional support.

A collective vision: The whimsical workplace with Intuit, COX and MillerKnoll

A collective vision: The whimsical workplace with Intuit, COX and MillerKnoll

Stepping into Intuit’s Sydney workplace certainly doesn’t feel like walking into an office. Why? In this film, we discover that, when joy takes precedence as a design driver, even a high-performing commercial CBD headquarters can feel like an intuitive wonderland that invites employees to choose their own adventure.

Dipped in integrity: The profound depth of Aeron Chair’s extended palette

Dipped in integrity: The profound depth of Aeron Chair’s extended palette

Aeron Chair’s new shades, Nightfall and Jasper, arrive with a sense of quiet cohesion – no bells and whistles, no loud technicolour; just two timeless, perfectly versatile near-neutrals. But the new hues aren’t just about colour – and their significance is much more profound than their surface-level subtlety might suggest.

In a different light: The Geelong College’s Belerren Centre designed by Wardle

In a different light: The Geelong College’s Belerren Centre designed by Wardle

The Geelong College’s Sport and Wellbeing Centre ‘Belerren’ designed by Wardle is designed around bringing in natural light. But Shade Factor’s job was to help modulate and precisely control it for the most important competitive moments.

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