Design Worldwide Partnership has announced Mat Dalby as their new Interior Design Director for Australia and New Zealand. A multi-disciplinary Creative Director with over 25 years’ experience within the hospitality and high-end residential design sectors, Dalby will be tasked with overseeing the direction of various interior projects worked on by dwp.
Dalby has a track record in designing, delivering and managing hospitality projects across Australia, New Zealand, U.K., Europe, the Middle East, India, Hong Kong, South East Asia and the USA and has worked with some of the biggest hotel brands, property developers, construction companies and manufacturers globally. The designer has also collaborated with some of the world’s highest-profile brands and designers including Valentino, Hermes, Philippe Starck, Kelly Hoppen, Steve Leung and Marcel Wanders.
Dalby says the bulk of his work will centre around the idea of inspiration, and the want to inspire onlookers in a range of contexts.
“Good design and great hotel experiences are achieved through a way of thinking about how individuals use a space and responding to that in an original and inspired way. Everything, everywhere, at all times – that’s inspiration. If you’re tuned in to what’s around you and you keep your eyes open, then you’re surrounded by inspiration,” he says.
“When designing a comfortable space, it is important to have a well-rounded understanding of it. As a designer, you must put yourself in the environment: Where is this space and how does it work? What is it being used for? It is all about the person who will be using the space, the individual who will interact with the room.
“When we talk about comfort, the initial association is often “soft”, but sometimes the environment isn’t inherently soft. Balancing the desire for comfort with something that doesn’t feel too tired is an important marriage to achieve. At the same time you want to make sure the space feels effortless and not too over thought. It is also important that design features complement each other rather than compete for attention.”
dwp’s appointment of Dalby comes on the back of the recent recruitment of Leonard Lee and his key design talent from Wilson Associates. This award winning team of specialist designers based in Singapore, extends the high end hospitality design offering Mat complements and adds to the dwp creative offering for Australia and New Zealand.
dwp’s Sydney Studio leader, Cameron Martin, says the appointment of Dalby will strengthen the practice’s knowledge and expertise in the interior space.
“We are experiencing unprecedented opportunities against a challenging public health emergency and associated economic context. As a global business we are investing in highly skilled people in our key portfolios. So we are absolutely delighted that Mat Dalby is joining our team to lead our hospitality ID capability for dwp across Australia and New Zealand,” he says.
Dalby will be based in Sydney for the duration of his tenure at dwp. To find out more, visit dwp.com.
