Melbourne-based interior designer David Flack has built an international reputation over the past decade through his distinctive approach to interior design, which he summarizes with a simple principle: "I don't like things matching, it feels weird." His design studio, Flack Studio, has gained worldwide recognition for creating spaces that blend sophisticated elegance with casual comfort, and his work has been featured in a new book showcasing the rooms that launched his career to international fame.
Flack's design philosophy centers on creating spaces where "everything speaks to each other confidently," as demonstrated in one of his signature projects - a combined kitchen and dining room in an inner-city Sydney apartment. The designer faced the challenge of fitting a proper chef's kitchen into the unconventional layout by separating the kitchen from the monolithic island bench and tucking it into its own room. He chose a simple dining table to allow the chairs and vintage Viscontea pendant lamp to stand out, maintaining his preferred balance between sophisticated and casual elements.
The designer's approach to workspace design reveals his preference for dark, earthy materials in studies because he finds them calming. In one notable project, he created a study fully lined in solid walnut with leather accents on the cabinetry, describing it as "a little inglenook" that feels "almost like its own little cabin." This space represents a departure from the rest of the house, which was crafted with softer Venetian plaster. The aqua Bassamfellows desk in the study references bold 1960s color blocking, serving as a nod to the home's original build date.
One of Flack Studio's breakthrough moments came when the company, only five years old at the time, won the Ace Hotel project. Flack describes this as "a massive deal" and had a clear vision of creating something that felt distinctly Ace but authentically Australian. He drew inspiration from Albert Namatjira's paintings of the Australian landscape to develop the color palette, using ochre carpet and solid timber to frame the sunken lounge. Rather than creating a space that "looks like hotels always look," Flack aimed for something that felt "like a big share house in Surry Hills," referring to Sydney's trendy inner suburb.
Flack's willingness to experiment with materials and bold color choices is evident in his bathroom designs. In one en suite, he covered the walls, floor, and vanity in apple green stone, a relatively new material at the time that excited him with its "beautiful saturation of green." The form of the sink was inspired by Italian architect Ettore Sottsass's iconoclastic Ultrafragola mirror, demonstrating how Flack draws inspiration from iconic design pieces.
Space efficiency and elegance converge in Flack's approach to smaller homes, as shown in a small terrace house where he placed a Hanley bath from the Water Monopoly with Perrin & Rowe taps at the end of the bedroom. This decision was both practical - making smart use of limited space - and aesthetic, as Flack simply loves "the elegance of a bath in a bedroom." He believes that "a bathtub with a view creates a sense of pause," allowing occupants to sit and look out at their surroundings.
The designer's attention to how spaces change throughout the day is evident in his use of bottle glass in entryways, which casts different colored shadows depending on the time of day. Flack explains that this choice was "about sensibility and play," allowing the space to "change and evolve" naturally with the light.
In his approach to country homes, Flack lets natural scenery take center stage while carefully selecting simple but exquisite pieces, including Akari lamps and vintage Afra and Tobia Scarpa chairs. In one Victorian country home, he used low ceiling finishes to frame the view, creating what he describes as "like an oil painting right in front of you."
Flack's kitchen designs often blend international influences, as seen in one project he describes as "Milan meeting Mexico." Rich red tones come alive through what he calls "an orchestra of materials" - aged brass overhead elements, handmade Portuguese tiles covering the walls, and rhodium quartzite used for the island bench. True to his philosophy of avoiding matching elements, Flack deliberately used several types of metal for the hardware throughout the space.
Perhaps the most famous project associated with Flack Studio is pop star Troye Sivan's home, which has been viewed more than 10 million times on Architectural Digest's YouTube channel. While Flack jokes that "people say we're famous because of Troye Sivan, but I'm like, not really," he acknowledges his love for the project and believes people responded to "how lived-in it looked." The space features a MakerSon sofa sitting on top of a vintage Moroccan high atlas rug, exemplifying Flack's belief that vintage pieces bring "an element of substance" to a room.
The outdoor spaces in Sivan's home reflect Flack's attention to personal connection and cultural references. Inspired by the public pool in Melbourne's Fitzroy suburb, he designed bleachers lining one end of a pond-like pool because it reminds Sivan of "summers growing up in Melbourne." While Flack acknowledges that "obviously no one in America is going to notice that connection," he considers it important because "it's important to him. And that's the most important thing, isn't it?" Landscape designer John Sharp, based in Los Angeles, designed the gardens using drought-tolerant and native plants to give the space a distinctly Californian feel.
Flack's innovative approach to spatial separation is demonstrated in another en suite design where he used a hand-painted steel-framed grid to separate the bathroom from the bedroom, making it feel "like a little conservatory." The warm umber red and blue marble in this space were inspired by Swiss-French architect Le Corbusier's work from the 1930s, showing how Flack continues to draw inspiration from architectural masters.
The designer's relationship with his clients extends beyond project completion, as evidenced by one living room that was his first project where he was given complete creative freedom. Working within the original style of the room, Flack added formed gradients along the fireplace wall, which he describes as "almost like taking a new form of the federation detailing - it's elegant and subtle, but very punchy." The painting "Onion Skin" by Oscar Nimmo sits at the center of the living room, though Flack remains in contact with the owners and continues shifting pieces around because, as he puts it, "life moves on" and "it's nice to feel like your house can reflect this."
Flack Studio's work over the past decade, now documented in the book "Flack Studio: Interiors" published by Rizzoli, represents a design philosophy that embraces controlled chaos, cultural references, and the beauty of imperfection. Through his rejection of overly matched elements and his embrace of materials, colors, and furniture that speak to each other confidently, Flack has created a distinctive design language that resonates with clients and admirers worldwide.
