Architecture4 Whimsical Designers to Follow Right Now
Where Alice in Wonderland Meets Timeless Ancestry
Some designers create spaces. Others craft entire worlds. From lush gardens to interiors where history and fantasy collide, these four visionary designers are redefining whimsicalness. Whether drawing inspiration from centuries past or dreaming up new landscapes for the future, their work invites you to step into a story.
By : Jazmine EdwardsAugust 31, 2024Gregory Mellor Design
With over two decades of experience, Gregory Mellor has mastered the art of creating curated spaces that feel both personal and effortlessly refined. His eponymous Sydney-based studio embraces a philosophy of timeless, lived-in elegance, where every detail is a tribute to individuality and lifestyle.
From secluded luxury lodges in East Africa to breezy coastal retreats in the Pacific, Mellor’s designs balance the organic with the opulent. In 2022, Marc du Toit joined as a partner, expanding the studio’s reach into creative direction, interior architecture, custom furniture design, and landscape consultation.
Sterrekopje
Franschhoek, Cape Winelands, South AfricaA farm and wellness retreat that celebrates life and vitality, with a focus on the glorious landscape.
Grove
Upper Claremont, South AfricaA high-ceilinged Victorian Villa in the leafy Southern Suburbs of Cape Town with layers of pattern and texture. A bold colour palette was utilised, inspired by a collection of South African art.
An award-winning garden designer with an artist’s touch, Sean A. Pritchard turns outdoor spaces into immersive experiences. His designs blend classical influences with contemporary innovation, resulting in landscapes that are as functional as they are breathtaking.
Pritchard founded his studio in 2019 after graduating from The Garden Design School in Bristol. Since then, he has built a reputation for crafting gardens that serve as sanctuaries.
@sean_anthony_pritchard
In 2024, Sean released his debut book Outside In, published by Mitchell Beazley. This stunning work explores the relationship between gardens and the people who inhabit them, celebrating how outdoor spaces bring creativity, connection, and well-being.
Nina Barnieh-Blair
Ghanaian-born and New York-based, Nina Barnieh-Blair is a designer who has swiftly carved out a prominent place in the city's dynamic design landscape. Her distinctive blend of modern sensibility and rich storytelling defines her award-winning studio, NinaBDesign, which has garnered attention from top publications including Architectural Digest, Dwell, House Beautiful, New York Magazine, and more.
Her portfolio spans a range of projects, but one of the most striking is her own Tribeca loft transformation, a masterclass in color, texture, and narrative-driven design. Every space she creates feels like a living, breathing work of art, imbued with history yet boldly contemporary.
Follow: @ninabdesign
Luke Edward Hall
@Lukeedwardhall is an English artist, designer, and columnist. Luke’s philosophy is shaped by his love of storytelling and fantasy. His colorful work is often inspired by history, filtered through a lens of irreverent romanticism.
Luke established his studio in the autumn of 2015 and has continuously split his time working on a broad range of projects and across multiple disciplines. He exhibits his drawings and paintings internationally with Athens-based gallery The Breeder, and works as an interior designer, creating and art-directing hotels, bars and restaurants. In 2020 Luke’s first large project opened in Paris: a thirty-eight-bedroom hotel and bistro in the city’s 10th arrondissement.
Luke is the Creative Director of Chateau Orlando, a new fashion and homewares brand, which he co-founded in 2022. Chateau Orlando is based between Milan and London, and manufactures its collections in the Veneto region of Italy.
Polaroid by Nicolas Wagner for Mixte Magazine
