“You want to create environments where people feel good,” says Ryan Russell from the Russell & George office in North Melbourne. “For interior spaces, we don’t occupy buildings by looking at them; we occupy them by being inside them.” Evoking a supremely strong sense of intuition for what people need and want in interior spaces, he and Byron George have made a remarkable contribution to the Melbourne design scene since founding their practice in 2010. In recognition of their design dexterity for beautiful and serviceable creations, especially in hospitality and retail spaces, Russell & George is the 2022 IDEA Designer of the Year winner. Previously shortlisted seven times, and self-described as IDEA’s “bridesmaids of the year” or the “Glenn Close of IDEA”, the pair credit the 20-year program with catapulting their design identity to the next level. “IDEA has always been a special thing editor Jan Henderson. I had missed the deadline, but she phoned me to submit something. She really pushed and pushed when I was a shy little thing. And that project went on to win the Retail category that year. And I always attribute that to me having the confidence to have a voice in this industry.”
