I am Elizabeth Gradwell, founder and creative director of Gradwell Design. I started this commercial interior design business out of love – out of my love for design and my love of helping people to succeed.
My love affair with interior design started at the tender age of eleven. As a child, I would rearrange my grandparents’ lounge room each week. There is something magical about how drastically the feel of a room changes by simply moving around some furniture. Even at eleven years old this feeling captured my imagination, and it continues to do so to this day.
Design philosophy
The design of an interior space is not just about using a bit of paint and colourful sofa pillows to make a place look nice. Interior design is about conveying the feeling that you want people to experience as they walk through the door. Interior design is about creating an environment that people enjoy spending time in.
It was not enough for me to rearrange the inside of my grandparents’ house. I saw the potential of using interior design to help people succeed in their businesses. Every business starts with a workspace. The success of a business is significantly impacted by how employees and customers feel while they are in that workspace. I realised that I can use my passion for interior design in the commercial sector to come alongside people to help them create an environment that sets their business up for success.
Our mission
It is this combination of design and helping people to succeed that makes this more than a job to me – it makes it my mission. It is what still fills me with passion even after working in the interior design industry for 18 years across several commercial sectors.
When I look back at the strong relationships I have built with previous clients I feel privileged and humbled by the small part that I could play in the success of their endeavours. And as I look forward, I am energised by the thought of creating even more unique interior spaces from where clients’ dreams can be launched.
Qualifications
- Advanced Diploma of Commercial Arts (Interior Design) – CATC Design School, Sydney
- The Square Peg Award 2012 /2013
- Ray and Charles Eames Award 2013
- GOTYA Finalist of the DIA NSW/ACT Graduate of the Year Award
- National Diploma in Interior Design, Tshwane University of Technology, South Africa