Brad Mitchell and Kerli Valk from Nüüd Studio
Melbourne-based Brad Mitchell & Kerli Valk, from Nüüd Studio, are partners in work and life. Combining their diverse creative backgrounds and skill sets, they come together to create spaces that are calming and connected, with a conscious commitment to environmental impact.
Photography: Tom Ross
Brad Mitchell and Kerli Valk from Nüüd Studio. Photo: Tom Ross
Monty Sibbel by Nüüd Studio. Photo: Tom Ross
Monty Sibbel by Nüüd Studio. Photo: Tom Ross
‘We’re passionate about using local and healthy materials and celebrating these in our projects – we’re lucky to live in a country with such rich resources, makers, varied climates and landscapes.’ Photo: Tom Ross
H&F: Brad & Kerli, what led you here, and how has your journey evolved?
Brad & Kerli: Kerli is originally from Estonia and Brad from Sydney, and we had both moved to Melbourne to study (Brad Architecture and Kerli Art in Public Space at RMIT) and we met while working for the same architecture office. We started working together soon after completing our degrees and our first project was an exhibition for Melbourne Design Week exploring our interest making and experimenting. This led on to a series of yearly exhibitions, each increasing in scale and ambition while we were still gaining experience in other design practices.
Our most recent exhibition, Monty to Monty led us on to some architectural work and a bit of moonlighting for a period before deciding to pursue Nüüd as a serious venture in 2022. We’ve worked on a spectrum of project scales over the last couple of years from being commissioned to design an MPavilion chair, small renos, restorations and larger extensions, to some more complex projects exploring alternative materials and an intergenerational house.
Do you both have a disciplined studio routine and any rituals to help keep you focused?
Our days are quite varied between doing project work, client meetings and site visits. We like to try and make the first half hour of days spent at the desk reading to calmly start the day and focus..
You’re partners in work and life?
Yes, partners in work and life with two small kids! There is rarely a dull moment!
What are the major benefits of working alongside your partner?
Working everyday towards something we both believe in is a great feeling. We’re building our business together which can be a daunting experience sometimes and we can share the load in this sense. It’s a great thing to be fully immersed in something you love and have that shared understanding of what you’re trying to achieve. We’re also both design and art nerds/stickybeaks!
What skill sets do you each bring to the studio?
We both have quite different backgrounds in our upbringing and study which we think gives us unique perspectives. Kerli enjoys focusing on the finer details of material and texture a space can give, while Brad brings a careful approach to designing at varying scales from furniture to architecture. We both love story telling and we use this as a tool explore design in any project. Together we bring a deep understanding of an entire project and decisions both internally and externally influence a project direction and are never separate.
What/who influences your work the most?
With every project a deep understanding of place and people is fundamental before we start to draw, and the narrative from this interrogation influences each project individually. We like to dive into researching the history of a place or building – we find it fascinating and it’s a strong driver in enriching our work.
We also refine our core values we bring to every project which are centred on a strong connection to landscape and garden, and designing with a small footprint. We’re interested in designing ‘environments’ which encompass both the landscape and the architecture which we believe are integral to each other. A small footprint means less building, less energy, less material, and more garden. Ultimately, we’re searching for design that reflects a local influence, something that is crafted, designed for longevity, and feels embedded in place.
Alvar and Aino Aalto are significant figures we look up to and we recently had the opportunity to tour a large portion of their buildings in Finland. The warmth and level of craft in the buildings and furniture was incredible to see.
Sustainability is engrained in your work - why is it so important for you both?
Being conscious of our environmental impact in life and our work is critical. Architecture is a significant undertaking in any scale, and it can be very wasteful and energy intensive. We’re passionate about using local and healthy materials and celebrating these in our projects – we’re lucky to live in a country with such rich resources, makers, varied climates and landscapes. We also prioritise a light touch approach. Whether that’s being resourceful with an existing building, or building efficiently with a new one.
‘Our days are quite varied between doing project work, client meetings and site visits. We like to try and make the first half hour of days spent at the desk reading to calmly start the day and focus.’ Photo: Tom Ross
Monty Sibbel by Nüüd Studio. Photo: Tom Ross
“Being conscious of our environmental impact in life and our work is critical. Architecture is a significant undertaking in any scale, and it can be very wasteful and energy intensive.”
‘Being conscious of our environmental impact in life and our work is critical. Architecture is a significant undertaking in any scale, and it can be very wasteful and energy intensive.’ Photo: Tom Ross
Your interiors are strongly connected to those that inhabit or use them – how do you forge this connection into your designs?
From the outset we ask clients to write about themselves in addition to a more typical brief. We ask about experiences of buildings and places they’ve had, or strong memories growing up. The stories we hear are always incredible and it can help to enrich the spaces and give them deeper emotional and personal connections.
Why is this your dream job?
We feel fortunate our work brings us so many opportunities to learn, improve and master what we do. Every project is something new, a new set of challenges. We enjoy that we can do the research and exploration and then design and create something with the incredible people me meet. Also being able to explore our own ideas of practice and plan how we would like it to evolve and build it into something we love.
How would you personally describe the aesthetic of your work?
We like to think our work is quiet and crafted. Calming and connected.
What’s the one piece of advice you would give to a designer starting out?
Be patient. Architecture is a slow profession. Big or small, good or bad, take every opportunity to learn and develop. And also be yourself and don’t be afraid to explore your own design voice.
The best lesson you’ve learnt in the business?
Think through drawing or writing. Take your time to make decisions.
Also, to value your knowledge beyond just design. As architects are across every aspect of projects and we learn so much about things like material, furniture, products, energy efficiency, construction etc
What drives your creativity?
We always get energised with every new project or a new phase of current project. It’s exciting to explore new challenges and ideas or going from something drawn on paper to starting on site.
Also travel and experiencing architecture and art in person. You can’t get the same feelings, emotions, sense of scale and atmosphere from an image.
What does it mean to be an architect/designer in the current Australian interiors and design landscape?
We’re lucky to have opportunities to explore design in Australia and in so many beautiful places. It’s an exciting time for design and architecture locally and internationally as we need to be building smarter, healthier, and working with the resources we already have. We’re also seeing a resurgence of a lot of beautiful trades and crafts who are working with local material.
How do you think Australian design differs from what we’re seeing internationally?
In Australia we embrace the outdoors, playing outside or working in the garden. Our architecture is often focused on being connected to the sunshine, a small garden or a big backyard. Our beautiful and unique local timbers and stones, and talented craftspeople are all part of a distinctive local aesthetic too.
Proudest work moment so far?
We were honoured to recently win the Sustainability Award for our Monty Sibbel project at the 2023 Houses Awards, followed by it being on the cover of issue 154 in October!
What’s coming up for you work-wise - what are you most excited about that you're currently working on?
We have some great projects currently on the drawing board with some remarkable clients which we’re excited to share very soon. It’s always exciting when a client comes to you and says they want to create something special. We’re also focusing on developing our studio, how we approach creating and presenting our work.