Christina Symes & Jessica D’Abadie from We Are Triibe
Christina Symes & Jessica D’Abadie are the interior designers behind We Are Triibe. With work that is multidisciplinary, the duo design and style interiors for retail, residential and hospitality. We chat to Christina and Jessica about their design journey, what drives their inspiration and valuable lessons they’ve learnt along the way.
Photography: Courtesy of We Are Triibe
Christina Symes and Jessica D’Abadie from We are Triibe. Photo: Courtesy of We Are Triibe
The Forma collection by Pampa and We are Triibe, which includes a range of handcrafted collection of classic and contemporary home rugs. Photo: Diego Padilla
H&F: Hi Christina & Jessica, what led you join forces and start the We Are Triibe journey?
Christina: We have been close friends since high school – afterwards we ventured into different professional careers - Jess began working in interior architecture and exhibition design, and I worked in styling and production. We always cheered each other on from the sidelines and played a big influence in each other’s lives but it wasn’t until our mid-twenties when we were both seeking more from our careers that we decided to start our interior design business together. I enrolled in an interior design course in Florence, and we both moved to Sydney and launched We Are Triibe together.
Do you both have a disciplined studio routine and any rituals to help keep you focused?
Jessica: During the lock downs we closed our physical studios and now have our whole team work remotely across Australia, so rituals for us are mostly virtual now, but they’re really important to keep us connected. We have regular Monday morning WIP’s, which are non-negotiable, where we all jump online to plan out the week, and then we have small breakaway meetings throughout the week. We’re basically always online and whenever we meet we make it a point to be face-to-face so we continue building that connection together.
As designers, what’s the best lesson you’ve learnt along the way?
Christina: The furniture pieces that you collect over time can make your house feel like a home no matter where you move over the years.
When did you first understand design as a form of expression?
Christina: Honestly, I think both of us felt like this came early on in life. For myself it was when I was 10 years old and putting posters on my bedroom walls of celebrity crushes. My bedsheets were tangerine and yellow and my walls were painted lavender – my style has definitely changed over the years! But maybe that’s where it all began for me.
What drives you as a designer to keep exploring new ideas?
Jessica: I love the idea of reinventing yourself, I’m constantly drawn to explore new things through growth of my own personal life journey. life changes as you grow older - whether that’s work, personal or family life, and your style changes with that, too.
The Forma collection by Pampa and We are Triibe, which includes a range of handcrafted collection of classic and contemporary home rugs. Photo: Courtesy of Pampa
Dimes Cannabis showroom by We are Triibe. Photo: Courtesy of We Are Triibe
“Art and nature play a huge role in influencing our work. I’ve always been so drawn to the concept of environmental psychology and that your home influences the way you feel and behave within that space.”
Fells Residence by We are Triibe. Photo: Courtesy of We Are Triibe
St Agni boutique in Byron Bay by We are Triibe. Photo: Courtesy of We Are Triibe
What influences your work the most?
Christina: Art and nature play a huge role in influencing our work. I’ve always been so drawn to the concept of environmental psychology and that your home influences the way you feel and behave within that space. When working with new clients we always start using the question of how you want to feel in that space in order to design it.
What do you value most about working as a team?
Jessica: The sharing of ideas and inspiring each other through our different knowledge, insights and perspectives.
Is this your dream job?
Jessica: We love what we do, however every time we reach a significant milestone, we always find a way to grow and evolve from that. By that I don’t mean that it’s always about ‘what’s next’ for us, more that for us, it’s about enjoying the journey, not the destination.
Have you faced any hardships to follow this path?
Christina: Many! We have been in business for almost 11 years now, and it’s only natural for small businesses to feel the ebbs and flows. You only get good at what you do if you can learn from your mistakes – yours and others. A lesson learned, is a lesson earned.
What is a good piece of advice you’ve been given or would give to a designer starting out?
Christina: Ask yourself: ‘Do you love what you are putting forward?’ – trust your instinct, because often you’re the best one to judge and your client will feel confident in you if you are confident in yourself.
What does success mean to you?
Jessica: Success to us is happiness. Happiness to us is a combination lot of different things, but we try to approach each part of our lives with the intention of feeling good about it.
What are you looking forward to most next year: what’s coming up for you work-wise?
Christina: We’re really excited about our new FORMA rug collaboration launching soon with Pampa, but we’re also really excited about a couple of really big residential projects, which are coming to life in the next year. One in particular is a huge sustainability project, which has been in the works for over two years now, it’s a pretty magical project and one which has had us and the team really push creative boundaries that we’re really proud of.