About

The aim of the practice is to create spaces that are endearing and beautiful, where the feeling speaks louder than the furnishings and the levels of charm and comfort outweigh the instant gratification of the merely new.

Paul Hecker — Founding Principal

Paul’s insatiable appetite for design brings unbridled creative enthusiasm to Hecker Guthrie. Having admired fashion and design as a child, Paul engaged deeply with design history while completing his interior design degree, and through mentorship, began to see the potentials of what the design world could be. A self-professed bowerbird, Paul is an avid collector of design. His broad taste and curious nature drives design responses that are highly instinctive. His interest in the ephemeral is tempered by the pursuit of enduring, crafted solutions that transcend time — a polarity that Paul seeks to mediate through design. Visceral responses begin from early briefing, when Paul begins to formulate pictures in his mind, which are later dissected, analysed and supported through imagery drawn from fashion, film and art. Consciously inclusive of his team, Paul facilitates an explorative design process, yet ultimately believes in the power of crafting a well edited story. Combining experience and openness, Paul maintains a sense of his own purpose, trusting his intuition in tackling new challenges and finding clarity. Fast-paced and solutions-driven, Paul is equally passionate about the business of design, streamlining processes to enhance value for his clients. Paul brings a level of lightness and humour to his role and is widely recognised for his spirited contributions to interior design, furniture, manufacturing and design education.

Hamish Guthrie — Founding Principal

Hamish complements the spirit of his co-founder, Paul, with a cerebral and highly considered design sensibility. With a conscious way of looking at the world, nurtured by his alternative Steiner education, Hamish’s measured yet highly emotive approach guides interiors that are deeply rooted in feeling. Mentored by prominent Australian architect, Darryl Jackson, throughout his early career, Hamish discovered how his curiosity in travel, architecture, design, and art could be effectively channelled, edited, and actioned into unique and resonant interior spaces. Hamish uses hand-sketching, writing, imagery, and materials as building blocks to craft new stories through design. He skilfully balances introspection and collaboration, understanding the merit in revisiting ideas with a new lens to distil design outcomes with concision and legibility. Ever inspired by those working around him, Hamish relishes the opportunity to nurture diverse perspectives and articulate ideas that propel the practice into new territory. He is particularly interested in exploring how brands can be expressed in experiential form, positioning design as a conceptual encounter that resonates beyond the individual. Cultivating genuine trust and transparency with fellow directors, his team, external contractors, craftspeople, artists and clients, Hamish finds reward in following the path of a well-articulated idea. As a leader, mentor, award juror and design commentator, Hamish shares his thoughtful approach to design with a wide audience.

Stacey Van Harn — Director

Stacey applies a process-driven approach to deliver thoughtful, warm and familiar interior spaces, underscored by a strong spatial logic. Holding a Bachelor of Built Environment, majoring in Interior Design from Queensland University of Technology. Stacey has gained nearly 18 years’ experience across residential, commercial, and retail design, grounded by her early career working in architectural practices. Her move to Hecker Guthrie in 2013 was an awakening to the more creative aspects of interior design practice, allowing her to actively engage with the design constituents that bring successful spaces to fruition. Stacey’s thorough understanding of the practical and technical requirements of construction has enabled her to systemise rigorous project methodologies that have strengthened Hecker Guthrie’s design and delivery processes. The diversity of Stacey’s role allows her to apply a discerning eye for materials, detailing and the layering of intimate finishing touches to offer a holistic vision for each project. As a natural collaborator, Stacey cultivates trusting relationships with clients, while serving as an effective mentor to developing designers. Her focused and detail-oriented sensibility instills those around her with a sense of pride in their work, ensuring tasks are delivered to the highest standard. Stacey is ultimately driven by a desire to create fully realised interior spaces that bring beauty, functionality and timelessness into dialogue, bolstering Hecker Guthrie’s reputable design legacy with a sense of balance and pragmatism.

Kymberley Gim — Director

With strong proficiency in conceptual design and client engagement, Kymberley applies great care and consideration across all facets of the design process. Kymberley holds a Bachelor of Design, majoring in Interior Design, from Queensland College of Art at Griffith University, and spent the formative years of her career working in Brisbane’s high-end residential sector. Relocating to Melbourne in 2011, Kymberley gained experience across commercial and multi-residential design projects before joining the Hecker Guthrie team in 2015. She has since led the design of award-winning retail, commercial and hospitality projects, such as Script Skincare and Eos by Skycity. Kymberley believes design is an emotional journey and is most successful when driven by a clear conceptual narrative. Constantly seeking fresh ideas to explore through design, Kymberley’s interest in design extends beyond her professional life. She finds inspiration in travel, film and everyday encounters, allowing her to tailor unique design outcomes in response to her clients’ specific needs. As a natural collaborator and open communicator, Kymberley supports Hecker Guthrie’s broader design team by encouraging creativity, while fostering a rational and highly considered design approach. Her determined yet self-assured disposition lends a quiet confidence to her role, enabling her to facilitate seamless project delivery, managing clients, consultants and stakeholders with ease. Interested in the sensorial qualities of design, Kymberley finds joy in creating memorable spatial encounters, capable of influencing peoples’ daily lives.

Hecker Guthrie is a multi-disciplinary design practice committed to delivering authentic interior spaces underpinned by thoughtfulness and enthusiasm. Driven by a 20-year legacy of design excellence across hospitality, residential, retail and commercial sectors, our team continue to apply a curious outlook, evolving Hecker Guthrie’s rigorous design methodologies, while remaining true to its founding principles.

Through deep listening, our design team engage with the specific needs of our clients before putting pen to paper. We work collaboratively to develop compelling, project-specific narratives that guide each design with intention. This act of storytelling connects our clients with the project’s experiential qualities, while allowing them to take agency as active members of the design process and final built outcome.

Our considered approach and closely held design beliefs allow us to unearth new opportunities for expression at every turn. Design decisions consistently address logic and purpose, driving enduring design outcomes that follow the mantra ‘do it once, do it well, do it forever.’ We thoughtfully foster linkages between art, design, and handcraftsmanship, and continually strive to create site specific responses that fuse authentic, everyday materials with elements of the sublime.

Our studio fosters a culture of personal expression that liberates our designers to research, innovate, test, and review design solutions, scaffolded by Hecker Guthrie’s guiding design ethos. A joy of creating is shared by all, cultivating a genuine presence and enthusiasm across all facets of the design process, from initial briefing to construction. Our vision and commitment to good design instils confidence in our service offering, while ensuring high quality built outcomes.

While our work is informed by the pedigree of past design, we are invigorated by continual shifts in the design landscape. Observant and analytical by nature, we apply a discerning lens to design, inspiring us to create innovative and responsive design solutions that allow our practice to evolve. Ultimately, we find delight in tailoring spaces to reflect the identities and aspirations of our clients — a pursuit that continues to challenge and excite us.