About Us

We are an interior design studio renowned for creating ’laid-back luxury’ - a sense of home that’s about comfort, nature, beauty, function, and a feeling of being welcome.

The now regional-based studio is led by Australian designer, Monique Musacchio.

Our Style

Under the discerning eye of our founder, Monique Musacchio, we create interiors that will stand the test of time and that encompass comfort, sophistication and practicality. The style is an ultra-tasteful balance of rustic and natural elements with opulent touches - we call it "laid-back luxury". Monique’s interiors are pared-back and contemporary, yet relaxed, inviting and most importantly, comfortable and liveable. She likes to begin projects with a muted colour palette, building up layers of materials and textures to add warmth and character. Her designs have a quiet poise with a restrained colour palette, and carefully considered furniture pieces, many of them antique or crafted by talented artisans. With a focus on relaxed refinement, Monique specialises in crafting interiors that invite you to unwind and indulge in the beauty of your surroundings.

By focusing on timeless design principles, we develop refined yet characterful solutions that put the needs of users first. We see every project as an opportunity to make sustainable changes.

We are determined to make careful choices which delight our clients and have a positive impact. We often renovate existing properties where we relish the opportunity to adapt and conserve, breathing a new lease of life whilst retaining the integrity of the building.

Our Story

Monique’s foundation in laid-back luxury lifestyle started early: she grew up in an ex-Colonial country, Malawi (E. Africa) – think dreamy romanticised safari-style (with the occasional elephant charge to keep her on her toes)! She began travelling at a young age, starting with her education in England, followed by exploring the world. Spending her secondary and tertiary education years in the Cotswolds, she was surrounded by historical, rustic, relaxed and luxurious buildings, interiors and weathered antiques. Her family's own farm restoration saw her first foray into building design, and she was hooked. On the doorsteps of the now infamous Daylesford brand “the epitome of relaxed luxury”, it’s no wonder this style has become an inherent part of Monique’s signature classic contemporary style. Monique’s global travels took her to Sydney, where she fell in love with the relaxed luxurious coastal suburbs. Her beach-life was the perfect backdrop to follow her passion for interior design and launch Coastal Drift Interiors and Malawi Cane; as well as dabbling in the early days of Nyumba Mawa. With over twenty five years of experience in buying, renovating and styling properties in the UK and Australia, and a career in creative design, marketing and interiors, Monique has truly combined life and career passions into business. Add to that ten plus years’ in the creative adaptation of existing buildings, she is passionate about working with built heritage because of its representation of cultural identity, protecting history, and its intrinsic connection with sustainability. As a designer and mother, she is acutely aware of her responsibilities to produce classic and timeless projects that will endure and be enjoyed by future generations.

“The World is finite, and we need to look after it”.

Sir David Attenborough

Our Approach

Creating ‘homes for tomorrow’ through design and build.

Building the future with a little help from the past, our projects span residential and commercial sectors, including building conservation, renovation, adaptive re-use and new-builds. Such diverse output demands an intuitive, yet responsive and highly contextual approach, ensuring no two projects are the same. We work closely with our clients and contractors to ensure we deliver excellence at every stage of the design and development process. We bring our wide-ranging experience and expertise to each project, whether it’s the restoration of an historic building, the realisation of a new family home or the design and fit out of a boutique hospitality space. Our work is always unique and centred around an understanding of our social and ecological responsibility. Our work is ‘based on creating interiors which reflect our clients’ individual style and interests’. Working closely with top architects gives her an acute awareness of the building process, as well as ‘a rigorous attention to detail’. To help clients envision their dream space, Monique draws on her design training, her experience in the interior’s world and her travels for inspiration.

At the heart of our business is relationships.

With a strong focus on open-minded collaboration to drive new ways of thinking, every project begins with a close working relationship with our clients, taking time for rich, explorative dialogue to understand who you are, how you live and the vision you have for your home or space, to help guide good decision making. This collaborative approach extends across our design projects; whether a full scale renovation or a simple refresh, we work collaboratively from concept to completion, we work with architects, landscapers and builders who share a commitment to longevity and high-quality design solutions that either complete or transform an interiors. We also nurture our work and partnerships with a variety of experienced craftsman and artisans in Australia and around the world, sharing their passion and appreciation of quality products and finishes.

"A strong relationship between contractor and designer can unlock enormous value for the project and client, as the unparalleled experience of expert craftsmen can inform details, specification and project planning.”