About Us

We are passionate about designing interiors and products that add value and improve your quality of life. Our designs are innovative, tailored to your needs, respond to your location and environment, are comfortable and beautiful.

Whether working with clients to decorate interior spaces, selecting paint finishes, rugs, textiles, custom artworks, finishes, furniture and furnishings and homewares, we listen to your wants and needs and guide you through the process of helping you to decorate the sustainable interior of your dreams.

St James Whitting Design Duo

Kate St James

Kate St. James, FDIA is an interior designer, artist, and writer. Along with qualifications in interior design, Kate also studied journalism. Her specialty is environmentally sustainable architecture and design.

Kate’s early working life was as a journalist in London followed by a successful career in high end residential, commercial, hospitality, health, and aged-care interior design in Australia with her own company, The Design Works. Clients included Tri-Care; Futurecare Pty Ltd, Glenvale Villas Pty Ltd, Retirement Plus Pty Ltd, TLF Developments, Devine Constructions, Endeavour Foundation and Country Comfort Hotels, along with residential clients in Brisbane, Gold Coast, Sydney, Tasmania, and London.

During her design career Kate also wrote for many design publications on topics such as interior design, environmentally sustainable design, space planning and facility management as well as teaching at Queensland College of Art, and KVB College of Art and Design in Sydney. She has also held positions as Queensland Chapter Convenor and National Executive member of the Society of Interior Designers of Australia, President of the Australian Architecture Association and a board member of the NSW Architect’s Registration Board. She is currently a Fellow of the Design Institute of Australia in which role she actively supports and promotes the industry and encourages students and emerging designers, and a Designer Member of the Kitchen and Bathroom Designers Institute. Kate’s background was instrumental in providing the necessary qualities for her role as Editor-in-Chief of one of Australia’s leading niche market publishers of home design magazines, including as Founding Editor of Grand Designs Australia magazine, a position she held for more than 16 years.

Kate is a Fellow of the Design Institute of Australia and has been a member since 1987. In 2007 Kate received a 20-year citation from the Design Institute of Australia for services to the design industry. In 2008 Kate was selected as part of the prestigious collation by Crown Content – Who’s Who of Australian Women “Leadership and Beyond”. This publication marks the lives of women who have made a significant contribution to Australian life, whether at a community, state, national or international level. In 2009, Kate’s biography was once again included in the publication Who’s Who of Australian Women “Lessons we Learn”.

Kate has written three e-books on sustainable design and interiors – Greening Your Home and Your Life, Interior Focus and Future-Proofing Your Interiors – and contributed chapters on sustainable design in Create Your Dream Sanctuary by Victoria Millar-Wise and Healthy Planet, Healthy People, Healthy Home by Dr Helen Edwards.

Kate currently consults to individuals and companies wishing to include eco-friendly, sustainable design practices and products integrated into their projects.

She has judged many design awards throughout the years including the Building Designers Awards, Green Interior Awards, Timber Design Awards, and several student design awards.

Kate’s vision has always been to promote an awareness of Australian and international architecture and design to demonstrate to the wider community the meaningful way it can impact on our lives.

“Everybody has the right to experience good design”
Kate St James, DipID, FDIA

Catherine Whitting

Catherine Whitting is an artist, interior designer, interior decorator, colour consultant and property stylist who has been consulting and transforming interiors for her clients since 1999. Catherine currently consults in residential and commercial interior design specialising in sustainable product specification, personalisation and business branding.

She has renovated and designed the interiors for houses, penthouses, apartments and duplexes across Sydney and surrounds, greater New South Wales, Queensland, The Northern Territory and Vietnam. Her previous commercial clients include Sanitarium Australia, Chome Hair Salons, Hillsborough Physiotherapy, PersonalEYES surgeries Australia, Century 21 Australia, Coca Cola Amatil and Dalton Packaging. Catherine is also the designer of “The Ashton Chaise Lounge“, an ergonomic and sustainable sofa bed that won the Furniture of the year award at Furnitex 2000 and has been featured in numerous design editorials and publications.

Catherine is also a design educator in the University sector and at TAFENSW, Design Centre Enmore. Along with qualifications in Design and Visual Arts, Adult training and education and Sustainable Work practices, Catherine is also a qualified HSC and tertiary Visual Arts and Interior Design educator.

Catherine’s early working life was as a Visual Arts and Interior Design HSC Co-ordinator, followed by more than eighteen years in the industry working as an interior design consultant and tertiary design educator and writer for interior design, interior decoration, interior styling and design fundamentals, at TAFENSW Enmore Design Centre. Catherine was also the Coordinator for the Bachelor of Design Management at TAFENSW Lidcombe Campus for Federation University Australia.

Catherine has written interior design articles and editorials for Universal Magazines and more than 20 national and international Interior Design Curriculum Programs for TAFE colleges and Universities throughout Australia and the United Arab Emirates. These design units were written by Catherine to allow for different work environments and situations that may affect interior designers’ performance in a national and international setting.

Services

Interior Decoration

With more than 50 years of combined design experience in residential, commercial, hospitality, health and aged-care interior design and property styling throughout Australia and overseas, Kate St James and Catherine Whitting will work by your side to help you choose sustainable, affordable materials, art products and furniture for your project.

Elementals Design Collection
Rugs. Paint. Textiles

We collaborate with Designer Rugs, Resene Paints & Hemptec Internationally with our signature collection of rugs, paints and textiles that complement each other to create a curated and sustainable interior.

Custom designs and colour consultations available on request 

Art & Artist Workshops

Our signature collection of collaborative and individual limited edition printes are created and curated by Kate and Catherine to complement your commercial or residential interior. Commissions and workshops available on request by contemporary artist and design educator Catherine Whitting

We care about the environment

Eco design and products are not just those that are good for the environment, they must also be safe and healthy for the people who use them, ethically produced, socially sustainable and economically sustainable. We look at the entire life cycle of our designs and the products we use and specify.

What products do we use?  Are they made from renewable sources and are they recyclable? How are the people who make them treated and paid? Are they exposed to any harmful substances? Is the environment exposed to any harmful substances? Where are the products made? Do they benefit the local community? Is the manufacturer engaged in responsible use of energy and water, and waste disposal? Do they recycle? How much energy has to be used to transport the products? How long will they last? When products are no longer wanted or useful, can they be recycled?  Are they biodegradable? Do the companies engage in product stewardship? Is there a clear chain of custody?
We never use or specify fake designs or replicas.  We believe they damage the future of our creative industries.

We consider all these questions when designing and specifying for our clients.

In our business we also live by our standards:

  • We recycle all glass, plastic, metal, cardboard and paper.
  • We compost all of our food.
  • We use recycled paper and print on both sides.
  • We use as little paper as possible, including e-business cards and e-boards.
  • We reuse all packaging material from suppliers and any new packaging is biodegradable.
  • We use LEDs to light our spaces.
  • We use public transport wherever we can.
  • We think twice and buy once.
  • We use the cradle-to-cradle approach as outlined by MBDC, McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry. http://www.mbdc.com