Career stories to unfold at inaugural First and Last speaker series

10 Oct 2025 By architectureau

A new speaker series will reveal the stories behind the careers of Australia's most respected designers. First and Last, launching this month in Melbourne, invites leading architects and interior designers to reflect on their earliest work and contrast it with a recent project - offering a rare glimpse into the creative evolution behind a career in design.

The inaugural event, taking place at King Living's Southbank showroom in Melbourne on October 29, will feature presentations by Clare Cousins, director of Clare Cousins Architects, and Kirsten Stanisich, director of Richards Stanisich. Through candid storytelling and personal insights, the series explores how creative practices evolve over time, what influences remain constant, and how the design landscape itself continues to shift.

For Clare Cousins, the journey begins with Page Street, one of the first houses she completed after founding her practice in 2005. The copper-clad home marked the start of her signature approach to contextually responsive design. Fast forward to today, Cousins will contrast this with Courtyard House, a refined reimagining of a 1885 corner store. The two projects, decades apart, demonstrate not only her evolving aesthetic but what has changed in residential architecture in Australia.

Kirsten Stanisich will take the audience back to MG Garage and Fuel, a Sydney hospitality venue she designed in 1997 alongside Andrew Parr. The project was an iconic addition to the cultural fabric of Sydney. In contrast, Stanisich's recent work on Motel Molly, a reinvention of a 1980s brick motel in Mollymook, showcases a more nuanced and place-sensitive approach, balancing nostalgia with contemporary comfort.

First and Last promises to be part design talk, part storytelling session - offering emerging designers, students, and industry professionals a refreshing and honest take on how careers in architecture and design unfold.

Tickets are now on sale at the Design Speaks website.