Build Beautiful

Build Beautiful

By Linda Habak

Build Beautiful
Where design meets depth

Hosted by interior designer and property developer Linda Habak, Build Beautiful is a podcast about more than just aesthetics

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  1. Number 1: Her Parents Fled Iran. She Grew Up to Design Australia's Most Iconic Restaurants. | Nasim Koerting

    Send us your feedback, thoughts or comments! Nasim Koerting grew up knowing what it means not to belong. Her parents arrived in Australia as refugees from Iran, and she inherited both their drive — the relentless, exhausting migrant roadmap: study, prove yourself, never stop — and their deepest, quietest wish: to belong somewhere, fully, without apology. She has spent her career trying to answer that question through design. The spaces she creates don't just look good. They hold people. Nasim Koerting is the Creative Director of Merivale — the company behind some of Australia's most celebrated hospitality venues. Her path there was anything but straight: nearly a decade in London, time in Israel and Spain, a transition from interior design into creative direction at workspace developer TOG, and a phone call from Justin Hemmes that brought her back to Sydney to lead one of the country's most ambitious in-house design teams. This is a conversation about identity and belonging, about the migrant drive that never fully switches off, and about what happens when a creative life is shaped by displacement instead of comfort. About designing spaces that make people feel at home — and about the slow, necessary work of learning to feel that way yourself. In This Episode: 00:00 – Introduction: From Refugee Roots to Merivale 01:20 – Discovering interior architecture by accident 03:00 – Growing up as a migrant child in Australia 05:55 – Breaking cultural expectations in creative careers 09:50 – The pressure to prove yourself as a refugee’s child 11:03 – Publication, ambition, and the myth of “making it” 14:20 – Moving overseas: Israel, Spain, and London 16:38 – Creative direction in London and non-linear career paths 17:40 – The call from Merivale 18:13 – Leading design at scale across iconic hospitality venues 19:51 – Creative freedom vs brand and business constraints 21:00 – Sourcing vintage pieces in France 23:36 – When design mistakes become breakthroughs 25:42 – The collaborative Merivale design process 31:26 – Why Merivale built an in-house design team 32:21 – Living with your spaces and constantly evolving them 36:31 – Where creativity really happens 38:36 – Leadership, self-doubt, and managing large teams 41:12 – Burnout, boundaries, and reclaiming creative energy 45:45 – Advice to young designers from migrant backgrounds 53:25 – What “Build Beautiful” means to Nasim Connect with Nasim Koerting Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nasimkoerting/ Connect with Build Beautiful Instagram: @buildbeautiful_podcast Website: buildbeautifulpodcast.com Subscribe for more conversations about design, property, art, and the people behind the work. To get in touch with Build Beautiful or to follow us head to our socials: on Instagram on Facebook on LinkedIn If you'd like to be on the podcast, or want to collaborate with Build Beautiful feel free to contact us on [email protected].

    52min
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  2. Number 2: She Put Art Prices Online When Every Gallery Said Don't. | Sophie Vander

    Send us your feedback, thoughts or comments! When Sophie Vander launched her online art gallery from a Singapore apartment at 3am, she broke the most sacred rule in the art world: she put the prices online. Galleries didn't do that. It wasn't how things were done. She did it anyway — because she believed that transparency was the only way to make art accessible to real people, not just collectors. That single decision became the foundation of everything that followed. Sophie Vander is the founder of Curatorial & Co, a contemporary art gallery she built from an online platform in 2015 into one of Sydney's largest gallery spaces — with an international art consultancy practice, four daughters, and a philosophy that has consistently put emerging artists and human connection before institutional convention. This is a conversation about what happens when you build something around a principle rather than a playbook — about transparency, motherhood, ambition, and the quiet power of doing things differently when the industry says you can't. About opening a gallery in March 2020. About what it means to build beautiful in a world that is often anything but. About Sophie Vander Sophie Vander is the founder of Curatorial & Co., a Sydney-based contemporary art gallery that began as an online art platform in 2015. Today, Curatorial & Co. operates one of Sydney’s largest gallery spaces and supports emerging and mid-career Australian artists through exhibitions, art consultancy, and international art fairs. Her work sits at the intersection of curation, entrepreneurship, and motherhood — building a business while raising four daughters and redefining accessibility in the art world. Connect with Sophie & Curatorial & Co. Website: https://curatorialandco.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/curatorialandco/ Location: 80 William Street, Woolloomooloo, Sydney Connect with Build Beautiful Instagram: @buildbeautiful_podcast Website: buildbeautifulpodcast.com If you’re interested in contemporary art, Sydney art galleries, emerging Australian artists, art consultancy, women in business, or creative entrepreneurship — this episode is for you. Subscribe for more conversations about design, property, art, and the people behind the work. Together — we build beautiful. To get in touch with Build Beautiful or to follow us head to our socials: on Instagram on Facebook on LinkedIn If you'd like to be on the podcast, or want to collaborate with Build Beautiful feel free to contact us on [email protected].

    1h 7min
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  3. Number 3: Her Husband's Heart Stopped in Front of Her. What Came After Was Harder. | Carla Middleton

    Send us your feedback, thoughts or comments! She was running her architecture practice when it happened. Her husband went into sudden cardiac arrest, right in front of her. She saved his life. And then the adrenaline wore off, and what followed was something nobody prepares you for — not the near-loss itself, but the long, disorienting aftermath of surviving it. Trauma, burnout, nervous system collapse, and the slow, unglamorous process of rebuilding from underneath. Carla Middleton is a Sydney-based architect and founder of her own practice, known for thoughtful residential and commercial design. After her husband's cardiac arrest, she navigated becoming the primary provider while processing trauma — and rebuilt both herself and her business with a rigour she never expected to need. This is one of the most honest conversations Build Beautiful has had. About what it means to hold a business together when your inner world has fallen apart. About transcendental meditation, nervous system regulation, and the deep discipline of recovery. About what success actually requires when the life you were building suddenly asks more of you than you knew you had. #BurnoutRecovery #TraumaHealing #NervousSystemRegulation #Meditation #TranscendentalMeditation #LifeOfAnArchitect #WomenInBusiness #CreativeLeadership #BuildBeautiful To get in touch with Build Beautiful or to follow us head to our socials: on Instagram on Facebook on LinkedIn If you'd like to be on the podcast, or want to collaborate with Build Beautiful feel free to contact us on [email protected].

    1h 19min
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  4. Number 4: He Said No to Trends for 40 Years. This Is What He Built Instead. | Thomas Hamel

    Send us your feedback, thoughts or comments! Somewhere in the mid-1980s, a young designer was working at Parish-Hadley in New York — one of the most storied interior design firms in the world, under Albert Hadley, one of the most influential designers who ever lived. He absorbed everything: the history, the discipline, the relationship between craft and restraint. Then he moved to Australia, where nobody was doing what he wanted to do, and built a practice around the same conviction: that timeless is not a style. It is a standard. Thomas Hamel is the founder of Thomas Hamel & Associates, a Sydney and Melbourne-based interior design practice with over 40 years of work across some of Australia's most significant private residences. His career has spanned New York, London, and Europe, and he is widely regarded as one of the great custodians of classical interior design in this country. This is a conversation about what it actually costs to stay the course — to resist the pull of the new while others chase it, to design for decades not for the moment, and to build a practice where service, relationship, and integrity matter more than scale. About mentorship, legacy, and what it looks like when you choose depth every single time. Key Takeaways:Thomas Hamel emphasises the significance of balancing historical elements with contemporary design, drawing from his diverse educational and professional experiences.Hamel credits his deep personal connections and serendipitous encounters with influential figures for his success in the interior design world.A staunch advocate for integrity in design, Hamel has chosen to prioritise depth and client relationships over pursuing widespread global expansion.Hamel's mentorship program highlights his commitment to nurturing the next generation of designers, focusing on experiential learning and personal growth.Hamel underscores the importance of passion, organisation, and a client-centered approach in building a successful design practice.Notable Quotes:"I live by being in other people's heads." - Thomas Hamel"It's all about the efficiency of, you know, the descriptions, the details, the cost, how it's then invoiced, how it's… it's that structure that's so crucial." - Thomas Hamel"It's nice to have one or two old souls in a room, but then it's got to have the twist." - Thomas Hamel"The most important word and what is required the most is passion." - Thomas HamelResources:Instagram @joem7816 Instagram @1stdibs Instagram @the_london_listThomas Hamel and AssociatesParish HadleyTo get in touch with Build Beautiful or to follow us head to our socials: on Instagram on Facebook on LinkedIn If you'd like to be on the podcast, or want to collaborate with Build Beautiful feel free to contact us on [email protected].

    1h 8min
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  5. Number 5: She Spent Years Writing About Dream Homes. Then She Had to Build Her Own. | Kate Nixon

    Send us your feedback, thoughts or comments! For years, Kate Nixon sat on the other side of the beautiful rooms: the one with the notepad, the editorial eye, the ability to see what made a space sing and translate it into words for a magazine audience. She was good at it. She understood design at a level most designers would envy. And then she left, to build a studio of her own, and discovered there's a version of this work that no editorial eye prepares you for. Kate Nixon is the founder of Kate Nixon Studio and a former Interiors Editor at Australian House & Garden — one of the most respected positions in Australian design media. This is a conversation about the gap between knowing what good looks like and knowing how to run a business. About EOS, systems, structure, and the beautiful, counterintuitive truth that discipline sets creativity free. For anyone building a creative practice and wondering why the work they love keeps getting buried under the work they dread. Key Takeaways:The EOS Framework: Learn how the EOS model has provided Kate Nixon with an efficient, systematic approach to managing and scaling her interior design business, amidst the challenges of entrepreneurship.Vision and Values in Business: Nixon emphasises the importance of clearly defining and integrating core values into business processes and team culture, ensuring alignment and fostering a positive work environment.Balance of Creativity and Structure: Discover how systems and structure can enhance rather than limit creative freedom, allowing for more intuitive and impactful design work.Client and Team Dynamics: Effective client relationships and teamwork are built upon transparent communication, mutual respect, and a shared vision, all of which are vital for successful project execution.Continuous Learning: Embrace the pivotal role of lifelong learning and adaptability in personal and professional growth, through identified blind spots and constructed feedback systems.Notable Quotes:"Businesses are business regardless of the industry you're in; the same principles of discipline and accountability apply.""Systems will set you free. It's about repeating success and filtering out what doesn't work to liberate time for creativity.""We are all on the same team, working together to make it better, which requires no ego.""Transparency around fees is crucial in ensuring clients understand the value exchange in service-based industries.""If you look for the good, you'll find it; if you look for the bad, you'll find it. It's about gratitude and finding everyday joy."Resources:Kate Nixon StudioEOS (Entrepreneurs Operating System): Learn more about this business model by reading "Traction" by Gino Wickman.To get in touch with Build Beautiful or to follow us head to our socials: on Instagram on Facebook on LinkedIn If you'd like to be on the podcast, or want to collaborate with Build Beautiful feel free to contact us on [email protected].

    52min
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The podcast currently has 30 episodes available.