They are wordsmiths who skilfully conjure atmospheres and beautiful décors on the pages of world-renowned magazines; and they all share a deep passion for design… Usually, they are the ones who ask the questions. This time, it’s our turn!
Suzy Annetta, founding editor in chief of Design Anthology magazine, is a Melbourne-trained interior designer who worked for a number of award-winning firms before founding her own studio. Design Anthology was launched in early 2014 to a strong following that continues to grow internationally. A quarterly, Design Anthology is published independently and is the only design magazine available across the Asia region to focus on a curated selection of high-end projects in the region or by Asian designers internationally. A European edition of the magazine launched in 2018, followed by an Australian edition in late 2019.
Meet Suzy
Can you recall your first memory about “design”? (a piece of furniture, a book, an exhibition, your home…)
I think it was as a fairly young child – I have quite a few memories from both my childhood homes and my grandparent’s home. Both were decorated with limited means, but my mother and maternal grandmother were both house proud and were always repainting walls and re-arranging things and I think that influenced me in a really meaningful way. Not just about design, but also what a home is and can represent. Beyond home, probably the first eye-opening experience was a visit to a historic mansion and estate about an hour away from where I lived. The home was built by some of the first European settlers in the area, in the late 1800’s. I remember coming home from my first visit and trying to re-draw floor plans and I think it really spurred my interest in history and understanding a much grander scale than where I had been raised.
Why did you choose this career, and what do you like the most about it?
I’m not sure that I can say I chose it – I’d say it was more of a journey for me to find myself where I am now, a happy accident perhaps. I was always an avid reader of books and magazines. I grew up in a small town and in those pre-internet days magazines were the only way to connect with like-minded people. I was buying design magazines from the first time I had my own money. I trained as an interior designer but I realised a few years before we launched Design Anthology that I really enjoyed sharing stories about design with people and that there wasn’t really another publication focusing on design in Asia. The rest, as they say, is history.
There are a lot of aspects of my job that I love. Pre-COVID that was travelling to visit trade shows, conferences and exhibitions like Salone in Milan. But the opportunities that I’ve had to meet designers and architects from across the region and the conversations and other interactions I’ve enjoyed have taught me a great deal and inspired me greatly.
If you could go back in time, which designer and/or architect would you love to interview?
I’m sure I could name a long list, but somewhere at the top would be French mid-century modernist designer Jean-Michel Frank. His aesthetic was so ahead of its time and still incredibly influential. I would have loved to talk to him about his process and his ongoing collaborations with Alberto Giacometti.
Your favourite motto/quotation about design
“Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful” – William Morris
Your edit on The Invisible Collection
The Nomad Sofa by Emmanuelle Simon
The Monceau Gueridon by Francesco Balzano
the Cavalese 03 dining table by Martin Masse
the Paola sconce by Stephen Antonson
The A Ottoman by Studio Parisien
and the Ji CH02 Cotton Chair by Studio MVW
