I'm Ally. Billy Blue 2018, three years senior at Jardan Brisbane, three features in The Design Files. I design residential interiors from Cabarita Beach Northern NSW, working across the Tweed Coast, Byron, the Gold Coast and Brisbane, and occasionally further.
A 1970s Ashgrove residence reworked for a client who had never lived with colour. A 35-square-metre kitchen, dining and living zone became the hero of the home, anchored by a yellow checkerboard splashback and built-in shark-nose joinery.
A Noosaville waterfront apartment renovation, designed as a weekend retreat by the river. The kitchen, dining and living sequence opens to the water, anchored by a curved veined-marble island, zellige splashback, travertine dado and warm oak joinery.
A Myers Ellyett-designed private residence in New Farm. Studio LaLa styled the spaces for the architecture photoshoot on 1 August 2022, with minimal interventions to hold the architect's intent and let the rooms read clean.
I started Studio LaLa in 2018 after three years senior at Jardan Brisbane. Before that, Billy Blue 2018, and a quiet conviction that I wanted to design rooms, not present them.
I work directly with every client, on every project. The brief is yours, not the last client's. Every home gets the full hour, and the sourcing relationships built across seven years and counting in the Australian residential trade.
A 15-minute call. We talk through the home, the brief, and the budget reality. No charge, no obligation. Most projects move forward; some don't, and that's fine.
A direction is proposed: palette, materials, mood references, a written narrative. We meet on site to walk through, refine, and confirm scope.
The full design pack: floor plans, finish schedules, sourcing lists, and trade-ready drawings. You see every line item before anything is ordered.
I coordinate the trades, manage sourcing, and oversee install day. You unlock the door to a finished room.
Most projects begin within 30 days of the first call.
On mornings when the sun pours in, the brown, green and pink stand out so vividly. I think how lucky I am, considering what might have been there without your help.
Michael, Havana House, Queensland
My house is looking amazing. So stylish and beautiful, but at the same time very me. People keep commenting on what great style and amazing taste I have, and I have to keep explaining that it wasn't actually me but you. So here I am, passing along the compliments to their rightful recipient. Thank you again. I had a wonderful experience and love the outcome.
Jo McGrath, The Gap, Queensland
There isn't a hard minimum. The first 15-minute call usually tells us both whether it makes sense to keep going. I've designed full home renovations, and I've spent half a day picking the right hallway paint.
Full design starts at $12,000 for a multi-room scope. The total comes from furnishings, materials, and trades; we set a realistic floor and ceiling on the first 15-minute call, before any concept work begins. You see every line item before anything is ordered.
A colour consultation is one visit plus a follow-up. E-design runs three to four weeks. Full design, from first call to final install, is typically four to six months for a multi-room project, and longer with structural renovation. You'll have a real timeline at the end of the first 15-minute call.
I work from a Cabarita Beach studio (Tweed Coast) across Northern Rivers, Byron Shire, the Gold Coast, and Brisbane. E-design is fully remote, so the brief can come from anywhere in Australia. Full design outside the four core regions is case-by-case.
No, but it's the work I'm known for, and most clients come to me because they want a home with personality. A quiet, neutral home is also work I'm happy to do well. The first 15-minute call usually surfaces which way the brief is leaning.
I'll listen first. No obligation. Most projects begin within 30 days, and I reply to every enquiry within one business day.