.png)
Design Anatomy
Welcome to Design Anatomy, where we examine the world of interiors and design. With a shared passion for joyful, colour-filled, and lived-in spaces, Bree Banfield and Lauren Li are excited to share their insights and inspiration with you.
YouTube channel launching soon.
Design Anatomy
From Colombia To Creative Catalyst: How Manuela Millan Elevates Australian Design
A city’s design culture doesn’t thrive by accident—it grows because people make generous choices. We sit down with Manuela “Manny” Millan, founder of 'Meanwhile in Melbourne' , interior designer and design manager at Fortis, to map how one person’s curiosity can lift an entire creative community while shaping more livable homes. Manny takes us from her Colombian roots to early retail and visual merchandising, through the “baptism” of first built projects, and into a developer role where apartments are designed around real rituals rather than tired clichés.
We dive into the multi-residential conversation with clear, actionable ideas: layouts that prioritise light and airflow, kitchens built for hosting with three‑metre islands, and bathrooms turned into daily sanctuaries. Manny explains why wellness amenities—steam-capable showers, stretch spaces, cold plunge—are becoming baseline expectations, not luxuries. She also shares how buyer feedback and demographic insight refine design decisions from site acquisition to settlement, and why Victoria and South Australia share a distinct sensibility for materials, cooking, and community.
Meanwhile in Melbourne gets a rare behind-the-scenes look: how it began as a student’s directory and became a trusted platform for authentic Australian design. Manny’s curation filters out copycat work and leans into originality, cross-discipline collaborations, and stories that make you pause mid-scroll. She offers practical guidance for pitching projects, protecting your voice, and breaking the algorithm’s sameness. We wrap with a mantra worth stealing: if you don’t ask, you don’t get—so DM the collaborator, show up at the opening, and start the conversation.
Listen for grounded advice on apartment design, wellness-first planning, and creative careers. Subscribe, share with a design-loving friend, and leave a review with the one ritual your home absolutely must support.
Bree is now offering a 90-minute online design consult to help you tackle key challenges like colour selection, furniture curation, layout, and styling. Get tailored one-on-one advice and a detailed follow-up report with actionable recommendations—all without a full-service commitment.
Bookings now open - Book now
Join Lauren online for a workshop to help break down the Design steps to run your project & business a little smoother with the Design Process MasterClass, opening 15th October!
For more info see below
Welcome to Design Anatomy, the interior design podcast hosted by friends and fellow designers me Bree Banfield.
Speaker 1:And me Lauren Li with some amazing guest appearances along the way. We're here to break down everything from current trends to timeless style.
Speaker:With a shared passion for joyful, colour-filled and lived-in spaces, we're excited to share our insights and inspiration with you.
Speaker 1:And today we're welcoming someone who's made such a huge impact on Melbourne's design scene, not just through her interiors, but through the way she champions other creatives. Manuela Millan is the founder of Meanwhile in Melbourne, a much-loved platform that celebrates local design and the people behind it.
Speaker:And uh what started as a passion project has become a go-to resource for discovering full, authentic Australian design. Manuela or Manny, as I won't be able to call you Manuela, I'll have to call you Manny.
Speaker 2:I'm good with Manny.
Speaker:Brings a unique mix of want, curiosity, and critical thinking to everything she does, whether that's sharing a studio visit or shaping a beautifully considered space.
Speaker 1:And we're really looking forward to speaking with you, Manuela, about your power of storytelling and design, how meanwhile in Melbourne has evolved and the importance of creating spaces and content that feel genuinely human.
Speaker:And there's so much for us to get into, so let's get started.
Speaker 2:Love, thank you so much for having me. I'm so, so excited to be here. And as I just said before, this just feels like a chit chat with two old friends, so this is gonna be easy.
Speaker:I know, it's so good. It should be, yes. Um, we often do start with how how we know each other. Um, I guess probably in a similar way, both Lauren and I. I'm guessing, Lauren, that through basically industry events and industry friends and just getting to know each other that way, the best kind of way, over a drink and over a wine. Exactly.
Speaker 3:Probably uh yeah, at the spread table at a supplier event. That's that's how I met every single person in the industry.
Speaker:Cheese and crackers and whatever else. What about you, Lauren? Is that how you know many as well?
Speaker 1:I can't remember, but I think I remember perhaps finding out that you were named graduate of the year. Yes. Which was it's a pretty big deal because it's out of all of the interior design graduates across Victoria and Australia. That's amazing. Yeah.
Speaker 2:I remember it is a DIA yeah, it is a DIA award, which yeah, thanks for the reminder. That was that was that was good. That goes back. Yeah.
Speaker:And that's so much more practical. This has actually demonstrated exactly the difference between Lauren and I. Lauren's like, oh, I remember you won this award. And I'm like, well, I remember we had all that wine and cheese.
Speaker 3:And we maybe have danced that same night, too.
Speaker 1:More than one. Probably, yes. Then I don't know when we first met, but I remember us talking um when I had my studio on Chapel Street. You came in a couple of times or something. Yeah, you hosted a couple of nice industry events. Yeah, yeah. And then just being so impressed with your platform, meanwhile, in Melbourne. Yeah, that's so cool. Yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah. Thank you. I'm still impressed too.
Speaker 1:I know, it's pretty cool. Like it's pretty amazing. And just the fact that you sort of juggle, you know, creating both. You've got that um the content platform, meanwhile in Melbourne, but you are a practicing interior designer as well. And it's yeah, so I hope that we can kind of dive into that a little bit in our chat. But shall we go right back? Because you were actually born in Melbourne. Tell us.
Speaker 2:No, I am proud to say that I was born and raised in Colombia. So I came when I was 17, and my beautiful mom and my brother decided to move countries for you know better opportunities and better future. And my mom decided what we were tossing between Canada or Australia, and Canada was just too cold, even though it's closer to Colombia. Mom is like, nah, it's just too cold.
Speaker 3:So we decided to come to Melbourne, which is also a little bit cold, you know, out of the cities that you can pick in Australia.
Speaker 1:So um known for the warm climate here?
Speaker 2:No, but known for the culture, and that was important, I guess, for us. Yeah.
Speaker:Oh yeah. So how long ago did you say that was? Oh god.
Speaker 2:You were 17? Did you say that? I was 17 at the time. I'm literally just doing a maths check because I just a few years ago.
Speaker:You don't have to reveal exactly how long ago that was. She's young.
Speaker 3:Oh 17 years ago, literally 17 years, 17 years ago.
Speaker 1:Oh wow, okay. So half your life, half your life in Columbia.
Speaker 2:Almost half my life. Yeah. Sorry, 16 years now. And then it will be 17 years next year. Oh, that's cool. I know. It's pretty cool. Um, but it was scary and exciting at the same time, especially for me, because as a 17-year-old, I just finished high school. I was ready for a new adventure. Like, let's just go nuts and like explore this new country and just take it, you know, take the bull by the horns. Almost like you just gotta run with it. But I um I'm just in awe, to be honest, with my mom, to really have made that decision at a later stage of her life. It's a big thing, isn't it? It's a huge gamble. Like she just put it all in red, to be honest, and just you want to go? And we're like, okay, let's go. And we just end up here, and the first years you're in like survival mood, right? Like you don't know the you don't know the you know the um the language, you have to learn the speaker, customs. Yeah, like my English was fine, but it was um it was just basic English. Like, you know, I had to do six months in an English school to try and to like um lessen my American accent because I've always had an American accent because all my teachers were from America or Canada. Oh yeah. So when I first got here, I always said like water and corner, and I couldn't understand anything when an Australian would just talk to me and I'm like, I have no idea.
Speaker 1:Water? You mean water?
Speaker 2:You should just so funny. I was like, oh, you mean a glass of water?
unknown:Yeah.
Speaker:Um I think it's really amusing how when you're in Australia and you're like you you hear it all the time. We don't think we're like, well, we don't have that much of an accent, and then you compare it and you go, oh my god, our accent is so like vlog. Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:You could have just watched um the whole series of Kath and Kim instead of going to an English school.
Speaker 3:It should have. That would have cost me uh way, way less than than the English school for sure. Gosh.
Speaker:But then you'd be saying, Can I have a card nae? Can I have a cardine?
Speaker 3:Oh my god, yeah, yeah. And saying I'm effluent. Um I've seen the whole thing.
Speaker 2:Uh and then yeah, I mean it's it's it's it was scary because you're still on a visa, you know, period. Like you don't you don't know that you're a hundred percent a permanent resident of the country or even a citizen. Like that was the end goal, that was the dream. But you have to, you know, just being thrown in the deep hand, no family, no friends, no anything. So you just gotta like go and latch onto whoever is like giving you the opportunity to really progress. And and that's where your like your workmates, your colleagues become your best friends, and and your classmates at university become like your best friends. Because you have nothing else, like you don't have that support of like, oh, I'll go to my cousins, or I'll call my uncle, or um, you know, it's 4 a.m. and I need a help because my car breakdown, or whatever it is, like you have to really rely on the people that um are giving are giving you the opportunity. So you're you work really hard, don't get me wrong, that was a lot of like like late nights working, paying international student fees as well, which is not not an easy thing, no at all. Um yeah, and I've always wanted to do something creative. So I I got a job at uh serviceual merchandiser at Zara and I did that for like four years. So that kind of triggered, yeah, yeah. I was a Zara girl. Like when they first opened the new Burke Street mall. Yeah, um, I was like employee number like 0038. And now they have like more than like 500, you know, employees across Australia. Um, so that kind of helped me to, I guess, navigate my way into workplace in Australia, like what how like what are the rules, what to do, what not to do, but also tapping into that creative Jews that I was um always wanted to explore. Yeah. And I did, yeah. And then I did uh like a it was like a diploma thing uh called like visual arts, I believe. Um and that was just only for like international students. So it was sort of like a folio course that like prepare you to go to university or like to kind of bridge the gap between like you didn't go to high school here and you are creative. How do we get the best out of you, I guess, to to present you to put forward in an university level? Okay. Was it fun? Um, it was a lot of fun, but I I genuinely just didn't enjoy it as much because I was just so much, I was just focused on like work, work, work, make money, make sure I have enough to pay for the things and like and then you still have like that um homesickness as well. Because yes, my mom and my brother were here, and that's extremely fortunate. Not a lot of people would have that opportunity to really move countries as a family, they always just move by yourself on your 20s or whatever because you want to experience something new. Um, but yeah, it was hectic. But I did like the graphic design course. I did like I did enjoy like that um dive in on like InDesign and like Photoshop and the the skills that are like I still use in my daily day today.
Speaker 1:Yeah, all day long. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So um after you finished that visual arts diploma, what happened next? What did you what did you want to do after that?
Speaker 2:I then I just like all right, maybe I'll do graphic design, maybe I'll do photography. I was kind of in between of like what is a stable job that is gonna also um fulfill my creativity cup. So I decided to do interior design because it's like, okay, well that looks that looks like a like a job that you can do Monday to Friday and you can still create something and design something and see it built, which that like blew my mind. That's appealing. It's it's amazing. Yeah, yeah. I it's a funny story when you first have your first project that you drew 2D lines on a piece of paper, then you perhaps model it in like a you know, 3D, like a CAD Rabbit, whatever sketch up, and then you see it build. I call that like the baptism of an interior design. I love that because it is the first time that you realize that you can make things reality, yeah.
Speaker 1:It's mind-blowing. It is, yeah. Well, it depends how good that project was. I'm thinking about some of my first projects.
Speaker:No, I'm trying to remember my first one too.
Speaker 3:Yeah, who was your first one?
Speaker 1:I can't even think that far back.
Speaker:I think I think so I was in commercial um like office interiors, so I think it was kind of interesting, but not like the best bit about it was if you got to do the reception area, you know, like a reception desk. That's when I started to get right into it. I love doing joinery.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker:So I remember doing that and like seeing, like even just going to see the joiner and like seeing how they do things and how that comes together. And yeah, that's yeah, yeah. But I love that baptism. Yeah, yeah. So what was yours then?
Speaker 2:What was your first um the baptism was a display suite for a project when I was at Ellenberg Fraser called Rockley Gardens, and um which is just yeah, just around the corner, like on Turek Road. And yeah, the the client I built I remember just being like really happy with the concept. And of course, that was just the grad, right? I I wasn't presenting the whole concept or being in front of the client, but they brought me to meetings so I have that experience, which was very good. Yeah, it was amazing to be honest. They they did promote that the grads will learn as much as possible. And yeah, that was just incredible to see it all like in reality. And it was like, oh my god, that kitchen, I remember documenting this kitchen.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that is pretty cool for a grad because I remember feeling just this really sense of frustration. I wanted to design, even you know, I should say Brie, a reception desk, but I was doing the workstation layouts or the carpet tiles, or the schedules, like you know, we all schedule schedule.
Speaker:Window schedule. I really loved doing workstation layouts, I was so nerdy about that, like big office floors, and like I found that like really challenging. Like, okay, I need to fit this many workstations. Then I'd get really happy when I worked out like a mini-planned layout.
Speaker 3:That's true. Puzzle, like you totally like yes, yeah, yeah.
Speaker:And then you might really good because it's like they're always trying to fit too many workstations, right?
Speaker 1:So when you can work at work, you're like, yes, yeah, unlocking that last puzzle piece. So you've worked with some pretty big names in the industry, Manny. Ellenberg Fraser, you mentioned. Yeah, Sarah Stri Strible. Is that how you say it? Sarah Strip Strible. Sarah Strible, yeah. Sarah Strible and car. Correct. Pretty heavyweight, kind of like serious. So what kind of projects did you work? Yeah. Yeah.
Speaker 2:I I generally well, my first job was Ellenberg Fraser, and I learnt a lot um about multi-residential design. I I feel like it's it has such a bad name or a bad reputation because it's shoebox apartments, or you know, the the the government before the the current one have approved so many before bads, before all of this. You know, if you go to the city, you still have like a so much leftovers of just shoebox apartments, and like, don't get me wrong, they're not the best. So apartments had such a bad reputation when I first got into the industry. But I'm just excited, to be honest, to really transform and change that narrative. Because if you live in an apartment and I lived in both an apartments and houses, I live in a farm when I was little. I live in, you know, now I'm living in a two-bedroom apartment in South Yara. Like I've lived everywhere. And to be honest, if you if you have the right layout and if you have the right natural light, and if your ever like, you know, your air circulation is good and you curate it in a way that is gonna become this amazing home for you and for your needs, it's the best. Like, we actually don't need to live in an incredible big house with wasting so much energy as well and so much space. Um, and let's just look around the world. Everybody lives in an apartment. Europeans live in an apartment, that's fine. They have to do so well, right?
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah, yeah, absolutely. It is exciting, created equally.
Speaker 1:You know, you have to put it in a bad, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker:But I think you're right, exactly what you said. There's definitely a bad rap, particularly in Australia, for horrible apartments. And everyone's like, why would we want to live like that? It just hasn't been done well. No, I love that. It does need to be transformed, right?
Speaker 2:Yeah, and I'm in the middle of that change and working for all of these big firms and learning how to really put multi-residential apartments together has given me all the skill sets that I need for what I'm doing currently, which is a design manager working for Ford as a developer. So it literally has like taught me how to how to actually make apartments livable. How do you make them feel like you're not just one of 500, 232? Like just to make them unique and to be able to design a kitchen and a bathroom that is going to appeal to so many different people, that is super rewarding. Like you're not just, yes, single residential clients. I have them as well, and I love them. They're they're the best because you go on this crazy adventure and you know them so well and you know how many pairs of shoes they have, and you have to design for that specific client, right? Yeah. Um, and I love that, and it's very rewarding. You become best friends, etc. But designing for multi-residential, it is extremely rewarding because you are trying to appeal to a huge pool of people. So to to really be successful and to really design a kitchen or a bathroom or an apartment layout that so many people are gonna resonate with that I found it really, you know, like, oh my god, okay, I did I did good because these apartments are selling great. That means that my ideas, my design, what I put into it, a lot of people are saying, cool, I want to live here.
Speaker:Yes. It's a different kind of quantifiable realization, isn't it? It's like very different to, yeah. And I guess it's because you're um removed a little bit from the end user, it's the sales that kind of you go, like, great, we nailed it, everybody loves it. Like, is that is that usually the measure, or do you get a lot of feedback as well? Like what how does it work?
Speaker 2:I think that is a good measure, like in terms of sales, but uh that sales is also, you know, um, is it the right price? Is it this is it the sales agent that is great at the job as well? Like it's more than one thing. Location, um, you know, government rules, whatever it is that, you know, they're gonna give us five percent, they're gonna give us ten, whatever it is. Like it, it, it is, it is a little bit of a measurement in terms of sales. But when when you actually could sit with the end user, let's say they're just a purchase of variation come through, or they they love it, but they kind of want to make it a little bit more them. And they yeah, they say like they love the design or they love the kitchen, but they wanted to have like a wine cellar. So how do you how do you how do you make those two things sing and and and be cohesive at the same time? Um because at the end of the day, like you're spending a lot of money in an apartment is not it's not something that you go to the supermarket, buy one, and then that's it.
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:It's not a sales, like the sales journey have to be um curated for someone that is gonna drop a lot of money, right? And so you you gotta make them feel heard, you know, like what is it that you want? Is this your home at the end of the day? How can we make it more yours? Um, how do we offer a service that is gonna resonate with with people? And at the end of the day, there's a lot of apartments that you can buy these days, but why makes it this one the one that you want?
Speaker 1:Yeah, you know, it's really interesting what what you're saying as well, because you've come from the architectural practices side. Now you're working um in the development and even the way you're speaking about it in terms of sales. I mean, is that a different? Has that been how what's that change of perspective been like for you? It's kind of same, same, but different.
Speaker 2:Yeah. I call it like I'm still using my skill sets in terms of floor planning, understanding a uh a demographic. What is a demographic in this particular area of Melbourne wanted to buy? Are they caring if it's natural stone? Are they caring if it's timber lamina, timber vineyard, whatever the finishes that are gonna actually appeal to that demographic? And and it's still a little bit of designing that, but it is it is coming at, I guess, looking at it from a different perspective and understanding from like site acquisition the whole life spam of a project. So yeah, what what is the opportunities of this site? Are we providing more homes in this particular suburb? Do they need them? How big do they need it to be? What is the appealing in this suburb? What can we, you know, offer to the end user in order for us to actually make this project viable and and and to be a successful project? And it doesn't end just with the sales journey. It also like when is settlement time? How are we actually going to make sure that the end user feels feels like they're getting a service? Like it is a white glove service at the end of the day. Okay. It's yeah, it's it's holding their hands. 'Cause it is a big purchase and you know when when you inspect it for the first time, especially with people that can't really visualize things, like you know, when you you're showing them finishes and you're showing them floor plans and you can show them renders, but sometimes just you you you everyday person can't really visualize it in 3D.
Speaker:So true.
Speaker 2:So when they first walk into the apartment, they're just like, oh my god, this is you know, bigger, bigger than expected, or or like, oh, there's a lot of natural light coming through, or oh, this is great. So that feeling is is also really rewarding to have people coming through and and feeling like I I made the right decision for buying into this project.
Speaker 1:Yeah, really fulfilling. Because I mean, they are taking that little leap of faith. You can, as you say, you provide as much as you possibly can. Like, and we live and breathe it. So we're like, yeah, that's that walnut finish. There, that's going to be in the kitchens, but then they see it, they're like, oh my god, that looks amazing. And you're like, Yeah, that's what we've been talking about for the past, you know.
Speaker 3:That's why you come to the experts.
Speaker:I know, right? It is a nice feeling though when they finally go, Oh yeah, I get it.
Speaker 1:Like, I really didn't trust you.
Speaker:I'm sure I trusted you.
Speaker 1:Yeah, exactly. Yeah. And it's really interesting what you're saying, you know, about the end user and everything, because you know, I suppose going back to that perception of um these little shoebox apartments dotted around Melbourne. And um, you know, um, me as a family, we've lived in apartments. We've lived, you know, in South Yara as well. And there is that perception that it's just like young people, like, and um, which is true. And we were definitely outside the norm. Like we were, there was a rooftop pool in our apartment building, and so we go up there with the kids and the the um floaties, and then there'd be all these gorgeous, like gay guys just like fanning about there, and we'd be like, sorry, a bit noisy, though gorgeous, but you know, it's like also there's that demographic, the typical demographic. But it's really, I think, exciting to see if more families can enjoy apartment living.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think there's definitely a shift in there, and and and is about creating those beautiful vertical communities, like you said. Like then you were more likely to actually talk to your neighbor or knowing that. Absolutely, if you lost your fob and you can't get into the ground floor, you know, or apartment floor or two, what's her name? Daisy. All right, Daisy can help me, you know. So then it just becomes more um more of like a neat family.
Speaker 1:I agree. You don't get that as much in the suburbs, like we in a in an apartment, you're in the lift, you're up in the pool, you're in the gym, or you know, Daisy is knocking on your door at 3 a.m. because she's drunk and she thinks that's her front door. How do Daisy?
Speaker 2:What do you Daisy? I've actually have no idea where Daisy comes from. I don't know anyone that comes called Daisy.
Speaker 1:But you do, you actually get face to face with your neighbours in an apartment, and I think that's really underrated. Um, so have you got any like um insights into what people are looking for in apartment living right now?
Speaker 3:Yeah, a lot, actually. Yeah.
Speaker 1:Um like you know, you sort of mentioned the wine storage, you know, some people absolutely are frothing for that, and some people are like, I just don't drink wine.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and I think we're we're actually looking at a shift in terms of the joinery applications or the the the upgrade joinery package that we're seeing um a huge shift in terms of wellness and people not drinking anymore. And like, you know, I guess our communal areas are but people wanting to have that sauna, the steam, the cult plunge, um, the area for stretching. It just it just becomes part of the daily rituals. It's not a luxury anymore. You know, having having a gym membership is just having your Netflix membership, it's the same. Like people just have one. Um whether back in the day, like if you have a gym membership, you're like, oh my god, you're rich. Or like, you know, like oh wow, you have a person. Or you just forgot to cancel it. Oh yeah, yeah, or you've been paying this whole time and you haven't been once. I mean, we've all been guilty of that too.
Speaker:Oh, definitely.
Speaker 2:Um, but it becomes because it becomes part of the daily rituals. We want to ensure that the apartment is an extension of that. And the communal areas also resonate with that too.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so it's lit leaning into some of those wellness things. I love that idea. And yeah, yeah, I remember in our in our building there was somebody who would literally swim every day, rain, hail, shine, you know, I love that for them.
Speaker 2:Yeah. But also those to the even to the um to the bathroom configuration to ensure that you feel like you're in a space of calm and retreat, and that's the first thing that you do every morning. So when we're planning those apartments, we're really thinking, what is the first thing that you do every day? What is the last thing that you do every day? Like we go through the daily things, and it's like, okay, so you wake up, you got a beautiful view of whatever it is, if it's the city, if it's north facing, then you have a nice walking robe, and then you go into your bathroom, which is your kind of sanctuary. Like, how do we make the spaces that really resonate with your daily rituals? Another big trend that we're seeing um is converting your kind of shower bath into a steam shower as well. So there are products and really cool things that you can do in like normal bathrooms to make them a steam shower, you know. So it's so there's a it is a dual purpose. It's a regular shower, but also it could be a steam shower. Yeah, yeah. Beautiful. And like it's it's just inside of your apartment, so you don't have to go to anywhere else. You just do it in the morning, have have a steam, be ready for the day, and then yeah, start your day feeling fresh.
Speaker:I love that. So it's sort of all about ritual in the end, which is kind of a big thing, isn't it? And thinking about what yeah, what people are doing. And I feel like that hasn't really been considered much before. So that's a big change.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think that's a big change. And and to be honest, yeah, giving them a bigger bathroom, like you know, you you do spend a lot of time in the bathroom and kitchen. Like kitchen and bathrooms are you kind of two most important things when planning in an apartment, and that's where you spend most of the time. I mean, the living room.
Speaker:You use your oven as shoe storage.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's that's just New York for you.
Speaker:Yeah, but we do like to cook in Melbourne, I think. Agree. Kitchens are important, yeah. Well, in Australia, I would say in general. A lot.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah. So then that's that gathering and uh moments in the kitchen that facilitate you to host a dinner party or to get people to watch the grand final, or is it you know Christmas at your at yours or your mum and dad or whatever, like whoever is hosting? So making sure that the kitchens are well equipped that they don't feel quite small, like you know, at a three-meter island bench. When you say three-meter and when you look at it in plan, it doesn't look that big, but in reality it is huge.
Speaker 1:Huge, yeah, huge. Now, do you work across um at Fortis? Are there locations across Australia? Do you just work in the Melbourne or do you work do you see different, you know, different trends in different locations?
Speaker 2:I think yes. I think the the trends or the wanting specific items inside of the apartments or the communal areas are varied in terms of location, but also even suburbs as well. Like it is just yeah, very curated in terms of what the offer is. But at Forders, I'm looking after Victoria and South Australia because I think they're quite similar, to be honest. Like Melbourne and Adelaide, we love wine and many other things.
Speaker:And that's all the main one.
Speaker 2:Yeah, the weather is quite similar. There's other things.
Speaker:We often get Adelaide's weather, don't we? Yeah. I say Adela, we look at Adelaide and Melbourne gets their weather. Exactly.
Speaker 2:But we do have another team that look after Sydney and Brisbane at the same time. So that kind of that's the split.
Speaker 1:So I've always been curious with you, Manuela, because you seem to do a lot. You know, you you you design and you have meanwhile in Melbourne. Can you tell us like how did you start Meanwhile in Melbourne? Gosh, I I do, I do a lot. Um you do a lot.
Speaker 2:I get that, I get that a lot. And it's like, how are you how are you in like every single design event and party and this and that? And like it just helps them. And I'm an extrovert and that I recharge with people. I realized this the other day when I was talking to my husband, and he's like, You after the night, you come home buzzing. I'm like, and then I talked to this person, and then I met this person for the first time, and then this and that, and all I wanted to do is like talk about the nine. Um yeah, and and I really, really recharge with people. But I think it it is it comes from a place. I think my mom and dad raised me that way, just to be energetic and curious and always just say yes to the opportunity. Like you kind of don't want to miss out. And and and I guess that sensibility of of working really hard and and trying to achieve the best for the best was ingrained in me since since the beginning. And both my mom and dad worked in industries that you had to talk to people a lot. And if you don't talk to people, like it's really hard to really make it into the world or even get a job that you might want. So I think having that skill set of just being able to talk to anyone in a room, it it's it's a great skill.
Speaker 1:You definitely have that skill. You're very you're very approachable. You are, you make everybody feel seen and heard, and yeah, it's always really lovely to bump into you at an event and say hello, you know, after all these years and stuff. Yeah. And then I guess, like, you know, with meanwhile in Melbourne, could you just tell us uh if you if you're not familiar, can you just tell us what it is?
Speaker 2:Yeah, absolutely. So meanwhile in Melbourne started as a side hassle, not even hassle at the time. I was at uni. I was on my last year at uni at RMIT studying interior design. And I thought to myself, wouldn't it be great if I know who is it designers in Melbourne? Who are they, who is making chairs, lighting, rugs, chairs, etc. So I could specify them or I know by the time I get a job in the industry, I know where to go. That was the whole point of having meanwhile in Melbourne. So smart. And then again, higher achiever wanting to do, you know, more and latching to the opportunity and always think about the future and like, okay, how could I make it better? I always think about that. Um and yeah, that then Instagram was a thing back in God, that was like 10 years ago. Yeah, when Instagram first started it.
Speaker 3:Like, you know, when like that CVR, like that very dark we use filters on the border, all awful.
Speaker 2:Yeah. Um, but well, we're all guilty, but we're just like, oh, we'll jump into this new cool trend, yeah. Like Facebook was kind of like boring anyway, like nobody else was on it anymore. And then I started just to really like posting about it, and I was like, oh, it would be sharing, you know. I found this really cool lighting designer called Volca Hug. Okay, I'll just gonna post about Volca because it's quite cool. And then it started out of just just passion and uh keep like give you know when you go into deep dives on Instagram that you tag that you click on someone's and then let someone take you to other one, and you're like, what about this post? And then you go into this amazing rabbit hole of discovery five hours later. Oh yeah, big time. Um, so I was just discovering things and um putting things out the way I wanted it to curated. And then it's just a snowball out of control. I remember just waking up one morning and I was like, I've got a thousand followers. That's that's crazy that a thousand people are like wanting to see what I have to post, and and like it just resonates to so many people. And then the thousand become three thousand and then the three thousand becomes five.
Speaker 3:And I was like, who are these people?
Speaker 2:Yeah, I remember like scrolling, I'm like, oh yeah, okay. So that's that's pretty influential people, like all the interior designers, like you know, my I guess heroes at the time, or people that I always like um dreamed of of meeting when I was a union student, they started to follow me, and I'm like, okay, well, this is it's kind of cool, and I guess it is a thing. It's a thing. Let's make it more. It's it's it's noble effect. Yeah, yeah. And the more I posed it, the more people liked it, I guess. Yeah.
Speaker 1:And I mean, now you've got almost a hundred thousand followers, so it's so cool. So it's amazing. And so where do you sort of see meanwhile in Melbourne going? Um, there's a lot of things cooking in the background.
Speaker 2:Oh, cool. So um, I think next year is gonna be uh a year that um I'm preparing for, and I'm gonna launch uh uh something that is gonna be more tangible, not just Instagram. I think we're missing that um human connection or that intimate kind of gathering, not just being friends, not just DMing people, but just meeting in places. Um I think we're tapping in more into that, and yeah, I think that's really yeah, I think it's really needed.
Speaker 1:Like, you know, I think we get so much in our heads, Instagram, and you know, we're using AI, we're chatting to robots, like what the heck? I know, and to meet in person, it's just nothing like it. And it's yeah, I think people are wanting probably a bit more of that connection. And you put an in invite out there, and I think that's something, yeah, what whatever, please invite me to whatever you're going to do.
Speaker 3:I will. I definitely will.
Speaker:About um, I guess it's become it was very organic, and it was just about you kind of sharing what you loved and what was happening in the industry, in particular in Melbourne. That's sort of grown a bit now, I guess, outside of Melbourne. I know you definitely at least go to Sydney. Um and have people now, I guess you um take brand sponsorships and things like that. Like, is that where it's sort of headed?
Speaker 2:Has it become a little bit more um, I guess, monetized or to be honest, it isn't a pipeline and it is something that I'm curious about, but I'm cautious as well, because I think the minute you start thinking of it as a business and um you become like money obsessed, then uh my tone of voice and my curation might get lost in the noise. So I definitely wanted to be as authentic as I can, and I have been, and therefore the success of it. So I agree. Yeah. I have seen other other competitors and other people out there that are doing a great job of you know sharing Australian design and Australian um uh interior designers, architects, projects and and people. But it is my voice that I wanted to protect, I guess, and to to, you know, if if I if I do a sponsorship or if I do a brand collaboration, it has to feel natural to me. And I have to believe in the thing. Like if somebody's just say, hey, can you please, you know, promote this protein shake, I'll be like, absolutely not.
Speaker:No, like I, yeah, yeah. And I think that comes through on on the platform, right? We all feel like it's you, it feels very authentic, it doesn't feel commercialized at all. Yeah. And I think you yeah, holding on to that sort of organic feel, even if it is something that you're, you know, where you're working in collaboration with someone is really important. But I I can't imagine you doing it any different than that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, a hundred percent. And I think that's it. I don't want it to feel quite commercial and and like same, same, same, same, same project over and over again. I love when I at least I aim to post one designer a week. That's my goal. That's my, you know, trying to. Sometimes it gets really hard with work and life and you know, family and friends and events, but it's just to shine that light in terms of new upcoming designers that wanting that platform that can't perhaps, you know, pay an editorial or an advertorial post or an article anywhere else. So, you know, just come to me and I'll do it for free.
Speaker:And still get absolutely amazing reach, like you and quite targeted, I guess, design industry type reach, right? I'm sure you have like design adjacent people, but it is very much sort of concentrated on that, isn't it? Correct. Yeah. What's different about what you do with it now than what you did at the start? Like, do you are you just a lot more purposeful in, like, like you said, you sort of aim to have one designer a week? Have you got is it still a bit organic, or do you really have a like are you planning it out?
Speaker 2:And uh I do. I planned at least to have like a hero project, a designer, and something ad hoc. Like that's the thing. Like, I don't have scheduled like for the next three months. If I see a project, if I see something, or if somebody has contacted me, hey, I'm doing a dishon this Saturday, can you post about it? Then it's me who decides yes or no. I don't have to go through five different COOs and three different CEOs to make a call. I love that. It's just me and my gut.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah. And so if there's a designer that's wanting to pitch their project, are there a few things that would help them get noticed with you?
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think the uh it's at the end of the day if the if the design is authentic, if it feels not a like a copy cut or a dupe or something, like it just in this in this industry you can you can get a lot of that. And I'm like really against it. So yeah, if if if you will feel like it's just authentic and is like locally designed or locally made, you'll get my support.
Speaker 1:Oh, that's awesome. Yeah. What what if they're putting together a pitch like are there certain photographers or a certain kind of look or uh or package that would help them or no?
Speaker 2:To be honest, the more authentic you can be, the better. Because if I start saying, okay, you could go through these photographers because they're the ones that are like are doing the rounds in the industry, it becomes a bit of the same, same, same, same. So if you're I think if you're you know what I mean? Like yeah, maybe, maybe go and shoot, you know, if you're making a chair, let's say I'm a designer, I'm an industrial designer from RMIT or whatever, and I uh created this amazing chair and I wanted to make it cool and different from everybody else. I don't know, I would just go to a fashion show and just put it there, or I would go to a brand new restaurant and like collaborate with someone like in different industries to make it fresher and cooler.
Speaker:That kind of cross-pollination.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think so. The bonics, yeah. Maybe use a photographer that has never done interiors and see what they come up with. I don't know. That is a good take. That's a great take. Thinking out loud.
Speaker 1:Well, I I think it's a really refreshing take. And I think because you know it talks a bit to the success of meanwhile in Melbourne, that it's it's not all the same same because we do see we, you know, the algorithm, it shows us what we like, it pushes to forward what they think that we're gonna like. But sometimes it's just so boring. Yeah, and you want to see something different.
Speaker:I feel like we have to reset it sometimes, right? Like I think my algorithm just starts, I'm like, oh, where's the good stuff? Where's the design? Yeah, and I need to go find like I would need to go specifically to you, Maddie, and go like, okay, like, like, like, or comment, and then just get the algorithm back into some you know, decent stuff coming through. I feel like you do have to do a bit of a reset, very easily goes off track, I think.
Speaker 1:But I I also mean just in terms of not just the algorithm, but just in Terms of the way a project's shot, you know, to your point, Manny, about doing something a bit different, or to the materials that are used. Like sometimes I'll see something and I'm like, oh my God, I don't, I don't really like that, but I love how I don't like it because it's so interesting or different.
Speaker:Show me something that just makes you think, or yeah. It's better to almost be if it's sort of, I guess if we're talking scrolling, you scroll past, like it's better to stop on it and go, oh, what don't I like about this and talk about it and be interested in it than just completely ignore it, I guess, isn't that? Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:I guess this is your is your curiosity as well of just being like, wait a minute, that doesn't make sense. And you want to understand it. It's just a human nature, right? Is like there's something not quite right in here and I need to figure it out.
Speaker 1:Yes. Yeah. Yeah. Well, that's cool. So you work full-time and then you're running meanwhile in Melbourne. How do you? I mean, we've sort of talked about that a bit. Do you sleep? And and what's the beast? Are you a batch person? Do you like batch stuff? Or I guess you had that spontaneity as well, which I I love. If you see something, you just feel quite impulsive to oh, that's just perfect. Like, let's just post that. Or do you have it all scheduled? Or how do you is it weekends? Do you how do you fit that?
Speaker 2:I I do to be honest, that is one of the most asked questions I get all the time. Do you sleep? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Like, yeah, I do sleep. I don't know how, but I do. Um, but just it it is it is an organic, you know, content creation platform. Like it is, it is at the end of the day, a platform that shares design and it's it's is a joyful place. So it it it shouldn't feel so regimented or it shouldn't feel like an institution. It should feel something that you come and enjoy in.
Speaker 1:And also you you fit in the things, the activities, the work, you fit the those things in if you enjoy it. And you do get the sense through meanwhile in Melbourne that this is really a is it a passion project or is it a business project?
Speaker 3:I would yeah, no, I would I would call it both.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's it. But it started as a it started as a passion project and it is a passion, like you've got to be in it to win it. It's like if you're selling fridges and you hate fridges, like well, you you know what I mean? Like yeah, totally. I just I'm so passionate about it.
Speaker:It's much harder to do as well. I guess I guess what in the sense what you're saying is because you are really passionate about it, it just kind of organically fits into your life. You don't have to make room for it and overly work hard on it because it's just kind of part of what you do.
Speaker 2:It's it's part side hassle, part my job anyway.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, cool. So I love that. You mentioned right at the at the beginning talking about meanwhile in Melbourne. What is it about championing those local Melbourne designers that you feel so passionate about? Yeah.
Speaker 2:Ah, it's it's it's really rewarding, first of all, to actually have a platform that the new up and coming cool kids and cool designers are testing new materials, new ideas. And if I'm not there for them, like who else is gonna be there? And like imagine sharing this new cool material that you came up with and nobody can see it because you have no visibility. How do then somebody else get inspired by that material? How does somebody else then contacted you to do a collab on this really cool thing? It's about having that platform to really offer that place where two people can meet, or you could get inspired by something, or you have seen a you know, uh a designer has come up with this incredible crackle light pendant and you wanting that for your client. That is the whole purpose of Meanwhile Melbourne, is to really put two and two together.
Speaker 1:That's cool. And I mean, Melbourne, I mean, sorry, but we do have like the most creative people here. We are the best. To be honest, we do. It's pretty amazing. And you know, Melbourne Design Week, when's that? May or something like that is just such a fantastic week or 10 days or something. We have Melbourne Art Fair, it's not a week, yeah. We we need more than a week to fit it all in. Melbourne Art Fair as well, which is uh February, and that's February's happy bit of design. Yeah, so that's super exciting as well. Yeah. And do you cover off those events in meanwhile while in Melbourne? How do you sort of absolutely yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:Either I reach out to them or they reach out to me to to really just the more share, the better, right? Like the more rich you can get, the more people then are interested in like knowing design in Melbourne. Like it is it is just so interesting to know and to be able to support the industry that way.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so beautiful. I think that um we might wrap it up there. So good. Yeah.
Speaker 2:I mean, I could I could literally keep like chit-chatting for like I know, we can totally keep going.
Speaker:We have a million more questions. Maybe we'll do a part two.
Speaker 3:I have a lot more to say.
Speaker:Oh I guess we could wrap it up by saying um what's next for you? Obviously, growing meanwhile in Melbourne. Yeah. And you've got, um, I mean, you've only been in your role at Fortis for, did you say about seven months or something like that? So that's quite new as well.
Speaker 4:Yeah.
Speaker:Where like what's coming up? What's what do you want to what do you want to tell us about?
Speaker 2:Uh, just yeah, watch to space. There's a there's a really cool thing happening with meanwhile, and I've been wanting to do it for a while, but haven't had the time. It's just really the time. Like I wish we had 48 hours more. That's true. Extra agree.
Speaker 1:I know. I wish there was like some time machine I could just go in and just do a day's work and then come back and do my day's work. Yeah, that'd be nice.
Speaker 2:And sometimes I just come up with this incredible idea, and I was like, oh, I should contact a dis and this person, and like they should make a collaboration and they should put it on this hotel. Yes. And I just wanted to do more of that for sure. And there's one thing that this year it's been, I guess, a testing ground. It's for my life motto. Like, if you don't ask, you don't get. I swear to God, oh, I'm gonna get that tattoo someday. True is so good and it works.
Speaker:We often limit ourselves, don't we? By not like already deciding that they're gonna be able to do it.
Speaker 2:But just saying like without even asking, maybe that feels a little bit too uncomfortable or a bit of my comfort zone, or I guess there's that you know, tall poppy syndrome that we have in Australia that is oh, annoying. Um but I think, yeah, it's just just you go and ask, like DM somebody on Instagram, go to the exhibition, like go introduce yourself, ask. If they say no, worst case scenario, they say no, but at least you did it, and and and they're gonna remember you. So then six months later, they're gonna be like, Oh, yeah, that person that tapped my shoulder at the exhibition. I think I think I want to collab with them now. Just go for it.
Speaker 1:And also, I think you tapped on something about you know the tall poppy syndrome. Like people might look at Manuela and think, Oh my god, how did she get that opportunity? How did she do this? How did she do that? But because you are just doing it, yeah, you're doing it and it and just doing it, yeah. And I could imagine, you know, you DMing somebody and then you know later on they're like, Oh, who was that? You have such a great energy and such a positive sort of vibe that I think that's uh it's very memorable. So yeah, sometimes you know you can reach out to someone and they might be like, Oh, sorry, no, not now, but maybe later as well. Yeah, yeah, yeah. 100%. Yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah. I was listening to another podcast, um uh the uh it's the stylish podcast by the shameless umbrella. Oh yeah. And they were they were just discussing it in in in big length of of that toll poppy syndrome and like how there's so many Australians in New York or London being extremely successful just because society tells you to, oh, maybe don't, maybe oh, just it just feels a little bit out of out of context. And if you're if you're better than someone else, then that's that's bad. That's a bad look. Yeah, it's just good. It's crazy, isn't it? See an opportunity.
Speaker:Yeah, we definitely do that in Australia, I think, too. Yeah, yeah. All right, you and you do, I think um, Lauren's spot on. I think the energy that you have is probably an attraction type energy too. Like, you know, you'll you'll attract good things, I think, when you have that good energy.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so yeah, when are we getting the tattoos? Yeah, let's do it.
Speaker 3:Match 100% marching to two Chapel Street tattoos.
Speaker 1:Let's go.
Speaker 3:I mean, I live I live just around the corner from one.
Speaker 1:So see you there in half an hour then.
Speaker 3:I need some wine, I need encouragement.
Speaker:We need maybe even tequila shops. It was your idea for force.
Speaker 3:Let's do it.
Speaker 1:Good Manny loved knowing this. We'll see you soon at an event or something very soon on the show.
Speaker 3:You will, and if I don't see you, Merry Christmas and happy new year.
Speaker 1:Oh yes, oh my goodness.
unknown:Thank you.
Speaker 4:Thanks, Manny.
Speaker 1:We've got the utmost respect for the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation. They're the OG custodians of this unceded land and its waters, where we set up shop, create, and call home and come to you from this podcast today. A big shout out to all of the amazing elders who have walked before us, those leading the way in the present, and the emerging leaders who will carry the torch into the future. We're just lucky to be on this journey together.