Eddie Poate is among Australian Design Review’s 30UNDER30 Interior and Product Designers for 2024/2025. Below, we learn more about the project lead at Made For, his deeply collaborative process and his desire to build an environment where diverse voices and ideas are platformed. 

Australian Design Review: How would you describe your work? 

Eddie Poate: I would describe my work as highly detailed and deeply considered. I value the individuality of each project, allowing every space to develop its personality. 

The process plays a big part in my work. It is always collaborative – I like to see it as a journey my clients and I are on together, starting with a deep understanding of the site’s conditions and opportunities, and evolving through the personal connection we build along the way. Every conversation helps shape the narrative, and my aim is to create spaces that are true to their foundations – responding to their location, reflecting their context and ultimately shaped by the people who will live and work within them.

ADR: What has been the highlight of your career so far? 

EP: A standout moment in my career so far would have to be the warehouse conversion for LSR Construction. Adaptive reuse is something I’m deeply passionate about, so having the opportunity to work on a project like this felt like a real privilege. It gave me the chance to showcase my capabilities, from being heavily involved in the design development and repurposing of the building, right through to leading the project’s delivery. 

It was also an opportunity to collaborate closely with an incredible client who shared the same enthusiasm for creating something that not only reflected their brand but also celebrated the unique character of the existing building. The personal growth I experienced throughout this project was just as rewarding as the final result.

ADR: If you could work with any designer, artist or other creative – living or dead – who would it be and why?

EP: The options are endless, but there’s always one name that sticks in my mind, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. Anyone who knows me knows I’m a minimalist at heart – I gravitate toward clean, structured spaces and living with only what’s truly necessary. Van der Rohe’s career has had a profound influence on me, particularly his work in modernist architecture and interiors.

His ability to balance materials and textures to create spaces that are both evocative and restrained is something I deeply admire. In a time where excess dominates how we live, the ethos of modernism and the Bauhaus movement feels more relevant than ever. The chance to collaborate with van der Rohe, to understand his intent and thought process – how he imagined people would move through and experience his spaces – would be an insight I’d carry with me for life.

ADR: What guiding values drive you and what kind of impact do you hope to make through your work? 

EP: Empathy, originality, collaboration and consideration are the values that guide me. Above all, I want to design for people – to create spaces that make people feel at ease, safe and comfortable. 

I want to work with a diverse range of designers, learning from their unique perspectives and expertise, and together create interiors that evoke personal and emotional responses. I’m always interested in exploring alternative ways of thinking – reimagining how we use and perceive spaces, whether that’s a workplace, café, bar, library or gallery. 

Ultimately, I hope to foster a culture of open dialogue, where diverse voices are heard and new ideas are constantly shaping the way we design and experience the built environment.

ADR: How did it feel to make it into ADR’s 30UNDER30?

EP: Finding out I’d been selected for the ADR’s 30UNDER30 was incredibly humbling – and honestly, a bit of a relief.

So many young designers are out there working tirelessly, chasing opportunities and striving to carve out their own space in the industry. To have that work, that drive and that desire to push boundaries recognised in this way means a great deal. It has motivated me to keep going – to keep contributing, collaborating and hopefully inspiring the next wave of designers coming through.

ADR’s 30UNDER30 Interior and Product Designers stream is brought to you by major sponsor Neolith, alongside Miele, Interface and Tongue & Groove. The program is also supported by practice partners Arent&Pyke, BLP, BVN, Cera Stribley, COX Architecture, GroupGSA, Hassell, HDR, Richards Stanisich, Rothelowman, SJB and Williams Burton Leopardi. To find out more about the final 30, head to the winners page.