Creative director at Lawless & Meyerson, Jo Lawless cut her design teeth working for Australian A+D legends Iain Halliday and David Katon, who also taught her about art and beauty.

After nearly three decades spent crafting superior interiors, and with a passion for always seeing what’s next, she’s decided the time is right to give back to the industry by joining 30UNDER30 as a practice partner.

Here she talks to ADR about her career to date, establishing Lawless & Meyerson, how young energy is great for inspiring continual learning and the importance of finding projects that make your heart sing.

Australian Design Review: How long have you been aware of 30UNDER30?

Jo Lawless: I first heard about 30UNDER30 about three years ago through a couple of friends in the industry who were involved with the program. The first conversation was around encouraging staff to enter. Which I did, and subsequently one of our staff was selected in 2025.

Excellent. What did she say about the experience so far?

She loved the experience and learned a lot through the workshops and events both at the Bali retreat and around it. Expanding her network, making connections and friends with designers from all disciplines was informative and inspriring for her.

What was it that led you to joining as a practice partner?

A few reasons. It’s gained a lot of traction in a short amount of time, which speaks to the quality and benefit of the program. As I mentioned, a couple of friends and fellow designers have been involved with the program and have thoroughly enjoyed the experience. So it came highly recommended from people I respect and admire.

From a personal perspective – after working in the industry for a long time now, there comes a time when you want to try something new, meet new people and give back to the community that has always been so good to you.

Being around all of that young energy is also really important. It works both ways. They are there to learn, but so are you. Everyone has something to contribute.

We’ve definitely heard our mentors and judges talk about taking that infusion of young energy back to their own practices, which is fantastic. How many are there in your team now?

We have nine – myself plus eight. It’s a great number. It’s large enough to take on substantial projects but small enough to do the very boutique projects and provide a very tailored service. We are a little family, and that goes for both current staff and past alumni! Many friendships have formed between staff over the years, which makes me feel like I’m doing my job.

You’ve been working as a designer for 30 years, but the studio was established 11 years ago. What led to that?

I spent 10 years at BKH (Burley Katon Halliday), which were some of the best years of my career. We had an incredible group of designers working there. Many of them I admire very much and they are now running their own (very successful) practices. We are still all friends. But all good things must to come to an end and I felt the need to grow, which led me to discussing setting up a design studio with Brian Meyerson of MHNDU architects. We wanted to create a boutique design studio specialising in high-end residential projects.

Hence, Lawless & Meyerson was born. And, yes, it’s been 11 years now.

How important do you think a program like 30UNDER30 is for young designers?

I don’t think you can place a value on being engaged and involved in your industry. You never know where things may lead. Being open to possibilities, engaging with your peers and being connected to mentors is a hugely effective way to expand your world. 

Creativity breeds more creativity.

Connections are incredibly important in any industry. When I look back at all of the people I have met over the years it has led me to where I am now.

Regarding connections, and specifically mentorship – did you have any mentors when you were younger?

Not in a formal way, but the time that I had at BKH, I was working for arguably two of the most creative people in the industry – Iain Halliday and David Katon. Having them as creative mentors was invaluable. We had the most incredible design education, it was a unique moment in time. I don’t think they ever realised how much we were absorbing from them about – design, yes, but more importantly art, style and culture.

If there was one piece of advice you could give young designers, apart from work for a great firm (!), what would it be?

I would say trust your gut, be curious and get out there and try things. Be curious. Make mistakes. You’re not going to get it right every time. Be resilient and put the work in.

As creative people, you do naturally work instinctively. You know when you’ve got it right or when there is still something that needs to be developed further. There are a lot of influences and noise around, you need to learn how to filter that out and do what makes your heart sing. Do what feels right for you, not what feels right for someone else.

It sounds easy, but it can take a while. You don’t find it straightaway. You have to keep coming back to what it is that you’re trying to do. What’s your point of view? What are you trying to achieve here? I think what I’m trying to say is experiment, keep pushing and persevere.

What do you see as the biggest challenges for the industry currently and in the near future?

The big topic is, of course, AI. Within the context of the design industry we are all navigating how we can use it, and how it will help us work more efficiently. The challenge is how can it make us work more creatively?

Conversely, what excites you about the industry right now?

The same answer as above. AI. It’s the biggest change for the industry I’ve witnessed since CAD took over from hand drawing. There are so many possibilities we don’t even know what they are yet. This is the exciting part of it.

When you’re creative, you are constantly looking at everything – what lies ahead and what has gone before. Constantly evaluating and editing. There are so many things to be excited about I don’t have time to get bored, there are too many things to do!

That’s a wonderful position to be in. What have you been working on recently?

We are currently working on two houses with MHNDU architects, one on the Harbour in Rose Bay and another on the water in Castle Cove. Two very picturesque locations with very different architectural styles.

Alongside that is alterations and additions to an existing bungalow, and a few apartment renovations.

It’s a great variety, which we love. A combination of new builds and renovations – they require different approaches and skill sets, which keeps it interesting.

Are your projects mostly local?

Yes, the majority of our projects are based in Sydney; however, we are working on two projects in Melbourne at the moment, along with a house in Dubai.

We completed a penthouse in Taipei a few years ago and were working on a vacation house in the jungle outside of Hanoi, which has since been placed on hold. I love working in different places, I would happily do more of it. Different environments, ways of living, construction methods – it’s very interesting.

This is your first association with 30UNDER30, but would you advise other potential practice partners to sign up?

I haven’t done it yet, so it’s hard to say. From a personal viewpoint, the reason I decided to sign up is I like to keep things fresh, I don’t want to stagnate. I want to stay connected to the industry in a considered way and am genuinely interested in what the next generation are doing and how they think.

Top image: Jo Lawless, supplied.

ADR’s 30UNDER30 program is brought to you by co-major sponsors Neolith and King Living, alongside partners Designer Rugs, LAUFEN, Krost, Miele, Signature Appliances powered by Miele and Tongue & Groove.

ADR is also grateful to our 30UNDER30 practice partners AJC Architects, BLP, BVN, Cera Stribley, COX Architecture, Design by WBL, DKO, Genton, Gray Puksand, GroupGSA, Hare + Klein, Hassell, HDR, Lawless & Meyerson, Luchetti Krelle, Made For, Mim Design, Richards Stanisich, RIZEN Atelier, Rothelowman, SJB, T. Black and Tom Mark Henry for helping us foster the future of Australian design.

Follow @ausdesignreview and @adr30under30 and subscribe to ADR’s newsletter to stay up-to-date with the program.