Margot Lapalus is one of Australian Design Review’s 30UNDER30 Interior and Product Designers for 2024/2025. In this Q&A, the interior design associate at COX Architecture shares how curiosity and the sculptural work of iconic architect Zaha Hadid inspire her impact-focused approach to design. 

Australian Design Review: Do you remember your first encounter with design? 

Margot Lapalus: It might not be my first encounter with design, but a memory I have associated with design from a very young age (around five or six) was drawing a scribble on a page and using it as a floor plan or ‘map’. I would colour in the sections of the scribble and give each zone a function, such as kitchens, corridors, lounge rooms and so on. I enjoyed thinking up a narrative for why spaces were arranged in such a way.

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

ML: One designer I’ve always wanted to work with is Zaha Hadid. It would have been a dream to watch and learn her design process. Her work was eye-opening, reading more like a sculpture than a building or functional object. 

Through her work, I saw how fun and creative this job could be, and how impactful an interior space can be on a person. She was one of the reasons I chose to pursue a career in design and remains one of my inspirations to this day. 

The level of global and critical success she achieved in her lifetime, building her eponymous studio, Zaha Hadid Architects, to the scale it is now, is also inspiring for me as a woman in the industry.

ADR: What do you do to kickstart your creativity when you’re in a rut?

ML: Usually, it requires stepping away from the task and doing something that uses a different part of the brain. If I’m stuck on spatial planning, I’ll pause it and focus on something that is more of a written task, then come back with a fresh take. 

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

ML: Curiosity is probably my biggest driver and would also be the kind of impact I aspire to have through my work. Each project has a lesson in it, if not multiple. It’s always nice to have little breakthrough moments where asking the right series of questions unlocks a different design idea or resolution. 

Being curious often leads to finding inspiration, even little things like walking through a space and discovering how someone has resolved a detail in a different way. Having that impact through work, I hope to inspire people to explore or have a moment where they think, ‘how did they do that?’ 

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

ML: It was a real shock and such a humbling feeling. So many amazing people were nominated and part of me didn’t expect to be one of them. The program has grown so much since it was launched, and the calibre of the talent and mentors has grown with it. Having the opportunity to be a part of it is incredible. 

ADR’s 30UNDER30 Interior and Product Designers stream is brought to you by major sponsor Neolith, alongside Krost, 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.