Spotlight on YDM Design Studio | Where Wellbeing Meets Effortless Living

Born from a love of interior design and a passion for helping people. YDM Design Studio has an inspiring story of its rise within the industry. Understanding how the environment affects wellbeing, Founder Nina is determined to help clients achieve their dream life through a stress-free journey in creating their happy place. 

Based in Melbourne, this boutique interior design studio focuses on the homeowners’ lifestyle, habits, values, and goals to improve their lives through a wellness-focused design philosophy. During the story of YDM Design Studio, Project Studio has been a part of the journey, streamlining workflows, autogenerating schedules from Style Sourcebook mood boards, and aiding smooth client communications.

We sit down with Nina to hear the story of YDM Design Studio: from its unexpected beginnings to the studio’s current success, and the role Project Studio plays in making it all happen.

Tell us a bit about YDM Design Studio and how it came to be.

It all actually happened a bit by chance. I left my full-time interior design job in 2020 during the pandemic. I was looking for something more and decided to go back to university to study architecture. I had an Instagram account where I had been posting images of my work, and while I was still studying, I started to get some interest from clients through there. I therefore set up YDM Design Studio to work with those clients and the rest is history. Turns out that running my business was exactly the something more I was after, and I couldn't imagine doing anything else!

I have now been in business for 5 years, and we have grown so much (both me as a designer and business owner, and the business itself!). I'm particularly interested in designing spaces that are specifically tailored to how clients want to live, to make their everyday lives feel more effortless and allow more time for joy. Our design philosophy also has a strong focus on wellbeing-focused and environmentally conscious interiors.

How do you use Project Studio within your design process?

Project Studio is an integral part of our documentation stage. All of our finish schedules are created on there and sent via a link to the client for approval. I love that they can approve and decline individual items, and add notes for changes and questions. Once it's all approved, I just export the document as a PDF and send it through to the builder as part of our full documentation package.

How would you describe your design style in three words?

"I would say my signature style is inviting, textured, and fun."

What inspires your work?

I feel that I'm inspired quite organically by the world around me. Every day is a chance to see something (anything!) that can trigger a thought or idea. Whilst I have 'working hours', it's impossible to shut my design brain off, so I'm always being inspired by my surroundings, no matter where I am. 

Which Project Studio features do you find most useful in your workflow?

I just love the way the schedule is set up in Project Studio - it really works well with the way I think. It has all the sections that I would want to include, and can be broken up by room or area. I also like that I can add notes, renders, and anything else on there. 

Do you want to improve your workflow efficiency as a design professional? Create your project in Project Studio and streamline your process so there’s less admin and more time for designing.