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Most designers listen to the brief. Alexandra Donohoe Church listens to what's beneath it. She reads desire, not just preference. Habit, not just taste. The gap between what a client says they want and what they actually need — and she has spent 16 years navigating that gap with a restraint and precision that most designers spend a career trying to acquire.

Alexandra Donohoe Church is the founder of Decus Interiors, a studio she began alone from her apartment in 2009, building from landscape architecture into interior design. Sixteen years later, she leads a team working on some of Australia's most exquisite residential projects, with work published in Architectural Digest, Elle Decoration, Vogue Living, and Belle.

This is a conversation about the psychology of design, the discipline of restraint, and what 16 years of creative leadership actually teaches you. About how to read between the lines of what a client is really asking for. About the spaces that do their most important work quietly — holding people without them ever knowing why they feel held.

In this episode, we explore:

• Growing up between Sydney and Seattle — and how living across cultures shaped her eye for space
• The unexpected path from landscape architecture to interior design — and why she never looked back
• How she reads between the lines of a client brief: decoding desire, not just preference
• What clients think they want vs. what they truly need — and the art of delivering both with integrity
• Creating 'tension in a space' — why conversation between art, furnishings and architecture matters more than matching
• The psychology of restraint: why editing is her most powerful design tool
• Running a studio for 16 years — what she's outgrown, what she's fiercely protected, and what's kept her going
• The emotional weight of creative leadership — and the discipline required to carry it with grace
• Her obsession with detail: the proportions, edges, and grooves most people will never consciously notice
• What 'building beautiful' means to Alexandra — in work, and in life

Why this conversation matters

In a design world saturated with trend cycles and visual noise, Alexandra Donohoe Church offers something rare: a practice built on discernment, psychology, and restraint. Her philosophy — that great design is an extension of the client's inner world — is a reminder that the most enduring spaces are not designed to impress, but to hold. At a time when authenticity is more sought-after than spectacle, this conversation is a masterclass in what truly matters.

About Alexandra

Alexandra Donohoe Church is the founder of Decus Interiors, a Sydney-based interior design studio she established in 2009. Over 16 years, she has built a reputation for creating luxury residential interiors that balance refined beauty with the unexpected — resisting signature style in favour of deeply personalised spaces that feel like extensions of their inhabitants. Her work has been published in Architectural Digest, Elle Decoration, Design Anthology, Vogue Living, and Belle. She leads a team of 10–12 designers on high-end residential projects across Australia and internationally.

Decus Interiors website: www.decus.com.au

Instagram: @decusinteriors

As featured in: Architectural Digest, Elle Decoration, Design Anthology, Vogue Living, Belle

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