For interior decorator and educator Holly Miskimmin, design begins with people. Whether helping someone shape their home or find their creative confidence, she is interested in what makes the experience personal.
Holly developed her decorating skills under the mentorship of interior stylist Simone Haag. Her own path has been closely connected to The Design School, which she now owns alongside Melissa Rettore. Having studied there in one of its early intakes, Holly worked in the industry before returning as a teacher and, eventually, becoming a co-owner.
Today, the most rewarding part of her role is watching students grow in confidence and begin to see themselves differently. She and Melissa are building the kind of community that helps people find their place in design, bringing students into contact with the industry and opportunities to work on real projects. Their support continues beyond graduation, helping ease the transition from studying to starting out. Holly hopes students leave with trust in their creative eye, confidence in their decisions and the reassurance that they have people to turn to as they take their next steps.
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Holly's approach to designing a home starts with understanding a place and the people who live within it. She is drawn to interiors that feel personal and lived in, where the character of a house sits comfortably alongside the objects, memories and routines its inhabitants bring.
“For me, it’s less about everything being finished, and more about creating something that can evolve and shift over time.”
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Her Charles Duncan-designed home in Eaglemont offered the opportunity to put that approach into practice. Drawn to the warmth, simplicity and connection to nature of mid-century design, Holly first noticed the house on The Design Files a couple of months before it came onto the market. When an initial sale fell through, she and her family had the chance to make it their own.
The heritage listing was part of its appeal; she valued the history and architectural character it protected. Inside, the light, proportions and connection to the garden made an immediate impression. Living there has encouraged her to pay closer attention to what already works, allowing the architecture to guide her choices.
Some of Holly’s most meaningful encouragement has come from their 94-year-old neighbour, who knew the original owners. She often tells Holly how happy she is to see the home brought back to life, and how much her friends would have loved it. Those conversations offer a personal connection to the house’s past and reassurance that the care the family has taken is felt by someone who remembers it.
The family has changed very little about how the house functions, making it their own through colour, furniture, art, objects and materials. “It felt like a home we could grow into, rather than completely reshape.”
Anyhow Cocktail Table, Lounge Chair with Table (Right), Anyhow Lounge Chair with Arms in Headland Red with Sand Beige Cushions paired with the Coco Flip Sequence Round.
Holly is comfortable with a home taking shape over time. Travel, collected objects and the changing rhythms of family life all influence what finds a place within it. Vintage pieces often involve waiting until the right one appears, a patience that forms part of the process.
Measured pieces have found an easy place alongside these finds. Their simple lines and considered colour palette reflect her preference for furniture that feels timeless, sits comfortably within a room and leaves space for the other things she loves.
That interest in the personal stories behind a home also runs through Holly’s illustrations. Freehand drawing gives her an intuitive way to explore and communicate ideas, while commissioned work offers an opportunity to capture what a particular place means to someone.
One especially meaningful commission was a drawing of a friend’s grandparents’ home in Croatia. Created to hang in their Melbourne home, it connected the two places they live and held memories of time spent with family and loved ones. The drawing gave those memories a familiar presence in their everyday surroundings.
Across her teaching, interiors and illustrations, Holly returns to the relationships that give her work meaning. There is a similar patience in the way she supports a student’s growing confidence and allows her own home to evolve. Together, these parts of her life reveal an appreciation for what people bring to a place, and for the sense of belonging that can develop when they have room to make it their own.
Holly’s sketch of our Measured Melbourne Showroom at 63 Wellington Street Collingwood.