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We pride ourselves on delivering high-quality building design, innovation, technical expertise and top-notch customer service across residential, renovation, and commercial projects.

Our studio proudly defines ‘collaboration’ – each individual project is reviewed and contributed to by our highly experienced team, ensuring a comprehensive and well-rounded design outcome for you. Whether it’s a blueprint for a new build or a redesign of an existing property, we’re known for our thoughtful process and creativity.

Our building is welcoming, sprawling and features a unique virtual reality space where you can view details of your new custom design as it will appear, exactly, which is an immersive experience that bridges the gap between drafting and construction. 

Our interior design studio sees you touch and experience Brisbane’s vastest selections of bespoke and newly released finish products (tiles, floor coverings, stone, tapware, etc) all in one place. This helps translate interior concepts into tangible, build-ready selections with precision and engineering integrity.

Working with our team

Our team is fanatical about best-in-class design and our client service – seamless. We’ve been designing Brisbane homes, urban projects, renovations, extensions and interiors for more than twenty years. We are an award-winning studio, with long-term referrals and repeat clients, known for blending creativity with practical, buildable solutions. Here’s who we are.

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MELISSA

Director /
Licensee Building Designer /
Interior Designer

MELISSA WOODCROFT
Director / Licensee Building Designer / Interior Designer

Melissa’s focus is to see clients effortlessly move through to the building stage with the provision of comprehensive custom building and interior design plans. She loves working with challenging blocks and circumstances (e.g. builds on narrow blocks), thinking outside the box, and coordinating clients’ family home designs.

Melissa is tech-savvy, having introduced unique virtual reality technology services to CU Design. She has coordinated the building and interior design for seven of her own family’s homes (Melissa and her husband, Wade, have two young daughters).

Melissa is incredibly proud of our long-standing CU Design team, and loves the collaborative approach for each client project, advocating that several designers’ input (as opposed to just one) delivers the most considered and well-rounded design outcome. 

 Licencee Building Designer

BRENDAN​

Senior Technical Drafter /
BIM Manager /
Building Designer​

BRENDAN LARSEN
Senior Technical Drafter / BIM Manager / Building Designer

Brendan has been with our design team since 2006, with component modelling and all-things ‘Revit’ his specialities.

He is a considered and deliberate operator, and astoundingly creative (and swift!) at technical custom componentry. 

Brendan’s role and skill set see him draft initial concepts, bring sketches to life, right through to producing the ‘nitty gritty’ inclusions within detailed drawings.

Brendan loves a chuckle, considers himself a jack of all trades, master of a few, a lifelong learner and a proficient problem solver. 

An invaluable member of our CU Design team. 

JOSH

Building Designer

JOSH CLARKE
Building Designer

Josh brings passion and design brilliance to CU Design, focusing on creating residential spaces that adapt to clients’ lifestyles over time. His approach to “future-proofing” means designing homes that evolve with the people who live in them. At home, Josh balances his partner’s showroom-style aesthetic with his need for space to indulge in his latest hobbies.

On weekends, Josh is either road-tripping, creating something new, or planning both. With a commitment to sustainability, Josh advocates for green walls and greywater systems in high-rise projects — a vision we wholeheartedly support.

SAM

Lead Building Designer

SAM MASON
Lead Building Designer

Sam brings a practical yet innovative approach to CU Design, focusing on how families live, move, and interact within a space. With his Bachelor of Architecture now complete, Sam emphasizes “passive design” and site orientation as essential elements of his work, ensuring spaces are both functional and sustainable.

Sam’s weekends often include beach outings or hinterland adventures with his partner and their dog, capped off with a quiet evening and a good meal. Known for his love of minimalist design with natural timbers, Sam designs spaces that blend aesthetics with true everyday functionality.

MAYA

Building Designer

MAYA FINSELBACH
Building Designer

Meet Maya – our new Junior Building Designer who, when she’s not collaborating with our design team and clients, she’s getting some Vitamin D with a beach day, workout, walk or run – whatever gets her outdoors. A great counter-balance to her mostly-indoors 9-5.

Maya’s proudest moment in her burgeoning career is getting ‘qualified’ with a Diploma of Building Design – she’s itching to share her knowledge, natural abilities and creative nous.

Maya’s ideal home is one that’s full of character. When working with clients you can expect her to steer you towards layout choices that reflect your family’s everyday movements and desired ways to live with each other. Think private reading nooks for bookworms, and dedicated large, communal spaces for multi-generational families.

Maya will help you make your house feel like it should – ‘home’

ANNA

Building Designer

ANNA MCHUGH
Building Designer

Meet Anna, our new Building Designer with a keen eye for detail and a passion for creating spaces that balance functionality and beauty. Recognized as Graduate of the Year upon completing her Diploma of Building Design she’s eager to see ideas evolve through the design stages and eventually take shape as real, buildable projects.

She describes her ideal home as timeless, connected, and comfortable – qualities she’s drawn to in her own design approach. She’s especially inspired by the Farnsworth House by Mies van der Rohe, admiring its openness, abundant natural light, and seamless connection to the outdoors.

When she’s not immersed in design, Anna loves being outdoors with her family and her beagle. Swimming, enjoying good coffee, traveling, and discovering new places are her favorite ways to recharge – all fueling her creativity and appreciation for thoughtful, balanced living.

ALEX

Lead Interior Designer

ALEX HAYES
Lead Interior Designer

Alex Hayes is passionate about helping clients discover and express their unique personal style. Rather than adhering to a single aesthetic, Alex takes a highly collaborative approach—working closely with each client to create spaces that feel authentic, intentional, and entirely their own.

While she’s always excited by emerging trends and fresh ideas, Alex’s focus is never on what’s simply popular. Her goal is to craft interiors that feel both current and timeless, layered with meaning and designed to last.

If you ask Alex about her favorite design style, the answer might change daily. One day it’s a romantic castle full of history and drama, the next it’s a calm, sun-drenched Scandinavian beach house. That ever-shifting curiosity is what keeps Alex’s work fresh, creative, and always evolving.

MADDIE

Lead Interior Designer

MADDIE ROGERS
Interior Designer

Maddie is our ‘small-town country girl’ who not surprisingly promotes natural light, advocating for its ability to completely change the look and feel of a space – particularly a master bedroom. Maddie is a HUGE help to our team – especially as we design and create our own new studio spaces.

Most recently she’s been admiring combination design styles – such as ‘Japandi’, and even ‘Moditerranean’. Maddie feels that being inspired and embracing many styles to encapsulate one’s own is not a trend – rather – it’s here to stay.

When she’s not assisting our team, Maddie has enjoyed travelling overseas – noting Greenwich Village in New York as a highlight, owing to the classic architecture of New York townhouses. Being one of five daughters she also doesn’t mind popping back home to regional NSW to catch up with her large family, and when staying put – trying out Brisbane’s new restaurants and bars.

HAYLEY

Interior Designer

HAYLEY RIDINGS
Interior Designer

Meet Hayley – our new Interior Designer.

Hayley is a passionate Interior and Graphic Designer who loves helping people bring their ideas to life. A true people person with a friendly and approachable personality, she enjoys getting to know her clients and understanding what matters most to them.  Hayley focuses on finding creative solutions that feel personal, thoughtful, and meaningful.

Her favourite style is Scandinavian design, known for its clean lines, natural elements, and calm, welcoming feel. She loves creating spaces and designs that are both beautiful and functional, bringing warmth and simplicity together in a way that feels effortless.

When she’s not designing, Hayley enjoys socialising with friends and family and exploring new places around the world. Her next adventure is a trip to Japan!

JAY

Interior Designer

JAY THOMAS
Interior Designer

Meet Jay – our new Interior Designer.

Jay grew up in Wrexham, North Wales, and brings a warm, grounded perspective to our design team. Naturally drawn to farmhouse and cottage-inspired interiors, she loves the timeless charm of a Cotswolds-style home — layered textures, soft palettes and thoughtful details that create spaces that feel relaxed, welcoming and full of character.

A natural people person, Jay is known within the team for her positive attitude and collaborative spirit. She approaches every project with the client at the centre, believing the best spaces are those that truly reflect the people who live in them. Whether working through design ideas with the team or guiding clients through the process, Jay’s friendly nature and thoughtful approach help make each project an enjoyable experience.

When she’s not in the studio, Jay is happiest outdoors — soaking up the sunshine, heading to the beach or staying active with Pilates. Her love of nature and relaxed living often influences her design thinking, inspiring calm, comfortable interiors that feel connected to their surroundings.

FREDDIE

Office Mascot

FREDDIE
Office Mascot

Freddie is a French Bulldog and the practice’s ‘hype guy’, welcoming clients and getting them excited about their design project. He is also a wonderful entertainer, and comforter for little people who aren’t as excited about design meetings as their parents are.

If Freddie had his time again he’d come back as Imelda Marcos’ dog, and is a strong advocate for abolishing external dog kennels, calling them an ‘unnecessary’ eye-sore. 

He is also passionate about decreasing the height of stair risers.

HAYLEY

Consultant Coordination
Manager

HAYLEY WISEMAN
Consultant Coordination Manager

Hayley provides seamless support to our team and clients, combining positivity, top-notch communication skills, and meticulous attention to detail. The perfect support for when you’re taking on the incredible task of building your dream home.

Hayley resides in a beautiful old Queenslander that retains many original traditional features. With two young boys, an energetic dog, and a cat, the importance of comfort, space and storage are paramount to keeping her home calm and tidy. With that said, Hayley very much enjoys acquiring furniture pieces – a mix of natural materials and tones, and vibrant colour pops for her children. Project Sixth is Hayley’s absolute favourite – with much of that styling reflected in her own home.

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