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MCM House founder Charlie Hinckfuss. Image: Supplied<\/p>\n
Fifteen years into MCM House, what do Australian homes want today that they didn\u2019t in 2009?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Trends seem to move faster than ever now. The ability for everyone to scroll and develop a sense of style from their phone has really changed the way we decorate our homes. What I\u2019m seeing lately is a shift toward more sophisticated sanctuaries. People want spaces that feel calm, comfortable, and personal \u2013 not just styled, but deeply considered.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Is there such a thing as a distinctly Australian aesthetic, or is it more of a mindset?\u00a0<\/p>\n
We\u2019re a coastal nation, and most of the time, we tend to keep things more natural. A lot of Australian homes have been built with a larger, more open footprint, and that\u2019s shaped how we live in them. <\/p>\n
The result is a kind of aesthetic cohesion, not from having a lot of things, but from a sense of balance. We\u2019re also in a time when it\u2019s easier than ever to buy into a look, which means people are curating their style more intentionally.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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We seem to be in a moment where people want their spaces to feel softer, slower, more tactile. What\u2019s driving that shift?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Health, fitness and well-being are really strong influences at the moment, and your home needs to lead that. It\u2019s a long way from the heyday of New York and London in the 70s and 80s, when your house reflected a nightclub. Now it\u2019s more about longevity. People want to live a long, healthy life, and your space needs to support that. It has to \u00a0
bring balance.\u00a0<\/p>\n
There\u2019s a lot of talk about \u00a0\u201cquiet luxury\u201d in fashion. Are we seeing the same in interiors, or is it something else entirely?\u00a0<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve always encouraged a level of luxury that\u2019s not pretentious. It should feel natural. I think it\u2019s important we keep life a little fun, too. There\u2019s room for elegance and ease. They don\u2019t need to \u00a0
cancel each other out.\u00a0<\/p>\n
What are the Australian design trends you think will define the next couple of years?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Colour is hard to place, but I do see some darker tones starting to come back in. Whether patterns return will be interesting to watch. I think technology is going to play a big role. It\u2019s so ingrained in our lives now, and it will continue to become more integrated into the way we \u00a0
live and design our spaces.\u00a0<\/p>\n
You\u2019ve always championed imperfection \u2013 wrinkled linen, uneven timber, lived-in scale. Why do you think people respond so strongly to that?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Imperfection is what makes us attractive. It\u2019s the sign of a life that\u2019s been lived. Of course, there\u2019s a place for things that are clean and new, but when you see something with life\u2019s scars, that\u2019s where the beauty is. It tells a story.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n
With the rise of design influencers on Instagram, does a more savvy audience make your job easier or harder?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Who knows! I\u2019d say it\u2019s made everyone more interested in interiors and more aware of what a space can do for your well-being. So maybe it\u2019s made the job easier. The more people are thinking about how they live, the more they understand the value in getting it right.\u00a0<\/p>\n
You\u2019ve worked with some of the country\u2019s top restaurants and creatives. What do you learn from hospitality that people often miss in the home?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Design in hospitality has become so refined. It\u2019s hard to remember a time when restaurants were just about a nice space. Especially in Australia, I think the spaces we\u2019re creating are truly world-class. I\u2019ve been lucky to work with some amazing operators and designers. The level of detail, the sense of experience \u2013 it\u2019s something that\u2019s starting to carry through into \u00a0
homes as well.\u00a0<\/p>\n
You\u2019ve made a career designing things for how people live. What\u2019s something most people still get wrong about how they use their homes?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Balance and scale are key. You can have beautiful pieces, but if the proportions are off, it doesn\u2019t work. The other thing is personality. A home should feel like somewhere you don\u2019t want to leave. That sense of individuality is what makes a space feel special.\u00a0<\/p>\n
You\u2019ve grown from one Paddington showroom to seven locations in three years. What unlocked that kind of scale so quickly?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Timing. When you feel the moment is right, you have to back it. If you\u2019ve got the support of amazing staff and you trust the journey, it unlocks a lot. I\u2019m really appreciative to have had the team to make it possible.\u00a0<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/MCMHouse_Armadale_LillieThompson_26_v2.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
You\u2019re launching a membership model \u2013 what does that look like in practice, and why bring it to market now?\u00a0<\/p>\n
As the brand and the product range continue to grow, it\u2019s important that our customers feel connected. That they have access, not just to the pieces, but to the experience. LOYALTY is our way of giving something back to the people who\u2019ve supported us. I wouldn\u2019t be here without them, so it feels right that this becomes part of the story going forward.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Published on August 10, 2025 Australians have never been more design-literate, says Charlie Hinckfuss, founder of one of…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":72220,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[449,458,459,64,63,460,134,1625],"class_list":{"0":"post-72219","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-arts-and-design","8":"tag-arts","9":"tag-arts-and-design","10":"tag-artsanddesign","11":"tag-au","12":"tag-australia","13":"tag-design","14":"tag-entertainment","15":"tag-lifestyle"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72219","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=72219"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72219\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/72220"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=72219"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=72219"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=72219"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}