{"id":559472,"date":"2026-08-05T06:02:13","date_gmt":"2026-08-05T06:02:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/559472\/"},"modified":"2026-08-05T06:02:13","modified_gmt":"2026-08-05T06:02:13","slug":"the-design-dozen-with-alexandra-donohoe-church","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/559472\/","title":{"rendered":"The Design Dozen with Alexandra Donohoe Church"},"content":{"rendered":"

Alexandra is the creative force behind interior design studio Decus which she established 15 years ago. With a background in interior architecture, Alexandra\u2019s approach weaves the abstract into outcomes that are both exquisite and practical. She enjoys guiding clients to explore beyond their comfort zone and is adept at navigating the intricate web of complexities involved with bringing a project to life. In every project, she aims to craft, not just a space, but an experience that captures a client\u2019s essence.<\/p>\n

Here, Alexandra takes on The Design Dozen.<\/p>\n

1. What was your seminal design moment?<\/p>\n

The moment in The Wizard of Oz (1939 version) when Dorothy steps through her bedroom door from sepia into technicolour. Whilst strictly speaking not an interior \u2013 the notion of a fully-immersive transformational space that incited awe and wonder was mind-blowing for my six-year old self.<\/p>\n

\"Dancing<\/p>\n

View gallery<\/p>\n

2. It\u2019s your ultimate design dinner party \u2013 which four guests are you inviting?<\/p>\n

I\u2019d invite my design heroes each from a different design genre \u2013 and open with a single question: \u2018In your creative process, do you begin cerebrally, rationalising as you go, or do you simply feel your way through it?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Elsa Schiaparelli
Piero Portalupp
Roberto Burle Marx
Pierre Yovanovitch<\/p>\n

3. What\u2019s been on your mind lately?<\/p>\n

Genuine contentment. But also, how much humanity needs a really big hug right now.<\/p>\n

\"Ultramarine<\/p>\n

View gallery<\/p>\n

4. What\u2019s the most treasured design-y thing you own?<\/p>\n

My wedding ring, a testament to the patience (and trust) of my husband who let me loose to design it myself.<\/p>\n

5. What is the most inspiring space you\u2019ve been to?<\/p>\n

A tie between Villa Necci, Milan and Grundtvig\u2019s Church, Copenhagen<\/p>\n

6. What\u2019s a design book you return to often?<\/p>\n

The Creative Act by Rick Rubin \u2013 a palate cleanser for when you\u2019re too in your (or your client\u2019s) head.<\/p>\n

\"Monsieurg<\/p>\n

View gallery<\/p>\n

7. What is your favourite quote about design?<\/p>\n

\u201cHave nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful\u201d \u2013 William Morris<\/p>\n

8. Who do you look up to in design?<\/p>\n

Daniel Roseberry, his vision is otherworldly. The execution is mind-blowing.<\/p>\n

9. What do you consider the best project you\u2019ve done to date?<\/p>\n

My son!<\/p>\n

And our recently completed studio, which we\u2019ll be sharing soon. I approached the project as an exercise in prototyping \u2014 an opportunity to experiment with ideas, junctions, and details that have been quietly gestating for some time. The intention is very much for it to evolve over time, continuing to explore new creative impulses as they emerge. That ongoing evolution is perhaps the most exciting aspect of it all; it was never meant to be static.<\/p>\n

\"Patchwork<\/p>\n

View gallery<\/p>\n

10. If you weren\u2019t a designer, what would you be?\u2019<\/p>\n

As a landscaper, I could hang and chat with plants and trees all day long.<\/p>\n

11. What would you change about the state of design?<\/p>\n

The over production and disposability of everything we make and the impact that has on our planet. The chemicals and plastic embedded in the construction of our built environment.<\/p>\n

12. What is your dream project?<\/p>\n

It would be a dream to restore a derelict villa on the coast of Sardinia to its former glory.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Alexandra is the creative force behind interior design studio Decus which she established 15 years ago. With a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":559473,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[442,498,499,500,501,156,111,139,69],"class_list":["post-559472","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-arts-and-design","tag-arts","tag-arts-and-design","tag-artsanddesign","tag-artsdesign","tag-design","tag-entertainment","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/559472","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=559472"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/559472\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/559473"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=559472"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=559472"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=559472"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}