01
Honest materials
Timber that can be sanded back, stone that does not need a care manual, fabrics that survive kids and cats. If it only looks good in the showroom, it stays in the showroom.
The studio
A small Hobart studio that
A small Hobart studio that
finishes what it starts
Smart Interiors Lab is six people, one workshop on Harrington Street and about 140 finished rooms. We have been designing Tasmanian homes and workplaces since 2014.
2014 studio
founded
founded
How we got here
From a garage desk to
From a garage desk to
Harrington Street
Daniel started the studio in 2014 after a decade on commercial fit-outs in Melbourne. The plan was simple: bring big-project process to home-sized budgets.
The first office was a garage in Battery Point with a wonky drawing board and a kettle that blew the fuse every second Tuesday. The first client was a neighbour who wanted a kitchen that fit a family of five and a very large dog.
Eleven years later the dog still comes to site visits. The kettle situation improved.
2014
Garage days
First year, nine projects, all residential, all within walking distance of the garage.
2017
First commercial job
A Liverpool Street cafe took a chance on us. It is still open, still using the same counter we specified.
2020
Harrington Street
Moved into the current studio with a proper materials library and room for two more desks.
2023
Project number 100
A whole home in Mount Nelson. The owners still send us Christmas photos of the kitchen.
Today
Six people, same rules
Fixed quotes, weekly site notes, one point of contact. The garage rules survived the move.
Philosophy
Good design is mostly listening. To the house, to the budget, to the person who will unload the dishwasher at 6am.
02
Budgets in plain English
Every quote is line items, not a single scary number. You see where the money goes and where we would trim if it were our house.
03
Design for Tuesdays
School mornings, wet raincoats, the weekly shop. A room that works on an ordinary Tuesday will still impress your friends on Saturday.
Studio in numbers
Small team, long
Small team, long
project list
We stay deliberately small. Six people means the person who designs your place is the one answering your messages.
0+
Projects delivered
0
People in the studio
0
Commercial fit-outs
0
Design awards & mentions
The team
Six people you will
Six people you will
actually meet
No account managers, no handball. These are the humans behind the drawings.
Daniel Mercer
Founder & principal designer
Favourite detail: a door handle with real weight to it. Started the studio in a Battery Point garage.
Mia Ferreira
Interior stylist
Favourite detail: the third cushion, the one that looks accidental. It never is.
Sarah Lin
Senior designer
Favourite detail: shadow gaps in joinery. Runs the kitchen and bathroom side of the studio.
Jack Nguyen
Draftsperson
Favourite detail: a drawer that closes softly. Draws every joinery unit the studio orders.
Tom Okafor
Project manager
Favourite detail: a Gantt chart that survives contact with reality. Keeps trades and timelines honest.
Rachel O'Brien
Procurement
Favourite detail: a tracking number that actually tracks. Knows every supplier lead time by heart.
Selected works
Projects we still
Projects we still
talk about
A mix of homes, rentals and workplaces. Most of these clients still answer our texts.
How we work
Process people
Process people
can follow
Design is the fun part. The part clients thank us for later is the bookkeeping: site notes, delivery tracking and a single inbox for the whole project.
- Weekly photo updates while trades are on site
- All pricing shown as line items, nothing bundled into mystery
- Tasmanian suppliers first, mainland only when it earns the freight
Mentions
Where we have
Where we have
shown up
Tasmanian Design Awards
Hobart Homes Guide
Australian Interior Blog
Come see the
materials library
Two walls of timber, stone and fabric you can touch. Coffee is on us, the consult is $220 and it comes off your project if you book.