Lucy Montgomery

This Sydney interior architect and stylist recently expanded her portfolio to include a signature collection of lamps, cushions and fabric.

My family owned pubs, so I spent a lot of time in hotels growing up. We even lived in one for five years. My favourite was an 1860s Italianate government building that my parents converted into a beautiful upmarket hotel. I spent countless hours there before and after school, and I remember being in awe of the transformation – I loved how the aesthetic, spatial and material choices shaped the experience of the space.

Every day in my working life is totally different! I can be out and about sourcing furniture and accessories or meeting with clients, on set for a photo shoot or popping in to the workshops where our artisans work on our collection.

When I’m solo, I like to work in silence without any distractions because the rest of the time I am working on the go, often with my one-year-old daughter Grace in tow.

The biggest challenge of my career? Having a baby as well as my own business meant that I didn’t really take much leave from work. When Grace was first born, she came with me almost everywhere so I learnt how to multitask very quickly!