Design Voices: Where Object Meets Space
Presented by Riva Ceramica
DETAILS
Free, booking required
Riva Ceramica Tile Shop
284 Bay St, Brighton VIC, Australia
This panel brings together designers Alexandra Cerny, Brahman Perera and Sam Eades. Their work spans Cerny’s landmark ninety-room art installation at Hyde Melbourne Place, Perera’s nationally awarded retail interiors recognised for Best Retail Design, and Eades’s internationally realised hospitality projects across Dubai, Hong Kong and Australia.
The discussion explores the object as anchor — a catalyst for spatial choreography, material direction and atmosphere. Panellists will reflect on designing for experience beyond aesthetics, considering how people move through, inhabit and connect with space.
Themes include the intersection of residential and hospitality design, the psychology of functionality, narrative in interiors and how international hospitality thinking translates within a Melbourne/Naarm context. The conversation will also address the evolving role of AI in practice, not as a replacement but as a tool and collaborator, and the importance of human judgement within that process.
The evening will also feature the first public unveiling of a new table design by Perera, developed in collaboration with Riva Ceramica, alongside a curated presentation of ceramic works by Cerny, offering an opportunity to experience the dialogue between object, material and interior firsthand.
The conversation will offer a considered exchange grounded in project experience.
The session is suited to designers, architects, industry professionals and members of the public interested in the intersection of object, material and spatial identity.
Participants
Brahman Perera
Brahman Perera is a Melbourne-based interior designer and creative director known for his richly layered, narrative-driven interiors. Through his studio, he creates immersive spaces that balance history, craftsmanship and contemporary design, often blending bespoke furniture, collectible objects and expressive materials.Since establishing his practice in 2020, Brahman has built a distinctive body of work spanning residential, hospitality and retail projects across Australia. His work has been recognised with multiple industry honours, including the Interior Design Excellence Awards (IDEA) and the Belle Magazine Interior Design Awards. He was also named Emerging Designer of the Year and included in Vogue Living’s VL50 list of leading creative voices.Celebrated for his sculptural approach to interiors and refined material palettes, Brahman’s work explores the intersection of art, object and architecture, creating spaces that are both emotionally resonant and deeply atmospheric.
Samantha Eades
Samantha Eades is a global design consultant, entrepreneur and creative connector with over two decades of industry experience. With a rare instinct for both business and design, she creates human-centred spaces that reach the subconscious, evoking pride, connection and emotional resonance. Her projects balance history, culture and contemporary trends with a strong sense of sustainability and sensory depth, particularly in hotels and hospitality.In 2020, Samantha partnered with Hayley Mitchell to form Mitchell & Eades, which now operates studios in Melbourne/Naarm and Dubai. Together, they craft award-winning hotels and venues such as Maison Bâtard, Melbourne, and Six Senses Fort Barwara, where elegance, innovation and soul come together.
Alexandra Cerny
Alexandra Cerny is a Melbourne/Naarm-based ceramic artist and interior designer, and founder of the studio ByCerny. Her practice moves fluidly between object and space, creating ceramic works, limited-edition art pieces and thoughtfully layered interiors.Working across residential, retail and hospitality projects, Alexandra approaches each commission with a strong sense of narrative, materiality and craft, creating spaces that feel deeply personal and immersive.Alongside her interior work, Alexandra produces collectible ceramic editions, each piece exploring form, surface and tactility through small series of unique works. Her multidisciplinary practice reflects a belief that objects, materials and interiors should exist in dialogue, shaping environments that feel both intimate and timeless.