Georgia Ezra is a Melbourne-based interior architect who likes to act on her ideas. To date she has set up three design-related businesses that trade off her industry knowledge and passion for it. Primarily she is an interior architect, creating a range of residential and commercial designs under GABBE. She set this practice up after working for a couple of years at an architectural firm in Melbourne, where one of her designs was recognised in the 2011 IDA Awards. Georgia has also established CAJA, which has also received industry recognition - this time with a Melbourne Design Award. Most recently she has launched Tiles of Ezra with her sister, New York-based illustrator Micaela Ezra.
Which five words best describe you? Passionate, creative, eager/enthusiastic, energetic, entertaining.
How did you get your career start and what path have you taken since? I was born and raised in Sydney where I studied and completed my Bachelor of Interior Architecture at the University of New South Wales in 2008, finishing with first-degree honours. During this time I spent a year living in my favourite country, Spain, studying architecture. Just over four years ago I moved to Melbourne for a fantastic job as an interior architect in a great architectural firm. I spent two years leading and completing many award-winning designs. The end of 2011 brought about the decision to go out on my own; just over two years later things I now own and direct three companies: G.A.B.B.E interior design, CAJA furniture, which won The Melbourne Design Award for furniture under the product category, and only just recently Tiles of Ezra.
What’s the best lesson you’ve learnt along the way? My father once instilled the concept in me that “there is no right design, just your design”. This lesson has given me insight and confidence into the I way approach many situations in my daily life. There is no right way or path, just the path you decide to choose in that moment. There is no time or room for regret, only time for confidence in your choices. Make sure to carry out well-rounded research to back your decisions and try your very best not to allow emotions to get the better of you in the workspace. Find a fantastic mentor to advise along the way.
What’s your proudest career achievement? To be honest, I don’t have one individual proud moment. I set small goals and as I reach them I am proud. I have won a Melbourne Design Award, launched and established three companies in two years and gone from working at my kitchen table to a working office with employees in just 24 months. However, the happiest times for me usually come from the smaller or more subtle things – a student contacting me to tell me how I have inspired them or a client informing me of how happy they are in their new space. These little special moments make me feel extremely fulfilled.
What’s been your best decision? Hands down the decision to start my own company at the end of 2011. This decision was inspired by one of my fabulous mentors at the time Dion Hall – director of Projects of Imagination.
Who inspires you? My main inspirations are my family: my father Jack, mother Fran, brother Adam, big sister Micaela and my encouraging and beautiful fiancé Richie. In the design field, most certainly Patricia Urquiola.
What are you passionate about? I am a trapeze flyer (flying twice a week) and I love to cook. And I think I always wanted to be an interior designer/architect. As a girl I wished my "magic power" was to be able to see through the front of homes to know what the space looked on the inside. I would find myself rearranging friends' bedrooms while they left to go the bathroom only to discover an organised and redecorate space on their return.
Which person, living or dead, would you most like to meet? I have never really thought about this question, but with no judgment allowed, I guess it would be Sarah Jessica Parker, Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen, and my father’s parents, who I never had the pleasure of meeting.
What dream do you still want to fulfil? I have a long list, but the one thing that I feel most passionate about doing in my lifetime is living in and incorporating a life in Spain with my own family in the near future.
What are you reading? My father was born and grew up in Calcutta, India. My sister recently found a book written by a lady who grew up in the same area and time as my him. Her story is of her daily life as a child in this magical town. Dad said, “If you want to understand my childhood, read this book”, and so I am. It is Hooghly Tales by Sally Soloman.
images courtesy of tiles of ezra
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