THE INTERIOR EDIT
DESIGNER PROFILE
CHARLOTTE COOTE
In this edition of The Interior Edit we are thrilled to feature one of Australia’s leading interior designers - a firm favourite and friend of ours - Charlotte Coote, the Founder and Head Designer of Coote & Co.
Charlotte speaks with us about her design heritage and inspiration, Coote & Co, and her stunning Brighton Project. A visual delight, where Charlotte created rich layers of detail throughout with bespoke furniture and furnishings. The project also uses Stuart’s print to compliment the experience and mood of a key bedroom.
And lucky us - Charlotte also shares her top tips of finding interior objects of desire in Venice!
COOTE & CO
Brighton Project, by Coote & Co. Photographer: Armelle Habib. Stylist: Carrie Hawker
Brighton Project, by Coote & Co. Photographer: Armelle Habib. Stylist: Carrie Hawker
Could you tell us a little about yourself and your background leading into a career in design?
CC: I grew up in a household where aesthetics and ideas were always present. My mother was a member of the Victorian Parliament, and my father was an interior designer with an extraordinary eye. Design was simply part of life. In my twenties, I worked in my father’s design business across Ireland and England, immersed in projects involving historic houses, castles, and boutique hotels. That experience cemented my love for layered interiors rich in character, story and craftsmanship. After returning to Australia, I established Coote & Co. in 2007. For me, interior design is about creating homes with heart – spaces that are deeply personal, considered, and enduring.
Brighton Project, Bar, by Coote & Co. Photographer: Armelle Habib. Stylist: Carrie Hawker
Brighton Project, Bar, by Coote & Co. Photographer: Armelle Habib. Stylist: Carrie Hawker
How would you describe your signature interior style, and from where do you gain inspiration?
CC: Our process is highly collaborative and detailed. We begin by listening – to the client, to the architecture, and to the land where it sits on. Our work is classically informed but always liveable – layered, textured, and timeless. We value beauty and function equally. My inspiration comes from many places – travel, gardens, antiques, historical houses – but also the emotional tone of a space and how we want people to feel within it. There’s a rhythm to a well-designed home, and that’s what we always aim to achieve.
Brighton Project, by Coote & Co. Photographer: Armelle Habib. Stylist: Carrie Hawker
Brighton Project, by Coote & Co. Photographer: Armelle Habib. Stylist: Carrie Hawker
Please tell us about your recent and stunning Brighton Project.
CC: We were brought into the Brighton Project in 2022 by a new client – a young family – to reimagine the interiors of their home. The house had exceptional bones, originally designed for a previous client, by Stephen Akehurst, with gardens by Paul Bangay, and interiors previously completed to a very high standard by my late friend, the iconic Australian interior designer Stuart Rattle. So we were fortunate to be building on an extraordinary foundation.
We refurbished every room, weaving in new textiles, lighting, custom joinery, and decorative elements that elevated and softened the home at once. We embraced many of the original architectural details and built upon them with colour, craftsmanship, and a sense of comfort. It’s a home with real presence, but also enormous warmth – something that reflects the family who now live there.
Brighton Project, by Coote & Co. Photographer: Armelle Habib. Stylist: Carrie Hawker
What role did you see Stuart’s prints playing in the rooms where they were installed?
CC: Stuart’s photography brings such a wonderful sense of escapism. His works have atmosphere and depth, but also a sense of fun and life. They invite the eye to wander and the mind to dream – which is exactly what you want in a home. In Brighton, his pieces felt completely at ease among the rich textures and classic lines. They add a romantic, worldly quality to each space without overpowering it.
The entire Brighton Project is a masterpiece but do you have a favourite room, and why?
CC: One of the most surprising and satisfying spaces we created was what our clients now affectionately call Bar Brighton – a complete transformation of what was once an eight-car garage into a lush, layered, and unapologetically fun man cave. It was about more than just designing a bar. It was about telling a story. We grounded the space with a quilted olive-green velvet sofa, layered in vintage Persian rugs, striped armchairs, and Murano glass accents. Custom joinery in deep olive with honed marble, mirrored bar shelving, and layered lighting gave the bar the glamour it deserved. Framed sporting memorabilia was curated like art, and playful details – from lip-shaped cocktail napkins to monogrammed boxes – brought personality and wit. It’s a room that captures masculine energy through a maximalist lens, and one that proves great design belongs just as much in the man cave as it does in the formal living room.
Brighton Project, by Coote & Co. Photographer: Armelle Habib. Stylist: Carrie Hawker
If you had to choose, what is your favourite Stuart Cantor print and why?
Brighton Project, by Coote & Co. Photographer: Armelle Habib. Stylist: Carrie Hawker
Our readers are avid interior design and travel enthusiasts. Could you share your favourite place to visit and top tips on where to shop for unique interiors items?
CC: Venice is a city that always inspires me. Beyond its grand palazzi and historic architecture, it’s the small moments – the light bouncing off the water, the hushed beauty of a quiet square – that stay with you. When it comes to sourcing, the magic for me, lies in relaxed wandering with blinkers off so to speak. Being open minded. Venice is full of small, boutique antique dealers tucked down alleyways where you can come across incredible one off pieces, antique textiles, and unexpected treasures. My advice is to leave time to get lost, and to always travel with extra baggage allowance.
Brighton Project, by Coote & Co. Photographer: Armelle Habib. Stylist: Carrie Hawker
Brighton Project, by Coote & Co. Photographer: Armelle Habib. Stylist: Carrie Hawker
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