Phillip Nielsen & Aaron Nicholls
The two of us
Phillip Nielsen (left) and Aaron Nicholls, directors of Regional Design Services, Corowa, NSW. Photo: Georgie James
Interview by Janne Ryan | Photography by georgie james
Living together and starting a design and architecture business in regional Australia would seem to some an unwise move. Architect Phillip Nielsen was told it would kill his career. But for Phillip and his partner Aaron Nicholls, an interior designer, their move from Melbourne to Corowa, on the NSW / Victorian border, has yielded just the opposite. Their studio, Regional Design Service, is flourishing. So are they.
Why did you become business partners? You’re life partners as well, where do you draw the line?
Aaron: Phillip does buildings and I do interiors. We critique each other’s work, coming to the ‘sweet spot’ relatively quickly. He’s the accelerator, I’m the brake – and vice-versa! We’re a good fit. We’re both very curious about how design (good and bad) influences the way people behave.
Phillip: Our peers said: ‘…you’re killing your career going regional’. Followed up by: ‘being in business together will kill your relationship’. It’s not for everyone, and there are certainly ups and downs, but we thrive off each other’s commitment and passion. It makes sense to be doing this together. It seemed like the natural extension of our friendship and life partnership.
Building textures in Tallangatta (Jaitmatang Country), southwestern NSW. Photo: Georgie James
What drives you?
Aaron: Attention to detail. It’s all about consistency – of message, approach, relevance and quality.
Phillip: I’m driven to understand what people think of the designed-world around them.
The Regional Design Service studio in Corowa, NSW. Photo: Georgie James
Your First big break?
Aaron: Landing a job at age 19 with [retailer] Country Road. At the time, it was way ahead with a fresh, unique approach to Australian style.
Phillip: I grew up in Townsville, Queensland, the eldest of three children. My parents (both hairdressers) divorced when I was seven. My mother built the first new project home in a housing estate on what was then the ‘outskirts’ of town. I explored the construction sites, and from this young age I was keen to understand and be involved in how cities were made.
Docs cafe in Corowa, revitalised by Regional Design Service. Photo: Georgie James
The stepping stones? Acting on your dreams?
Phillip: As a child I was encouraged to pursue creative endeavours. I want to pay this forward and inspire the next generation of designers, artists and creatives.
Aaron: The absolute pinnacles of my working life were working with furniture companies Vitra (Switzerland and UK) and Artemide (Italy). After a trip to the Vitra Design Museum (DE) I decided that I just had to work there, and secured a position in 2003 with Vitra (UK), later working between Switzerland and London in a product management role. Being part of the Vitra family was an incredible experience and I still call on contacts I made there.
The interior of Docs cafe in Corowa. Photo: Georgie James
Melbourne to Corowa in regional NSW? Why?
Phillip: The move really happened by chance. In 2017 we were thinking about how to get a design studio off the ground, and travelled to Corowa to pitch for the design of a new cinema in the Corowa Golf Club. We also met with the local council to discuss opportunities to open a café with an architecture ‘sweatshop’ in the back room. Out of the blue, council convinced us to start an architecture practice in Corowa, and an hour later we had rented a shop on the main strip (Sanger Street) for $100 a week.
Aaron: I grew up in Corowa, and moved to northern NSW in 1981 when my parents divorced. Moving back? It was a complete surprise. My dear old Dad must be chuckling in his grave.
Detail from the Wahgunyah House by Regional Design Service. Photo: Georgie James
How has Corowa changed the way you work?
Aaron: Opening the business (Regional Design Service) on the main street, with an open-door policy, has been incredible. The locals are responding positively to the spirit of our practice.
Phillip: It means I can focus on better design outcomes for regional and rural Australians. Throughout my career I’ve worked in some fantastic award-winning practices*, but over time I struggled with concepts of luxury and wealth. For context, there are residential apartment towers built in Melbourne that are finished to practical completion (with all carpets, cupboards, bathrooms, kitchens included), and then after handover, the new owner strips all that out and replaces with their preferred interior design. What happens to all that stripped out material and fittings? Some is salvaged, but a majority goes to landfill. I just could not come to terms with the extravagance of it. And I couldn’t reconcile my contribution to it; could I even change it?
*Phillip worked for Hassell, K.P.D.O. and Architects EAT, and maintains long-term mentors from these studios.
Federation Cinema, the first project by Regional Design Service in Corowa. Photo: Phillip Nielsen
Daily goals in a regional practice?
Phillip: Every day we get to work on projects that can transform the way our clients live, or the way rural communities can evolve and thrive. This keeps me motivated each and every day.
Aaron: I’m a big believer in the proverb that ‘a problem shared is a problem solved’. Our physical workspace is egalitarian and non-hierarchical: no one owns anything and everyone owns everything. My overarching goal is to contribute to the health and wellbeing of my community.
Material detail from the Wahgunyah project by Regional Design Service. Photo: Georgie James
How do you stay focused?
Phillip: By creating structure.
Aaron: I am constantly reflecting on the big picture: community, business and advancing architecture and design for regional and rural communities. Remaining profitable is important. People are the key.
In Tallanagatta NSW, Regional Design Service orchestrated a brilliant and frugal revival of a tired shopping strip included new 1950s-inspired signage, verandah repairs, minor alterations and insertions to each shopfront to form a cohesive new identity. Photo: Georgie James
How do you value risk-taking?
Aaron:Taking risks is part of growing.
Phillip: Both of us are inherently risk-takers. Right now we’re investing into these uncertain economic times by expanding our team. Our thinking is to build up the team to be more agile.
What role does failure play?
Phillip: Recently we were invited to do a fee proposal for design and produce construction drawings for a $400,000 netball/football change-room facility. The time allowed to produce all documentation, with two rounds of community engagement, was five weeks. In the end we withdrew from providing a fee but felt really frustrated with the process and concerned that the community might not get the building they actually need.
Aaron: A complex design problem is shared with the team, a personal crisis or failure with friends and when either of these groups can’t help – I have no hesitation in calling a professional.
Building textures from Tallangatta, NSW. Photo: Georgie James
What keeps you awake at night?
Phillip: Ahh, I really struggle with thoughts that the designs we create don’t necessarily match my expectations for them.
Aaron: My biggest challenge is filtering the opinion of others – into those that matter, and those that don’t. The change of scene (being back in my hometown) has bought back some memories I’d sooner forget. I am discovering that there’s strength in finding friendship with others in the same boat. Sort of ‘revenge of the nerds’.
The Regional Design Service studio in Corowa, NSW. Photo: Georgie James
Where to from here?
Phillip: One of my mentors told me to ‘…create your best work in the first three years of your practice – that creates the foundations of what your business is known for’. We’ve worked really hard these to do this.
Aaron: I haven’t ever had a five-year plan – it’s more a five-day plan.
