Carol Debono and Jacqueline Curry are the creative duo behind Instyle’s inhouse textile design studio.
Both originally from the UK, their talents brought them to Australia due to the highly specialised nature of woven textile design, a unique discipline that combines a deep understanding of material science, an ability to problem-solve and creative flair.
STUDIO SCOPE
Carol: We are both textile designers with many years of experience designing dobby and Jacquard woven textiles for Instyle’s signature collections, alongside custom designs.
As Instyle has evolved from a textile company to one now offering a variety of interior finishes, our pattern design skills have expanded into acoustic panel prints, hanging screens and other printed surface designs.
DESIGN PHILOSOPHY
Jacqueline: While our design approach varies depending on the brief, Instyle is particularly known for its pared back contemporary style, combining quality and simplicity with our environmental stance.
Carol: Supporting our local manufacturers whenever possible is an integral part of the studio’s philosophy. Without these close partnerships our level of innovation would not be possible.
SIGNATURE STYLE
Carol: A strength of the Instyle collection is its development as a ‘collective’ through close collaboration between design, sales and our managing director Michael Fitzsimons. This ensures each product aligns with our brand and addresses a need based on market research.
Jacqueline: Our signature style focuses on quality, simplicity and longevity. We design our products to complement furniture pieces over a long period of time.
DEVELOPING INDIVIDUAL NARRATIVES
Jacqueline: My inspiration is often cultural rather than a literal interpretation of things. I often get ideas from real life and abstract them at the start of the design process.
Carol: New developments come from many different starting points such as meeting a price point, developing a new construction, sourcing a new yarn or simply a walk on the beach. The joy is to take any one of these through the development process and create something new that can ultimately solve a problem for a designer, enhance an interior, perform well and be kind to the environment.
BALANCING AESTHETICS + PERFORMANCE
Jacqueline: Before designing a textile we establish its function and create a brief. For example, is it going to be used in high traffic areas, will the textile require regular cleaning maintenance? This will give us parameters to work within to ensure the final product is appropriate for the application.
