In this exclusive interview, we sit down with the co-founder of DUELLE, a dynamic interior design studio that blends bold aesthetics with refined sophistication. From her early days growing up in a culturally diverse Canadian suburb to leading an international design business based in London and Milan, her journey is one of exploration, passion, and continuous evolution.

DUELLE’s unique approach to design is rooted in memory, place, and a deep cultural curiosity that informs every project. In this candid conversation, she shares the influences that shape her work, the challenges of running a business in today’s world, and how her multicultural background continues to fuel her creative vision.

Tell us a bit about yourself, your background and what led you to start your business?
I grew up in Canada, just outside of Toronto, in a suburb that had the quiet leafy charm you might imagine of a North American town, while also being industrial, traffic-filled and incredibly multi-cultural. 

My parents immigrated to Canada in the 1970s after meeting in Scotland (my mother’s home). They had met while my father was studying engineering at Strathclyde - having moved to Glasgow from Malaysia. They both shared dreams of moving somewhere they had only ever read about. 

It was during my childhood that I was introduced to travel, design and culture, but perhaps not in the obvious ways.

My father designed airplane wings for Boeing, and my mother worked as a bookkeeper for a travel agency. We were never short on travel brochures and dreams of family holidays, however it would not really be until later in life that I would find myself exploring more of the world.

I often think back to a memory I have where I am walking between blueprints and drafting tables during a childhood tour of Boeing, and equally spending afternoons dreaming of far-off destinations while flicking through glossy travel magazines that my mother would bring home. I think these early experiences must have been where my true curiosity for design and travel began.

Eventually my mother would work from home, joining a business that she ran with a long time friend. I would play in her home office at night with ambitions of one day doing something on my own. 

Today I run a boutique interior design studio called DUELLE with my long time friend, working on projects internationally, from our bases in London and Milan.

Describe your business in 5 words:
Bold
Refined
Modern
Cinematic
Nostalgic

Do you have any advice for anyone trying to start something of their own?
Our business, DUELLE, is young, and despite having helped other designer’s run their businesses prior, our experience is our own and we are constantly experimenting and learning. I’m grateful that my business partner Micaela shares the same enthusiasm for growth and change that I do.

It can be difficult to do but I think that setting aside time to check-in and re-visit your original vision, to assess what is working and to chart a new course when something might not be is very important. It can be easy to get wrapped up doing the work, but running a company, developing a brand, is of course about more than just production and it’s probably your vision that really drove you to get started and what will ultimately keep you going in the future.

You describe DUELLE as ‘culturally curious’ what is it about it that inspires you?
Being culturally curious is in my nature. I grew up in a culturally diverse community that was also incredibly suburban and from an art and design point of view, left a lot to be imagined. 

This mix of diversity was like a portal to the rest of the world, and the kind of commercial monotony of the suburbs kept me dreaming of what else was out there.

Today, living in London and travelling frequently to Italy and beyond, fills me with endless inspiration. Last year we were in Miami and Mexico City, and then most recently I returned from Copenhagen, Milan and Venice. There is something so impactful about feeling the unique energy of a city and its people - it fascinates me and feels vital to who I am.

What has been your proudest moment for your business and the biggest challenge you’ve face so far?
Our passion is working on carefully crafted interiors within heritage buildings.

We just completed the latest renovation at Somerset House, a plant-based restaurant called Café Petiole. Designing a restaurant within such a stunning listed building was an incredible experience. We shared our story with The World of Interiors and have been really thrilled with the positive reaction.

Talk us through a typical day for you.
I spend about half the week working from our studio in Soho and the other working from home in East London. 

When heading into the office I’m happiest biking there on a clear morning - I love heading out early before most. I am often working on design presentations, this could be developing an over arching concept for a home, designing joinery for a restaurant, or maybe selecting furniture and lighting- I always have a few calls to take with clients, vendors, or our team. The days can fly by!

I’ll typically work from home on days when I have site visits scheduled. At the moment we have a number of projects in East London, and our joiner is based in Clapton. These days are more hands-on and involve reviewing material samples and visits to construction sites, fabrication shops and showrooms often in Clerkenwell, Mayfair or at the Chelsea Harbour.

How do you find balance in your daily routine?
I ask myself this question often! I must admit that moving to a new country and then shortly after co-launching DUELLE has been incredibly demanding of my time and also my mind. I try to exercise in the mornings or cycle into the office. I am often out during the weeknight evenings at events so on the weekends I love to move at a slower pace and stay close to home. 

How does your heritage influence your work?
Our interiors are contextual, rooted in memory and place. We get to know the stories of our clients, and weave them even if discreetly, into the design of their homes or restaurants. 

My design approach is less about instilling my personal heritage on another, but rather about trying to be culturally sensitive. Often a client’s heritage is actually not an obvious main driver of their aesthetic, however, inherited sensibilities always are and these guide the design. This might be expectations about privacy, a preference on seating heights, or even define how rooms are used and sequenced.

Tell us about growing up with your heritage in Canada.
To this day I rarely meet another Scottish and Chinese-Malaysian person (especially one who grew up in Canada). So there was an obvious feeling of otherness as a child, however I am one of four siblings so I was not alone! 

Our town was home to many European and Asian immigrants, this meant that many of my peers were also first generation kids. This kind of shared difference was really special, particularly since we had all settled in such a young country that, in my experience, didn’t have the kind of pre-defined roles for people that older countries might have. It really was not until re-locating to the UK that I can now put my finger on just how unique growing up this way was and how I perhaps wish more children could experience this too.

In your house, which room do you find solace in?
The living room is a really important room for me. It’s where we relax on the sofa to read or watch films, and can also be a place of relaxed social gatherings and conversations. 

My husband and I are in the middle of renovating our first home in London - stay tuned- so I must admit that a room with solace, at this point, is more of a collection of design ideas underway.

How do you find comfort?
Sleep - I am noticing I need more of this now than ever. I also love a night in cooking and hosting guests.

How do you stay grounded?
Exercise, cooking, reading. Leaving voice notes to far-away friends with no set time frame of when we need to get back to one another. 

How do you unwind?
Evenings at home, walking the dog through Victoria Park, sipping a Negroni in the afternoon.

Which element are you and why?
Earth, absolutely Earth. I prefer to have my feet on the ground. I love tactile spaces that blend rough earthy materials with smoother ones. I am always moved by the transformative powers of natural light, how it can change an atmosphere in seconds, illuminating and enriching colours or creating intimacy and drama in its shadows.

I was in Venice for the recent art Biennale visiting the Peggy Guggenheim Collection and it was the gardens that I can’t stop thinking about. A striking composition of modern sculpture set against lush greenery in perfectly proportioned tactile garden walls. 

Follow DUELLE on instagram @duelle.studio

Visit their website at duelle.studio

Melanie is photographed at COAT Paints HQ, a workplace interior designed by DUELLE for this environmentally friendly paint brand.