Journal

The Edit with Adriana Hanna

A series that celebrates design through the lens of the people who live and breathe it.

Adriana Hanna is a Melbourne-based architect whose work is characterised by thoughtful spatial intelligence, material richness and a deeply personal design sensibility. After nearly two decades as a director at acclaimed practice Kennedy Nolan, Adriana launched her own studio - Adriana Hanna Office, where she explores architecture as a lived experience as much as a crafted form.

In The Edit - Adriana shares her favourite pieces from the In Good Company collection, each selected for their resonance to her design language.

"Architecture is the most rewarding when it's not driven by a single name or creative, but emerges as a considered and generous sum of its parts."

Akari 25N

$3960

9602 Floor Lamp in Bamboo

$2999

Osaka Bedside Table

$6100

Pawn Side Table Geometric

$1235

Whether in architecture, art, culture, or everyday life, what is currently inspiring your work - and how is it making its way into your creative thinking?

Contemporary art and design, in all its forms constantly inspires me; particularly the way local creatives translate the current cultural landscape. Particularly here in Melbourne makers such as Cordon Salon, John Bastiras, Thomas Lentini, Jordan Flemming, Simone Tops deeply influence my thinking. This doesn't just permeate in terms of curating and specifying their pieces, but specifically their unique response to materials and forms. Art itself is equally influential, its conceptual nature offers invaluable lessons in form, spatial experience, texture and theatre. I often like to carve out personal time to engage with both local and global exhibitions of all scales particularly Venice Biennale.

Tavolo a Dischi Dining Table

$10999

Tio Easy Chair

$955

Poltrona Tria Lounge Chair

Calla Sconce Small

$6695

Could you share your connection to two of your selections?

"I'm drawn to pieces that demonstrate a knowledge of material and craft, pieces that demonstrate craftsmanship and celebrate a materials properties."

The Akari 25N by Isamu Noguchi - "Isamu Noguchi was an artist who developed these ethereal sculptures that function as light and art, they're a wonderful nod to traditional Japanese lantern making. They're almost 100 different types each with a variety of expressions, I personally have few and continue to add to my collection"

The Bamboo 9602 Floor Lamp by GUBI - "Designed over 80 years ago by Paavo Tynell this piece is a testament that design can outlast a period or style. Its restrained form elevates its texture and detail - particularly the bamboo pleating and leather wrapped stand."

Is there a particular project type or brief you haven’t yet explored - or one you’d love to revisit - that continues to sit in the back of your mind?

Following my involvement with Melbourne Place Hotel as a previous director at Kennedy Nolan this particular typology is not just architecture alone; it encompasses more broadly design and hospitality. I would be keen to revisit this and how it manifests across different scales and audiences. So much was learnt in shaping a building and spaces that represents a city and its culture. I particularly valued the opportunity to collaborate with other creatives such as branding, furniture and product designers, and artists. Architecture is the most rewarding when it's not driven by a single name or creative, but emerges as a considered and generous sum of its parts.

The Edit is about sharing design through the eyes of those who live and breathe it. We’re honoured to include Adrianna in this series and can’t wait to continue the conversation with others who shape the way we live.