OUR TEAM
JMD is a studio that works closely with clients to produce tailor-made design, with a focus on customer service from the first call to the finished product.
“At JMD we build homes to be lived in, spaces where good design meets functionality. A place you can’t wait to come back to at the end of the day and relax in, a home that is uniquely you. We respect that our clients are willing to invest their time, money and trust in our designs and are committed to giving them the best possible experience” – Jasmine McClelland, Principal Interior Designer and Director of Jasmine McClelland Design.
Jasmine McClelland
Interior Designer and Director
What brought you to Interior Design as a career?
I actually feel like interior design chose me! Since I was a little girl I was always changing my bedroom, my friends’ bedrooms, my siblings (when they let me!) and eventually even my mum let me move the furniture around! It feels almost inevitable that as an adult I moved into design.
I love the challenge of taking a floor plan with seemingly unusable spaces and making sense of it. There is no better feeling for me than presenting new plans to clients and seeing their faces light up as they understand what is possible. We get to design interiors and give them soul through bespoke lighting, furnishing and art. At the start of every design I visualise clients in their finished home and to be able to do this gives me so much joy!
Favourite spot in the world?
I am lucky enough to have seen many beautiful places in the world, but my favourite spot has to be Kep Sur Mer in Southern Cambodia. Kep is beauty and resilience and history and art. Before the tragedy of the Khmer Rouge it was the Riviera of the French and Cambodian elite and you still see the ruins of stunning buildings which combined modernism with traditional Khmer design. You are walking along a dirt back road where children are driving cows and suddenly see these evocative buildings of a bygone era — sometimes abandoned, sometimes a canvas for local street artists. Kep is also the home to some of the most stunning sunsets in the world, incredible cuisine, a growing art scene and locals that you miss when you leave.
Biggest trend you are seeing right now?
Curves, curves and more curves! Seriously, I have been pleading for curves for so many years, and finally they have returned with alacrity! Curves are so beautiful! They add depth to design, and if you strike the right balance with straight lines, it is simply beautiful.
Do you have any hobbies beyond work?
I love to sketch and paint and although I don’t get as much time as I used to, I know it is always there to pick up again when I have the time. Wellbeing is essential to me, personally and also as an expression of design. I love to meditate and listen to audiobooks that challenge my thinking. New and challenging ideas are essential for growth and energy and I never want to stop learning.
Favourite song?
This is an almost impossible question, but Lady Day and John Coltrane by Gil Scott-Heron is a perennial favourite!
Diana Herrera
Interior Architect
What brought you to Interior Design as a career?
I started out as a qualified architect, but now get to bring together architecture and interiors, which gives me a combination of the creativity of design and discipline of architecture that I never tire of. Interior design allows me to think both about the exterior of a home while focusing on the functionality and aesthetics of the space within.
Dream destination?
Paris! I love its urban profile, the sky, the buildings, the architecture, the colours, the textures, and the 24 hour social and cultural life.
There are a lot of fabulous tours to do in Paris and the first tour I would take is Paris’ Architecture and Art Tour. This tour takes you to the most popular museums, galleries, and some of the architecturally iconic buildings, such as Le Grand Louvre, The Eiffel Tower, Foundation Louis Vuitton Paris and Centre Georges Pompidou.
Inspiration?
My inspiration is the architectural work of Van Der Rohe, the last director of the Bauhaus. He imagined modernism as his predecessors thought of classical architecture, timeless designs that surpassed trend or fashion with defined interiors. In my designs I use similar core practices such as practical spaces, clean lines, functionality, pure use of colour and rooms that extend to their adjacent outdoor spaces.
Do you have any hobbies beyond work?
Mental and physical health is essential for me. I work out physically but also keep my mind busy creating crafts such as macramé. Also, I love to travel to different places when I can. I really love to learn about other cultures.
What’s your favourite song?
Skarlet Paiva Marques
Interior Designer
What brought you to Interior Design as a career?
I grew up surrounded by artistic influences in Fortaleza – Ceará, Brazil, especially music and design. I was always intrigued by how architecture and design were implemented in buildings and would binge architectural history documentaries.
I genuinely believe good design has the power to transform lives, and I want to be part of that process.
Favourite spot in the world?
My grandma’s hometown (Uruoca – Ceará, Brazil), located in the northeast’s countryside of Brazil. Drinking warm coffee in the early morning, smelling the wet trees and feeling the cool breeze on my face is a memory that lives within me even in Australia. It inspires me to never forget where I came from and be a better person everyday.
Biggest trend you are seeing right now?
With the rise in consciousness in sustainability, interior design has a role to play in delivering long-lasting high-quality design limiting environmental impacts. As designers we have a substantial impact on ensuring materials and products are not only using aesthetic principles but also selected with a sustainable mindset. A wonderful movement that isn’t going anywhere!
Do you have any hobbies beyond work?
I’m a curious and self-taught person. I love dance, art, cinematography, photography, music and video games. I love exploring different aspects of all these passions, and I also play three different instruments (for fun, don’t take me seriously with that): electric guitar, acoustic guitar and kalimba.
What’s your favourite song?
Mike Lillis
Drafting Support
How did you end up working with JMD?
Playing with Lego as a child I knew I wanted to be in the architecture and design industry. Initially engineering seemed my path, but in high school art and design were much more appealing than maths and physics. I can’t imagine working in a field that isn’t creatively focused.
Favourite spot in the world?
I love hiking in the mountains, particularly the Victorian High Country — I’ve never met a mountain I didn’t like! The mountains are overwhelming and diverse. Different times and seasons change everything, sometimes from minute to minute and being there even for a few moments erases all thoughts of the city.
Biggest trend you are seeing right now?
Thankfully it’s green. People are starting to understand the complexity and scale of sustainability from design, to manufacturing and distribution amidst the ethical challenges that our modern society faces. Design can’t solve these issues, but increasingly society is realising the integral role that every industry has to play in the bigger picture.
Do you have any hobbies beyond work?
Music has been a big part of my life for 20 years, playing in all sorts of bands. I also love going to the bush to paint Australian landscapes whenever I get the chance.
What’s your favourite song?
Barbra
Studio Administrator
What made you choose to work in an Interior Design studio?
It wasn’t a career I envisioned, however I joined JMD back when it was just Jasmine and I in her home studio — watching Jasmine’s vision come to life and being a part of JMD making a name for itself in the industry has been an exciting experience.
Favourite spot in the world?
Spain, my husband and I have explored every corner, especially Madrid, and my family have a lot of history there. You can find me having tapas of gambas a la plancha at Casa del Abuelo — delicious!
Favourite trend you are seeing right now?
Bringing the indoors outside. Making the outdoors an extension of interior living spaces creates comfortable and inviting free flowing spaces which are perfect in Australia (even in Melbourne!). I love to entertain so gearing up for warm weather I am always looking to how I can re-invent my balcony space.
Do you have any hobbies beyond work?
Beyond work my hobbies include delving into a bit of family history, exploring the cool cafés and bars in Collingwood, visiting family in country Victoria and hanging with my gorgeous first granddaughter.