From Group Projects To Global Design Awards, Get To Know Studio-Gram

Creative People

Group projects at University are generally viewed as torturous exercises, in trying to wrangle together quality work out of your uncooperative peers. But what if your next group project sets up a collaborative partnership that ends up winning ‘Emerging Interior Practice of the Year’ at the 2018 World Interior News Awards’?

Read on to hear about Dave Bickmore and Graham Charbonneau’s transition from uni tutorials to international tradeshows with Studio-Gram. For a studio interested in the power of narrative as an underlying driver of their work, they (unsurprisingly) tell a great story of their rise in the interiors and architectural world!

24th January, 2019

Studio Gram‘s project St Hugo, created with JBG Architects. Photo – David Sievers.

Studio Gram‘s project Osteria Oggi. Photo – David Sievers.

Osteria Oggi in Adelaide Photo – David Sievers.

Level One by Studio Gram in collaboration with Crafty & Emma Sadie Thomas. Photo – Jonathon Vdk.

Level One. Photo – Jonathon vdK.

Melt by Studio Gram. Photo – David Sievers.

Abbots and Kinney by Studio Gram. Photo – David Sievers.

Details inside Abbots and Kinney. Photo – David Sievers.

Studio Gram‘s project St Hugo, created with JBG Architects. Photo – David Sievers.

The Studio Gram team. Left to right: Sam Broadbridge, Graham Charbonneau (Director), Dave Bickmore (Director), Olivier Martin (Architect), Nelly (office manager)Absent: Rene Majewski and Alistair Reeve. Photo – courtesy of Studio Gram.

Kutchi Deli Parwana project by Studio Gram with James Brown. Photo – David Sievers.

Kutchi Deli Parwana details. Photo – David Sievers.

What an entrance! Photo – David Sievers.

Lucy Feagins

Thursday 24th January 2019

Dave Bickmore and Graham Charbonneau, Directors of Studio Gram, both grew up as hands-on kids, eager to get their paws on anything they could make and build. Dave grew up in regional South Australia watching his Dad as a ‘panel-beater turned wine maker’, and learning welding skills by the age of 10. For Graham, childhood in Canada was predominately spent on ice-hockey rinks, with a heavy side of Lego-building.

The pair met at the University of Adelaide whilst studying a Masters of Architecture and ‘formed a strong bond.’ Dave explains ‘following graduation I worked at international practice HASSELL until Graham convinced me to join him and form studio-gram in 2014. This was the best worst decision of my life.’ The pair rented two desks from friends at CityMag, and ‘studio-gram, as we now know it’ was formed.

As the studio has grown and evolved, the pair has ‘aimed to develop a practice that avoids having a house style that defines our work.’ Each project responds to a specific brief, and relates to the client and the people using the space. Dave highlights ‘it has been said that we are better known for our inventive use of space, material and colour, but the thing that probably defines us the most is “narrative”.’ Studio-gram use storytelling as a design process, and aim to have this use of narrative evident in the experience of the space.

While picking a favourite project is an impossible task for Dave and Graham – akin to ‘picking your favourite child’ Dave quips – they are particularly proud of a recent trip to Paris and London to receive an Award for ‘Emerging Interior Practice of the Year’ at the 2018 World Interiors News Awards. With Graham’s Canadian roots calling, and a desire to set up a New York office – we imagine there will be plenty more occasions to travel (and pick up global awards) for studio-gram in 2019!