To celebrate this extraordinary achievement, Andrew Martin’s founder, Martin Waller, will present the Award at an exclusive ceremony in Johannesburg on 7th November.
After local design luminary Stephen Falcke in 1999, Gregory Mellor is just the second South African (and African) designer to win the Award, making this a momentous accomplishment for the African design community. From luxurious game lodges in East Africa to laid back holiday homes in the Pacific, Gregory has dedicated himself to timeless humancentric design, creating sumptuous, but unaffected spaces for everyday living.
With a global portfolio spanning more than two decades, he has developed a penchant for bringing comfort and craft to the fore. Having honed his talents at Thomas Hamel in Australia, Gregory left there after five years to launch his own business. Gregory was recently joined by partner, Marc du Toit whose furniture design background has led to several notable hospitality projects across Africa. Marc’s trained eye in creating authentic, layered designs makes him a valuable complement to the studio.
Reflecting on being awarded the coveted Andrew Martin Interior Designer of the Year Award, Mellor says: “It is undoubtedly a crowning accomplishment to be acknowledged with this wonderful and esteemed accolade, and for us to humbly join the ranks of our long-admired design heroes. We are genuinely pinching ourselves in disbelief… and we are thrilled. It is also an opportunity to showcase what the interior design community can achieve here at the southern tip of Africa and, importantly, to be able to help shine a light on the incredible workmanship and quality of the suppliers and workshops with whom we collaborate.”
Mellor continues: “We focus on how our clients want to LIVE in their space, so that the interior relates comfortably in all ways – to its inhabitants and the context. In order to achieve a timeless quality, we aim to work with authenticity and produce a result that is authentic. I hope our work encourages, enhances or contributes to the lifestyle of our clients. We have a predominantly traditional approach to our work but are unafraid to incorporate disparate elements. We are a happy and dedicated team; everyone gives their all with passion and integrity. I think this is felt intrinsically in the work we produce.”
Martin Waller, founder of Andrew Martin comments: “Gregory Mellor’s super relaxed look is so much more difficult to achieve than it looks. Effortless style requires discipline and precision. Mellor nails it.”
Rob Brydon, celebrated British actor and judge of the Andrew Martin Interior Design Awards 2023, notes: “I loved the clean lines, the colour palette, the combination of textures and the sense of the rooms being places to live in rather than simply look at in admiration. Having said that, there was plenty of admiration too!”
Founded in 1996 by Martin Waller of esteemed global design house Andrew Martin, the Andrew Martin Interior Designer of the Year award is the highest honour an interior designer can achieve on an international level. Celebrating the globe’s most talented and extraordinary interior designers, the likes of icons Kelly
Hoppen, Axel Vervoordt, Thomas Pheasant, Nicky Haslam and Jamie Drake, it’s no surprise that the Award has come to be known informally as the design world’s Oscars.
