In Conversation With Tara & Hayley of Archie Bolden
Two blondes, two continents, one studio.
No this is not the start of a joke, this is the story of Archie Bolden, a dual city interior design studio, captained from either side of the pacific by forces of nature Tara Dennis and Hayley Richards.
In a past life, Archie Bolden was formerly known as TD Creative Agency - a Brisbane design studio, born in 2014 by the fearless, Tara Dennis. Fast forward half a decade, and they’re leading projects scattered throughout Australia and the USA; and upon entering a new era of business - Archie Bolden was born.
Hello Tara and Hayley, would you like to introduce yourselves?
Sure would! We’re Tara and Hayley, a blonde haired duo behind Archie Bolden who share a love for good interiors, good people, good wine and a bloody good laugh!
Tara heads our US office and Hayley leads the Australian studio and if you meet/have met one of us, then you may as well have met both of us because we’re essentially the same person in two different bodies.
We value the collaboration of minds, ideas and transparency; the connection of our interior design services and our clients needs to produce an outcome that is a physical representation of their brand, personality and aesthetic. combined with our skills, experience and design capabilities.
Who is Archie Bolden?
Archie Bolden is our audacious creative brain baby! He’s our design pseudonym and masculine alter ego.
More specifically - Archie Bolden is an interior design studio that creates residential, retail, commercial and hospitality spaces.
He’s a cheeky little bugger who continues to challenge, inspire and motivate us by taking us to places where we’re often left wondering – how the HECK did we get ourselves here?!
Your designs are spectacular. Where do you like to draw inspiration from?
Thank you! This is always tricky one for us to answer as for the most part - our designs are a reflection of whatever brief we’re given at the start of a project.
Of course at the start of the design process, we look at precedence - it’d be naive not too. But the excitement really kicks in when we begin to find gaps in what already exists and ideate ways to fill them. We (modestly) call this process ‘To Archie Bolden-ise something.’
We’re both highly tactile people so materiality is also a big one – particularly new finishes, or materials that have been re-imagined… that’s a MAJOR inspo booster!
Your business has evolved extraordinarily over the last 6 years, primarily in the opening of a second studio in the US. What are the main benefits and challenges of working across two countries?
Evolution and extraordinary are two great words to describe our business journey over the last 6 years. When Tara chose to move to the US personally, we explored what that meant for the business and how a second studio in a country halfway around the world would work logistically and practically. In the beginning, there were a lot of challenges particularly around the legalities of it all, but once those were sorted and we got used to our new normal of communicating across two time zones and collaborating from different cultural perspectives, the benefits came to shine. A key benefit is always having Archie ‘on’ - when one studio is sleeping, another is working, so if we have any crazy deadlines then we are able to enact a 24 hour loop of work. Another benefit is our exposure to opposing suppliers, influences, markets and cultures that a single studio in a single country may not be aware of. We are in constant conversation so the sharing of ideas and perspectives is free flowing and we feel our interiors are better off with our cross-pollination. Our biggest challenge is one we are lucky to have - we miss working next to each other every day and throwing banter back and forth face to face!
Many Australian designers relocate to Sydney or Melbourne, if they’re not based there already. How have you found the design landscape here in Brisbane?
Funnily enough - this was one of the key points we key points our graphic designers on when we rebranded (shoutout to the legends at @groundcrew, they’re the best in the biz!)...We wanted to shake up the idea that in order to work in a ‘fun’, ‘creative’ and ‘cool’ interior firm - you need to move South.
I feel there’s always been a pocket of opportunity for young, modern designers in Brisbane. Particularly interior designers. Sure, the industry has always been competitive/volatile and I think it’d be fair to say that Brisbane has never been regarded as a design capital of Australia… but with limitations comes the opportunity to make your mark.
Now more so than ever, Brisbane is in the midst of turning a major corner in terms of development and infrastructure upgrades. Developments like the Calile Hotel and Howard Smith Wharves precinct were just the tip of the iceberg of what’s to come, and I think the support that these areas have received, both locally and afar, just goes to show how receptive and ready Brisbane is to grow.
With this city expansion comes SO many opportunities for the design industry as a whole - everyone can have a piece of the pie! So as a young designer, I’m super excited to be able to ride this wave, evolve as the city does and (hopefully!) in some small way help to shape the future of this awesome city. I’m genuinely looking forward to being able to live through such phenomenal growth, and to sit back in 10 - 15 years and reflect on what the city once was.
Can you tell me about any new projects in the works?
There’s a few fun things cooking in the Archie Bolden kitchen at the moment, but the one that takes the cake (cringey pun intended) is the Archie Bolden Clubhouse! We were recently presented with the opportunity to open a retail space, because as the old saying goes – When life gives you a pandemic… Open an interstate retail store, for your service based business, with three weeks notice.
It’s part showroom, part gallery and an outward expression of Archie Bolden’s interior world. Our concept behind the store is to create a much needed space for the community to gather in a club-like setting while perusing a highly curated offering of products, crafted by Australian makers, relevant to the home.
It is still very much so a work in progress, but we’re loving having a physical presence down in Melbourne, fostering our relationships with local artisans and tackling the challenges of entering the retail market. Watch this space. Literally!