Across Australia, a growing wave of architects and designers are challenging the conventions of how creative businesses are built. The CO-architecture Studio Accelerator was designed to support that shift, founders who are as ambitious about their practice as they are about their projects.
Blending the intensity of a startup accelerator with the realities of running a design studio, the program delivers the kind of strategic, financial, and leadership literacy that’s rarely taught or even accessible within the industry. Over four weeks, 26 studios took part in eight workshops and more than 16 hours of sessions, connecting with industry leaders, mentors, and founders who’ve built and scaled studios through growth, challenge, and change, from defining business models and pricing structures to refining operations, client experience, and leadership.
The 2025 Cohort
Representing the depth of Australia’s design industry, this year’s cohort brought together emerging studios under five years in practice alongside more established firms spanning ten to fifteen years. Collectively they represented a cross-section of disciplines in architecture, interiors, landscape and design strategy, united by a shared ambition to build enduring, values-driven practices. Around 70% were small studios with fewer than ten staff, but all of them were owner-led practices navigating the transition from creative independence to structured growth.
What emerged through the program was a striking consistency in ambition. Many participants spoke about wanting greater financial clarity, confidence in their decision-making, and a stronger connection between their design purpose and business performance. The sessions gave founders practical frameworks to measure profitability, lead teams, attract the right clients and communicate their value with conviction, shifting the conversation from survival to sustainability.
The result is a cohort of studios equipped not just with sharper business skills, but with renewed vision. Their stories illustrate the evolving identity of Australian design practice, one where creativity, strategy, and entrepreneurship intersect. Many now see themselves not as creatives who happen to run a business, but as business owners who happen to create, a quiet but powerful shift shaping the next generation of design leaders.
Baikie Corr Architecture
Sydney, NSW
Baikie Corr Architecture, led by founders Liam Corr and Jeffrey Baikie, is charting a bold path for contemporary practice.
Baikie Corr Architecture began its journey with renovations and bespoke homes, shaping a belief in the lasting value of good design. The studio embraces a philosophy of creating bold, simple, and refined solutions that serve both clients and communities.
Grounded in thoughtful communication and a deep respect for people and place, Baikie Corr now applies that ethos to education, apartments, and community projects, creating functional and comfortable spaces that respond to context and enrich everyday life.
Baikie Corr Architecture continues to grow with a clear commitment to serving people, strengthening the city, and delivering architecture that stands the test of time.
Learn more Baikie Corr Architecture
Bel.Bon. Design
Perth, WA
Bel.Bon. Design founded in 2021 by sisters Ishbel and Bonnie Laing with the goal of creating spaces that preserve character while embracing modern living. Rooted in family values and guided by a commitment to wellbeing and care, the studio brings a fresh perspective to design across homes, commercial spaces and marine environments.
Working on projects from bespoke residences to corporate fit outs and international yacht refits, Bel.Bon. Design blends contemporary techniques with detail and creativity to deliver spaces that feel both functional and restorative. As the practice grows beyond its Perth beginnings, it continues to expand its presence in Australia and abroad, building a brand defined by innovation, family and thoughtful design.
Learn more about Bel.Bon. Design
Ben Hovav
Brisbane, QLD
Ben created his practice with the aim of rethinking how architecture and urbanism can shape the way people connect with community and place. Rooted in Australia but shaped by international and public-sector experience, the practice is guided by the belief that design should be purposeful, resilient and generous, creating environments that enrich daily life and invite people to engage.
From private dwellings to neighbourhood precincts and regeneration projects, the studio bridges architectural craft with urban thinking, ensuring detail and making are always in dialogue with broader ideas of city and community. Still a young practice but with growing recognition, Ben Hovav is focused on contributing to meaningful projects, continuing its role in education and advocacy, and exploring new ways design can bring people together and create places alive with possibility.
Chan Architecture
Melbourne, VIC
Chan Architecture was created to shape its own narrative, with the freedom to make decisions grounded in integrity and respect for both people and design. The practice is defined by meaningful, collaborative work with clients who value the role of the architect and the potential of design to enrich everyday life.
What sets Chan Architecture apart is the stability of its small, long-standing team, a group of architects who have grown together over many years with a shared purpose and supportive culture. This consistency underpins the quality of the studio’s work and the trust it has built with clients. Looking ahead, the practice is exploring how emerging tools such as AI can refine its workflow and open new opportunities for design and delivery.
Learn more about Chan Architecture
Emotive Designs
Melbourne, VIC
Emotive Designs was founded on the belief that homes should be more than functional spaces. They should reflect identity, enrich daily life, and create genuine connection. With a background in both design and construction, the studio specializes in bespoke residential projects, combining creativity and precision to craft dwellings with soul and lasting value.
Every project is considered a shared milestone, shaped through collaboration and guided by integrity, care and sustainability. From the first concept to the moment client's step into their completed home, Emotive Designs delivers architecture defined by authenticity and emotional resonance, creating places that are as meaningful as they are enduring.
Learn more about Emotive Designs
ENCLAVE Architects
Melbourne, VIC
Enclave was created to challenge the extremes of the industry, between exclusive architecture and mass-produced design. Driven by the belief that good architecture should be accessible to everyone. Guided by a commitment to clarity, light, and proportion, the studio has built a diverse global team grounded in collaboration and transparency. Its greatest measure of success lies not in accolades but in the lasting impact its projects have on the people who inhabit them. Now expanding into Queensland while exploring new frontiers in AI and robotics, Enclave continues to push the boundaries of how architecture is designed and experienced.
Learn more about ENCLAVE Architects
Nathalie Scipioni Architects
Sydney, NSW
After nearly a decade restoring UNESCO World Heritage sites in France, Nathalie Scipioni returned to Australia with a bold vision, to bring European rigour and originality to local architecture. Her eponymous practice was established to challenge repetition in the market, introducing a design language defined by confidence, materiality, and curiosity.
Nathalie Scipioni Architects is recognised for projects that marry precision with personality, guided by a holistic, end-to-end service that supports clients from concept through construction. The studio’s work is marked by adventurous use of colour, form, and light — always seeking to create something unexpected yet enduring.
Among its milestones is securing rare approval for the demolition of a heritage-listed home in Sydney’s Inner West, setting a precedent for progressive heritage outcomes. Now expanding into property development, the studio continues to pursue its belief that good design should be both timeless and fearless.
Learn more about Nathalie Scipioni Architects
Nx Studio
Sydney, NSW
Nx Studio was established with the vision of creating a collaborative, client-focused practice where sustainability is at the heart of every decision. The studio believes that design should enhance and preserve existing environments, favouring thoughtful development over demolition and prioritising the use of recycled and sustainable materials.
Working across commercial, hospitality and residential projects, Nx Studio designs functional and cost-effective spaces that achieve maximum impact with minimal intervention. A defining milestone was guiding a client to preserve and reimagine their home rather than replace it, a reflection of the practice’s values in action. Looking ahead, Nx Studio is committed to integrating even more sustainable practices, continuing to innovate in ways that balance client needs with long-term environmental and social responsibility.
Samuel Architecture
Melbourne, VIC
After more than a decade in practice, Samuel Architecture was formed with a desire to build a studio where the client journey holds as much value as the finished home. Founded on integrity, passion, and purpose, the practice is defined by meticulous detail, supportive collaboration, and design that balances refinement with comfort and belonging.
From bespoke residences such as Cantilever House in Portsea to Horizon Home in Sandringham, the studio’s projects reflect a sensitivity to site, lifestyle, and craftsmanship. Each is an expression of calm precision, thoughtful, elegant, and grounded in authenticity.
With a growing reputation and a loyal network of collaborators, Samuel Architecture continues to expand its influence while remaining true to its founding values. The studio’s ambition is to share its work more widely and inspire the next generation of designers to pursue both excellence and empathy in practice.
Learn more about Samuel Architecture
Studio Ilk
Hobart, TAS
Studio Ilk was founded in 2020 to prove that thoughtful, enduring architecture can be achieved without compromising people or culture. Drawing on experience in Tasmania and the UK, the practice was created to resist expedient, trend-driven design while building a studio where collaboration, flexibility and trust allow both practitioners and projects to thrive.
Working across finely detailed residences, boutique commercial spaces and medical projects, Studio Ilk applies the same rigor and respect for context regardless of scale. Projects such as Broadwaters, a sensitive restoration of a 1970s home, highlight its ability to balance heritage with innovation. Looking ahead, the studio is focused on growing its capacity and influence while continuing to mentor emerging architects and contribute to the profession with integrity and care.
Studio MDM
Caloundra, QLD
After more than a decade working across Sydney, Vietnam, and New York, architect MDM returned to Australia to pursue a more personal approach to design. Sparked by a Brisbane renovation that reignited a passion for residential work, Studio MDM was born, a practice defined by collaboration, creativity, and the art of listening.
In just six months, Studio MDM has grown through steady referrals and a diverse stream of projects, a testament to its hands-on, detail-driven approach. Looking ahead, the practice is refining its processes, delivering new residential builds, and exploring a hospitality concept set to expand its creative reach.
Terrain Nine
Melbourne, VIC
Terrain Nine was founded to create a design practice that balances professional ambition with work–life balance, transforming complex aspirations into functional and innovative realities. Inspired by place and driven by detail, the studio brings clarity to an often-overwhelming process, guiding clients from design and development through construction and permitting with precision and care.
With over 13 years of experience, Terrain Nine has developed a signature style that blends soft minimalism, modern touchpoints and classic warmth, delivering lifestyle solutions through immersive 3D design and meticulous systems. Having been featured in The Local Project and establishing its own studio space, the practice is now focused on building stability through consistent, design-driven projects while continuing to exceed client expectations with transparent, end-to-end service.
Saru Design
Perth, WA
Saru Design was founded to challenge “cookie-cutter” approaches and provide personalised, collaborative solutions across interiors, furniture, and product design. Working as a creative partner with clients and collaborators, the studio delivers agile and sustainable outcomes that carry lasting value, with the MDA National workplace marking a milestone for its balance of privacy and collaboration in a hybrid environment. Guided by values of inclusion, equity, flexibility, sustainability, and social justice, Saru Design is now developing a workplace and interior project with a local architect, extending its vision for design that is enduring and community-focused.
Alcami Architecture
Sydney, NSW
Since its inception in 2020, Alcami Architecture has traced the lines between the dialogue of time and architecture, distilling sociology, philosophy and anthropology into projects that are both enduring and beautiful. Under the guidance of Victor Alcami, the passionate team approach design with experimentation and intellectual rigor, pushing the boundaries of curiosity to have achieved a portfolio which is nationally and internationally recognised for its commitment to timeless, alternative spaces. Alcami Architecture’s projects are characterised by designs that surprise, connect, resonate and endure; enriching people's relationships with each other, their culture and the spaces they inhabit.
Learn more about Alcami Architecture
Check out our other Accelerator Members
Prem.Built, BlokHuis, FramePod, Loupe Architecture, Hindley & Co, Studio Onda, Spacecraft, McNally Architects, 868, ST. HELIER STUDIO, Bijl Architecture
