The studio
The studio
Marwood Studio is an architecture and interior design practice in Fitzroy, Melbourne. We design new houses, renovations and interiors across Melbourne and regional Victoria, for people who want to live somewhere considered and built to last.
The studio was founded by Claire Marwood in 2014, after twelve years in larger Melbourne practices working on houses, schools and public buildings. We are a team of four. That is on purpose. A small studio means the architect who sits with you at the first meeting is the same one who walks the site with your builder eighteen months later. Nothing is handed off to a team you never meet.
We work slowly and we work in detail. We would rather take on six projects a year and finish them properly than chase volume. Most of our work comes by word of mouth, from clients, builders and consultants we have enjoyed working with.
How we think
Start with the site
Before we draw anything, we spend time on the site. Where the sun lands in winter, which way the weather comes from, what the neighbours can see, where the good tree is. A house that ignores its site is fighting it for the next fifty years. A house that listens to it almost designs itself.
Build less, build better
We are not interested in the biggest house we can fit on a block. We are interested in the right one. Smaller, well-made rooms with good light and honest materials will outlast a larger house that spends its budget on floor area and runs out of money for the things you touch every day.
Detail is not decoration
The quality of a building lives in its details, the way a window meets a wall, how a stair turns, where the light switch sits. We document our projects thoroughly and stay involved through construction, because a good idea badly built is a bad building.
Every project begins as a physical model on the studio table. We test light, scale and the way rooms open to one another before a single working drawing is made.
We visit our sites through construction, weekly on most projects. The drawings set the intent; being there is how the intent survives the build.
The team
Claire Marwood
Principal architect
Claire founded the studio in 2014 and leads every project through concept and design. She is a registered architect with the Architects Registration Board of Victoria and a graduate of the University of Melbourne. She has a particular interest in masonry, daylight and houses that age gracefully.
Daniel Okafor
Senior architect
Daniel runs documentation and construction across the studio's larger projects. He spent eight years in commercial practice before joining Marwood in 2017 and is the person most likely to be on your building site on a wet Tuesday.
Priya Raman
Architect and interior designer
Priya leads the studio's interior work, from joinery and materials to lighting and furniture. She trained in both architecture and interior design and keeps the inside and outside of a project speaking the same language.
Tom Beveridge
Graduate of architecture
Tom joined the studio in 2022 and works across modelling, drawing and our digital documentation. He manages the studio's three dimensional models and keeps the detail library in order.
Recognition and registration
- 2024Macedon Ranges Retreat
Commendation, Residential Architecture
Victorian Architecture Awards
- 2023The Northcote House
Shortlist, New House under 200m2
Houses Awards
- 2023Carlton Terrace Extension
Published feature
Est Living
- 2022Barwon Heads Beach House
Published feature
The Local Project
Claire Marwood is a registered architect, Architects Registration Board of Victoria, registration number 19842. Marwood Studio holds professional indemnity insurance and is a member practice of the Australian Institute of Architects.