Two perspectives, one practice

"I always thought one of the major things in life is you need a house," he says. "If you can construct that yourself or design that yourself, you've got a leg up to having a beautiful home one day."

For Darrin Albert, the introduction came from the construction side. His father was a carpenter, and weekends were often spent on building sites, working as an unofficial labourer and learning how buildings came together.

"I spent a lot of my weekends helping out on projects," Albert says. "Getting to know construction and how things are built."

The pair met in Year 7, became friends throughout high school and later completed their building design and drafting studies together. Along the way, they discovered another shared ambition: both wanted to own a business.

"We always had a dream and a plan that one day we'd work together and start our own practice," Brown says.

That opportunity arrived almost 20 years ago. Albert had started a small drafting business from the spare bedroom of his home and, after gradually building a client base, reached the point where he needed help. Brown was working elsewhere at the time, but the timing felt right.

"I had enough work that I couldn't handle it all myself," Albert recalls. "So I said to Andrew, 'If you're ready to come across, there's enough work for both of us.'"

The two worked from their respective homes before renting a small office in Melbourne's South-East. Growth came steadily, within a couple of years they had hired their first employees, all of whom remain with the business today.

Those early years also revealed the partnership dynamic that continues to shape the practice.

"Darrin has a lot of construction knowledge and is very technical," says Brown. "I was more of the designer. Together we had a really strong skill set from the start."

It's a combination Albert describes as a natural balance.

"Andrew was probably more design-orientated from a young age, whereas I was more construction-orientated," he says. "We were able to lean on each other for what we were good at."

A major turning point came through a renovation project, a Victorian terrace that featured a bold contemporary extension wrapped in aluminium cladding and expansive glazing. It was an ambitious project for a young practice and the home won awards, attracted attention and ultimately became a feature on Grand Designs Australia, where the pair met presenter Kevin McCloud.

"At that point we probably couldn't afford to do it, but we did it," Brown says. "It really helped get our name out there."

The project accelerated SKETCH's profile, but the practice remained focused on residential work, a commitment that continues today.

"We've always been steadfast in that approach," Brown says. "We don't get seduced by commercial projects. When we take on a residential project, our focus is your (residential) project."

Over the following two decades, SKETCH has developed a diverse portfolio ranging from bespoke family homes to multi-residential developments. Several projects stand out as defining moments.

One was Murray View, an acreage home that gave the team an opportunity to work with a dramatically different scale and landscape than the suburban sites they were accustomed to.

"It allowed us to explore a lot more opportunities," Brown says. "The site had incredible views and we wanted to be able to sit in the living room, look across the pool and landscape, and also see the snow-capped mountains in winter."

The project remains significant not only for the design outcome, and many awards it won, but for the relationship it created. The client has since returned for additional work, including other projects in Melbourne.

That emphasis on relationships sits at the heart of the practice philosophy.

While Sketch's projects have become increasingly design-led, Brown says the studio has never lost sight of who it is designing for.

"We want to get inside our clients' heads," he says. "We want to design what they want. We're assisting them to create their dream."

Rather than presenting a singular design vision, the team sees collaboration as a fundamental part of the process. Ideas are shared internally through regular design reviews, where projects are presented to colleagues for feedback and discussion.

Today the practice includes specialist teams across architecture, interiors, planning and construction documentation. Depending on the project, clients may interact with multiple departments, guided by a dedicated team lead throughout the process.

For Albert, that collaborative culture extends beyond project work.

"Team culture is really important to us," he says. "Everyone works together, everyone gets a say, and everyone is respected."

That approach has contributed to unusually strong staff retention. Several team members have been with the business for almost its entire lifespan.

After two decades working side by side, Brown and Albert describe their own relationship in similarly familial terms.

"We're like brothers, really," Albert says. "We can be completely honest with each other. We might disagree, but we resolve things quickly."

That sense of trust, collaboration and longevity has become embedded in the culture of the studio itself. Twenty years on from that spare-bedroom drafting operation, SKETCH Design & Interiors has grown considerably. Yet the foundations remain remarkably unchanged: a shared passion for homes, complementary expertise and a belief that the best projects come from listening first.

As Brown puts it, "The client always comes first."

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