The North Melbourne local inspiring the area through design

Growing up in a small town, country girl Tennille Joy Burnup has been taking on city life for the past eight years in North Melbourne where she is also sharing her passion for interior design.

Drawn to the area because of the country and community feel it gives her, Ms Burnup decided to make North Melbourne not only where she lives, but also where she works through creating her very own design business, Tennille Joy Interiors.

“I have always had an interest in interior design and decorating because my mother had an interior decorating shop, and I pretty much grew up in the shop, and my dad still has a furniture shop,” Ms Burnup said.

Reflecting on the moments she would spend as a child at her mother’s shop, counting the curtain hooks and building a cubby house out of the empty cardboard boxes, Ms Burnup felt it was only right to use a store name inspired by her mother.

“Joy is my middle name, but I decided to use it as it was also my mother’s middle name. She is the one that inspired me to do this as a career, so I decided to use it in the title of my business,” Ms Burnup said.

“When I originally finished school I studied fashion design out of rebellion, because it was always expected that I would be an interior designer. Then I came back to it and 25 years later I am still loving what I do.”

Hoping to inspire young people to indulge in creativity and design like herself, Ms Burnup regularly donates discontinued materials, finishes and fabric cardboard rolls and boxes to the local kindergarten and children.

“The children love seeing lots of colour fabrics being brought in and I enjoy being able to contribute in that way,” she said.

“I have been donating for the last five years and it’s been so good for everything to be used by the children for arts and crafts, and to not have it all go into landfill.”

Since opening her business in North Melbourne in 2015, Ms Burnup has been able to continue to expand her work as she delves into both interior design and interior decorating, telling North West City News that “every day is different”.

While interior design focuses on taking on a more interior architectural role and involves the designing of interior spaces and planning, the decorating part handles the selection of everything that goes into the home after construction.

This wide scope of work means she is always kept on her toes as she works closely with clients and suppliers.

She is also looking forward to sharing her love of design with everybody in the community through her new service of Strategy Interior Design Sessions.

“It is for anyone who might have architectural plans in process, but they are stuck and don’t know where to move on to next, so we will have a meeting to discuss a list of items they need resolved and I will go through the process of helping them pull it all together,” Ms Burnup said.

“It will give clients peace of mind with the materials, finishes and selections that have been picked, and according to quality and price. The sessions will also be for anyone doing renovations themselves who need a professional to bounce ideas off.”

Between dedicating her time to designing and decorating interiors, Ms Burnup can also be found making the most of the fresh air outside with her straight-haired Cavoodle Ringo, making friends with the local community through the parks available for dog lovers alike. •

For more information: tennillejoyinteriors.com.au