Author: Jane Valentine

HAPPY LARRY DELI (SPRING FARM VILLAGE)

1 1 July, 2026
Projects like Happy Larry Deli remind us why we love hospitality design. They challenge us to think smarter, work harder and deliver maximum impact within real constraints.
 
Happy Larry presented an unusually shaped tenancy, a compact footprint and defined budget parameters, but these are often the projects where the most creative thinking happens.
 
Through careful space planning, clever storage and a highly efficient layout, we transformed the space into a vibrant and functional deli that works hard in every square metre.
 
The bold orange and burnt umber palette, inspired by the owners’ heritage, became central to the design story, introducing warmth, energy and identity throughout the interior.
 
Hospitality projects often demand quick thinking, creativity and an extensive knowledge of suppliers, lead times and construction realities, and this project called on all of those skills.
 
Working closely with the builder, we balanced cost and impact, selecting materials and detailing that delivered maximum effect without compromising budget or intent.
 
There was a real energy to the process, drawing on experience to know where to save, where to invest and how to make every decision count.
 
The result is a bright, happy and highly functional deli that reflects the spirit of its owners, Vaz and Uzma. It’s welcoming, energetic and full of personality, and unmistakably Happy Larry.
 
Build / Mills Street Fitout
Building Design / Darryn White
 
 
 
 
 

FROSTY DOG IS OPEN (YOGHURT KIOSK)

1 1 July, 2026
Frosty Dog was designed as an instantly engaging experience that feels bright, intuitive and slightly theatrical. Customers are drawn into a world of colour, rhythm and playful abundance, with every operational detail resolved behind the scenes for clarity and ease.
 
When asked to design Frosty Dog at Salty Dog Kingston, the focus was on immediate user experience, instinctive flow within a compact footprint, and a space that feels instantly inviting and full of playful energy.
 
The ceiling mirrors the customer floor area below, defining the customer zone without separation. Concealed LED lighting and cut outs create a uniform glow, removing the need for visible fittings.
 
Arches introduce a playful rhythm, referencing Palm Springs in the 1950s and 60s, while connecting back to the wider Salty Dog language through the pool rail motif. They become the defining visual cue.
 
All finishes heighten energy and brightness. Gloss surfaces and tiled forms with defined nosing amplify reflection and curvature, creating a lacquered, almost liquid quality.
 
From a user experience point of view, everything is effortless. The customer zone is fully open, while all service functions are hidden. Yoghurt machines and toppings stations are fully integrated, intuitive for customers, and supported by a separate back of house system for efficiency, hygiene and speed of service. The coffee machine, in powder blue, references the coastal and beachfront setting.
 
Ultimately, Frosty Dog is shaped by clarity, rhythm and delight, designed to feel instinctive, energetic and just good plain fun. Bring it on.
 
Architecture / Field Labs
Brand / Demelza Rafferty
Photography / Adam Gibson
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Salty Dog Hotel Project

1 1 July, 2026
We are beyond proud to finally share our completed interior design for the Salty Dog Hotel, a venue designed to feel like a permanent Sunday session.
 
A great project to be part of, working closely over the last two years with Field Labs, Soda Projects and the venue owners to bring it all to life.
 
Briefed to create something fun, immersive and unapologetically good time energy, we leaned hard into nostalgic beach club culture, somewhere between the Gold Coast in the late 70s, a Palm Springs motel party, and your favourite local pub rolled into one.
 
A little sun faded.
A little cheeky.
A little kick arse.
 
At the intersection of beach and burbs culture, Salty Dog was imagined as more than a venue, it is a feeling. A love letter to carefree summers past. Warm nights, salty skin, cold drinks, retro optimism and the kind of place where everyone feels like a regular.
 
The interiors unfold through generous indoor and outdoor spaces layered with warmth, colour, texture and an energetic confidence that breaks the mould of the traditional pub. Familiar but unexpected. Relaxed but with punch.
 
Designed as a vibrant community watering hole, every corner was considered to spark connection, nostalgia and fun-filled moments that linger long after you leave.
 
Because your Salty Dog is your favourite person. Your best mate. Your lover. Your people. It’s easy like Sunday morning.
 
Thank you to Adriano and Polly for allowing us to be part of something great. It is a vibrant and wonderful project for Hobart and one we are super proud to have played a part in.
 
Architecture / Field Labs
Brand / Demelza Rafferty
Mural / Cathy Edwards
Photography / Adam Gibson
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Valentine Mystery Tour for Open House Hobart 2025

1 1 July, 2026
And here we go again…the Valentine mystery tour for Open House Hobart 2025.
Simon’s rules:
1. Jane, BE ON TIME (Yay! This year I actually knew our first stop was Pedder St…possibly my favourite of all, so no risking being late).
2. Wear shoes without laces so you can make a quick getaway. Tick.
3. No chit chat upon leaving for a quick getaway. Fail.
4. Plan toilet stops (thanks Leoht).
5. No photos of Simon as he is NOT AT WORK…though I did manage to sneak one with the wonderful Peter Ventieri from In2Construction.
Simon runs a tight tour. No pfaffing allowed. This year didn’t disappoint…featuring my all time favourites: Pedder St and Hampden Rd House, plus Patrick St, a little gem!
Lots of interesting architecture, plenty of ‘ooohs’ and ‘ahhhs,’ and a serious amount of junction gawking.
All in all..fabulous Hobart talent, a heart full of inspiration, slightly exhausted, and very relieved that the Valentine vehicle survived 12 sites in one piece.
Simon’s tour:
/ Patrick St: Andrew Campbell & Georgina Russell @georginarussell & @campbellandrewj
/ Pedder St House: Bence Mulcahy Architects (2023) @bencemulcahy
/ Murdolo Apartments — The Stables: Rosevear Stephenson (2023) @rosevearstephenson
/ Minty’s Building: Visited Playstreet (Custodians / Hutchinson Builders) @playstreetmiri
/ Little Brick Cottage: Perversi-Brooks Architects (2023) @perversi_brooks_architects
/ Kaljuvee House: Esmond Dorney (1958)
/ Hampden Rd House: Archier (2019) @archier_
/ West Hobart Renovation: Dock4 Architects (2021) @dock4_architects
/ Fusilier Cottage: Bence Mulcahy (2018) @bencemulcahy
/ Cascade Ancillary Dwelling: Homeful @homefulbydesignful
/ Cato Ancillary Dwelling: Homeful (2024)@homefulbydesignful
/ Cumulus Open Practice: Cumulus @cumulus_studio
P.S. a big hurrah to the volunteers and owners of the homes who so generously opened them up for everyone to be the paparazzi and explore every corner of them. Institute of Architects Tasmanian Chapter
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Judging Panel for 2025 Clarence Art Prize

17 17 October, 2025
It was an honour to be part of the judging panel for the 2025 Clarence Prize for Excellence in Furniture Design (with $20,000 first prize), alongside Patrick Hall and Brian Parkes, and to share in conversations, perspectives, and the outstanding work presented.
 
Judging in the barn at the Rosny Farm is always special. I spent my first year in the Rosny Cottage next door, living in the attic while our house was being built. My father leased the office there as a land surveyor for ten years. Early memories include our first family black kitten, a stray from the place, the occasional golf ball through the windows, and peering through padlocked barn doors to glimpse tractors and golf machinery inside. Returning now to see this place alive with creativity feels like a full circle moment.
 
This year’s overall winner, Ash Allen, created an interpretation of a bean bag using steel mesh with an intricate flocked finish. As Patrick Hall described it, ‘Beanless manages to be solid yet fragile, volumetric but linear, to capture both light and shadow’.
 
Highly commended: Adam Markowitz & Ruth Allen for ‘Kindling’
Emerging Designer Award: Jess Humpston for ‘Ballast’
 
The exhibition is on display until October 6th at Rosny Farm .
 
Photo 1 / by Rosny Farm / Clarence Council
Photo 2 / Alastair Bett
Photo 2 / by Sarah Bishop / Clarence Council
Photo 3 & 4 / by Jane Valentine
 
 
 
 
 
    
 

Co-Chair of the Design Institute of Australia, Tasmanian Branch

17 17 October, 2025

In very exciting news, Tasmania now has their very own DIA Tasmanian Branch Council. The Design Institute of Australia is the leading industry association for professional designers of every discipline.

To celebrate this milestone in Tasmania’s design history, we celebrated at an event hosted by Brickworks in Hobart.

The DIA CEO Jo-Ann Kellock attended and introduced the organisation and offered insights into its current national advocacy work.

Newly appointed councillors and co-chairs Jane Valentine, Andrew Francis, and Karryn Dargie also discussed upcoming initiatives and opportunities for all designers.

 

Rosny Farm Lighting Workshop with Stuart Williams

17 17 October, 2025
What a fabulous weekend at Rosny Farm.
 
Jane attended an inspiring lighting workshop led by designer Stuart Williams, a chance to connect with other creatives in a relaxed environment and to make things.
 
Over two days, everyone had the opportunity to design and create a light fitting. Each piece was wonderfully unique, with lots of prototyping, testing how materials could bend, twist and respond.
 
Jane’s design: ‘A light that carries nostalgia. Its frame is a recycled wine rack from her first kitchen, and its skin is a pianola roll once enjoyed by family relatives. The paper wraps around the light in one continuous form, echoing how the roll plays through the pianola, illuminating the cycle of history and family in a resonant presence.’
 
The highlight for Jane? Seeing the design illuminated at the end of the workshop, so many oohs and ahhhs!
 
Thank you, Stuart Williams, for a truly enjoyable experience.
    
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Fellowship with Design Institute of Australia

17 17 October, 2025
Our director, Jane Valentine & Andrew Francis (Francis Burne) were awarded a Design Institute of Australia Fellowship.
 
‘A DIA Fellowship is a milestone achievement in a designer’s career which signifies not only their incredible design practice but an exemplary contribution to the Australian Design Community’. DIA
 
Thank you to the Design Institute of Australia and Brickworks Building Products for hosting the presentation.
 

Ten Years

28 28 April, 2025
Ten years. Ten projects. These are ten of the many projects we have had the privilege of being part of since Valentine Interiors began in 2015.
 
We can’t even begin to think about how many homes we have visited over the last ten years. What we do know is that we are very proud of reaching ten years in business and being able to do the work we love most of all: Hospitality and Home.
 
Happy birthday to us!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

WORK EXPERIENCE – QUADRUPLE FUN

28 28 April, 2025
Ariela, Miela, Natalia & Hailey joined us for our work experience program.
 
“My favourite part of the day was visiting Salty Dog and the other sites and being able to see behind the scenes of how the design aspect is completed and the thought process” (Ariela)
 
Miela loved being able to work on her design brief (a pop-up coffee shop) and seeing how all the parts fit together.
 
Natalia enjoyed challenging herself while working on a brief and being in a team with someone she had not met before. She found the initial idea challenging but then was able to work through it with her team, and the ideas started to flow. Natalia was surprised by all of the technical aspects involved in interior design.
 
Hailey found that interior design involves a lot of thinking and planning, and her favourite part was designing a coffee shop and placing the colour swatches and Polytec samples together.
 
We challenge our work experience participants by allowing them to be designers for a day, visit site projects, talk to suppliers (thank you The Salty Dog Hotel, Polytec & Elite Appliances and Bathware), work in teams, and finally present their work to the Valentine crew. Work experience needs to accurately reflect the kind of work we do daily. It is beneficial whether a student decides to continue in that career or whether it allows them to realise it’s not the path they wish to follow.
 
All of the team loved the opportunity, and we will see some exciting new talent in the interior industry; watch this space!!!