Q&A with...

Meanwhile in Melbourne.

Manuela working at Elenberg Fraser

Doing her interview for her blog with Porcelain Bear...

... and catching up with Volker Haug.

Meet Manuela...

Manuela Millan is a Melbourne-based interior designer and the founder of Meanwhile in
Melbourne. She started the popular Meanwhile_in_Melbourne Instagram account as a
way of collecting and showcasing local designers and their work. In 2017 she launched
meanwhileinmelbourne.com as a way to share her passion for Melbourne design and get
to know the stories behind the creatives at the heart of the Melbourne design
community.

TDC - Tell us about you. What do you do?
I am an interior designer at Elenberg Fraser and I founded the design blog Meanwhile in
Melbourne. I am very passionate about design and I love discovering new makers and
artists. We do interviews and articles with Melbourne creatives, and we have a strong
social media presence. We launched our site in mid-2017 and we’ve been flat out
creating content since then. We’ve been overwhelmed by the response and we’re
energised to keep discovering and sharing local talent.

TDC - What sets your blog apart?
We focus on Melbourne design. By doing this we can cover local design in greater
depth, and also cover a very wide variety of designers and makers. We are constantly
discovering fresh and exciting creatives, while also featuring Melbourne’s more
established and well-known designers.
We love going into the studios to do our interviews face-to-face, and we take our photos at
the same time. This gives our articles a sense of genuineness which I think our readers pick up
on and appreciate.
Our curated Directory lets you search and easily find locally-made products, and our Events
Calendar lets you keep your finger on the pulse of what’s happening in the Melbourne design
scene.

TDC - What design ethos do you live by?
Authenticity and integrity are very important to me, also the value of determination and
perseverance. These values have served me well in my career so far and have helped
me to get to where I am.

TDC - What's your favourite interview you’ve done and why?
It’s impossible to pick a favourite but one which stands out was our interview with the
artist Rone on the Omega Project at the old Paper Mill site in Alphington. I was just
visiting the site on a Sunday to have a look and we didn’t know that Rone would be
there. We saw him and had a chat and did the interview then and there. It was a true
“Five Minutes With” and was a great experience.

TDC - What plans do you have for the future?
I want to keep growing Meanwhile in Melbourne and getting to know more local
designers and makers. I want to expand the Directory and do more collaborations with
other creatives in the future.
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