Camilla Ingall
Interior Stylist and Owner, Unfolded
Camilla Ingall, Interior Stylist and Owner, Unfolded, is an experienced and passionate creative who has the aptitude and flair for design projects and interior decoration. Unfolded is a Sydney based interior styling practice, specialising in residential, commercial and hospitality projects and design. Camilla also runs a podcast series, Behind the Design, which dives into the the design industry and explores both trends and aspects of the creative process with industry experts. Unfolded’s focus is to provide accessible interior decoration and styling to create spaces that align with the client’s practical needs and personal tastes. Unfolded offers full styling and design services, including conceptualisation and design development, styling and aesthetic consultation, furniture, finishes and fixtures, spatial and floor planning, Airbnb and property styling and event, activation and experiential styling.
Unfolded
Unfolded provides services for residential, property and commercial and therefore has a range of key clients. An example of this is where they work with homeowners looking to refresh their residential space, Airbnb property owners and managers to create a relaxing and welcoming environment, businesses on office fit-outs, café and restaurant owners for dining fit outs, and real estate agents and homeowners looking to increase the value of the home for resale. Depending on the size and scale of the project, they can also have projects where they work together with architects and engineers to bring a client’s vision to life. She says, “teamwork is key!”
Starting out
Camilla was fortunate enough to have worked at some of Sydney’s leading interior and property styling agencies for over 8 years. It was here that she was given a lot of great professional opportunities and worked hard to forge solid industry connections and work independently on projects of varying size and scale. These experiences and opportunities, at places such as Jardan and Advantage Property Styling, gave her the skills and knowledge to prepare for her ultimate career goal of starting her own interior design agency. Of this leap she says, “starting a business isn’t easy but it helps when you genuinely have a real passion for your industry. I live and breathe interior design and really love what I do and create.” She also says it has been an exciting and challenging move where she has taken her love and experience for interiors and client services and mixed it with learning how to successfully run her own business.
Early career and experience
Coming straight out of school, Camilla knew that she always wanted to work in a creative industry, so applied for her bachelor’s degree majoring in Interior Design at Raffles Institute of Design and Commerce in Sydney and completed the accelerated learning course. She also held roles at Spear Green Design, Jardan, Guest Group, Advantage Property Styling and Evolve Styling which informed her skills and experience to build the foundations of Unfolded.
She says “I believed, and still do, that starting my career learning from all aspects of the design industry formed how I approach each project now. There are so many aspects to creating a beautiful space, it isn’t simply how it looks. To produce a successful and aesthetically pleasing environment for my client, this has taken time and research. From carpet to lighting to soft furnishings to then working on layouts and palette choices with clients, then to creating entire t outs and sourcing every element of the project to ensure a polished outcome, it all has to t complementary together and be a space they love.”
Future of Unfolded
When asked what her plans for the future of her career and Unfolded are, Camilla speaks of how the business has taken off at a faster pace than anticipated and that she is loving every minute of it, “I am so pleased and excited with how Unfolded is evolving!” Looking to the future, over the next few years she is aiming to continue the momentum and grow Unfolded with a team of talented and creative interior professionals. Another big focus of the business is to broaden and expand the range of service offerings across all aspects of the interior world.
She says “the interior design industry is such an innovative and dynamic space. Over the last few years, I’ve seen the rise and popularity of the tiny house movement with more compact designs, the smart home and how integrated technology is being used for versatility, flexibility and efficiency, as well as engineered surfaces which are offering various cost-effective materials.” Camilla speaks with positivity and optimism outlining that these design developments are only on the rise and with innovation brings opportunity. “I look forward to seeing how Unfolded can be part of this new way of living at home and how interior design, both new and traditional, can add value to these home experiences and aesthetics,” she adds.
Reflecting on success
When considering the last few years of business, Camilla is honest is admitting that she used to believe that success was all about what you have accomplished and how that looked. Now that she has taken the leap and stepped out on her own, with only herself to rely on at this given time, she feels like this is personal success in itself, “that’s a big step and I give myself a big pat on the back for it. I believe having the confidence in what you can offer an industry, a person, an entity is success and knowing that each opportunity and project to date have been via referral, that is simply rewarding!” Camilla very openly paves the way for success born out of personal achievements and counting every win along the way.
Outside of Unfolded
Although a significant amount of her time is devoted to Unfolded, Camilla is also very active and a self-proclaimed ‘social bunny’. She maintains a healthy balance between Unfolded, her fitness and catching up with friends and family; things that are really important to her.
A day in the life
During the week, Camilla wakes up at 5:30am and hits the gym for a workout. After this she makes a high protein breakfast before jumping online at 8.30 am to start her working day, “I prioritise responding to emails and editing my daily to-do list. I’ve always been quite an organised person and since starting Unfolded I have realised just how important that it is for a successful business.” Her workday normally finishes at around 6pm where she is often in bed by 9:30pm. Camilla preaches the importance of sleep to maintain clarity and energy levels and getting in 8 hours of sleep a night is important to her. On weekends, she enjoys catching up with friends for dinner and drinks and when she gets the opportunity to, capitalising on nature and having moments of grounding and rejuvenation by practicing yoga and meditation.
Want to find out more about Camilla Ingall and Unfolded?
Website: https://www.unfolded.com.au/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unfolded_/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/unfoldedstyling
Camilla’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/camillaingall/