The Story of your Space

“Every building holds a narrative, the story of the house and those who live in it. This is where I find the inspiration and the purpose behind my architectural design work.” Alison

Alison Strickland has loved buildings since her childhood, the forms, shapes and spaces they create moving her from an early age. Over the years she’s has come to appreciate the unique soul energy of spaces and the stories they tell, crafting an approach to architectural design that has both depth and beauty. With over 20 years experience in architecture, Alison is a fluent narrator of spacial form. Her stories told in drawings rather than words, each one uncommon, enthralling and beautiful.

Every client experiences her trademark warmth, sensitivity, exquisite attention to detail and flawless interpretation of the narrative of their home. When you couple that with a customer journey that is a delight from start to finish you begin to get the sense of what is is like to both work with Alison and live within a Narratif home.

Our Philosophy

Just as every person and family have a story to tell so does every building. Bringing that story to life lies at the heart of our work.

Shelter for body and soul, your home should be a congruent place of sanctity and vitality where you can feel grounded, supported, nurtured and revitalised.

Through transformational design, we create homes that enable you to live the life you love. An authentically inspired space enables brave but wholly congruent design choices. Showing your true self in collaboration with us enables us to conceive of and create a house that is true to itself and true to you.

These five values underpin all our design:

Authentic Purpose

Every building speaks and holds in it a narrative about who it is, as well as the people who live in it. Every person has a story, every family has a story, every building has a story. This is where I find the inspiration and the purpose behind my architectural design work.

“An exceptional designer reaches inside the soul of a client to extract the essence of who they are. The more a client can open up the doors to their soul, to reveal and share the light that is them, the more material the designer has to work with over the course of the project, and the greater the impact design can make on their lives in reaching a transformative result.” Alison

Timeless Quality

We employ exceptional materials, detailing and craftsmanship to elevate your home above trends and help it remain relevant or iconic as time unfolds.

“It’s really all about how my buildings and the spaces they create make my clients feel, and finding the projects where I can make a difference. I’m designing the shell to look beautiful on the outside of course, but it’s between the walls where the living happens.” Alison

Unexpected Delight

The best buildings have a strong design that incorporates little moments of unexpected delight or evoke inspiration as you experience the space. When you couple that with a customer journey that is a delight from start to finish you begin to get the sense of what is is like to both work with Alison and live within a Narratif home.

“When you see the joy of knowing in your clients’ eyes, following the discovery of little delights and surprises unfolding as their homes and spaces become real, the power of strong design becomes evident.” Alison

Honest Beauty

Coming home to beauty and stepping into a beautiful space is transformative. It elevates our experience of life and lifts us out of the mundane in a way that brings lightness and joy. An honestly beautiful home is not trying to be something it's not but rather tells its authentic story with grace.

“It’s about creating a sanctuary space for you and your family to be nurtured and sustained so that you may thrive on every level.” Alison

Integrity

Integrity is the pad-stone of a Narratif project. Once we have found inspiration we build responsible and sympathetically to honour the ground we build on. We invite moments of self reflection to ensure that what is being built is serving the neighbourhood’s highest good.

“I have had clients burst into tears of joy when I’ve given them a design proposal that allows them to see a life that they love just coming out of the drawings, or jump out of their seat in delight at the possibilities that await them in their new spaces.” Alison

Investment Value

Strong design control is a valuable investment in your home & your community.

Homeowners without the support of an experienced designer who has their best interests at heart, can spend a great deal of money on their projects, only to end up with something that is generically underwhelming, badly proportioned, poorly detailed, or aesthetically inappropriate.

This is where the power of intelligent and enlightened design can truly elevate your project in multiple ways. It transforms the value of your investment, creating a building that expresses who you are, supporting your lifestyle, and elevating your neighbourhood in a lovely way.

With Alison and her team advocating for you with ongoing design control throughout the construction life of a project, the integrity of your design is carried right through to the very end ensuring that you get full value for your investment and the realisation of the home of your dreams.

“I’ve seen homeowners’ aspirations be dumbed down and compromised, without them understanding the impact of what is going on right before their eyes, where there is no ongoing design control throughout the construction life of a project.” Alison

Who we are

Alison Strickland B.Arch MRAIC

Founder & Design Director

Carlette Scholtz
B.Arch

Senior Architectural Designer

Daintry Robson
B.ID

Senior Interior Designer

Kelsey Dawson
B.Arch, M.Arch

Intermediate Architectural Intern

Camille Dembski
B.ID

Intermediate Interior Designer

Janessa Brouwer
B.ID

Jr. Interior Designer

Kate Shelton
B.ID

Executive Assistant / Business Manager

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“Your passion and inspirations made it much easier for me to feel the project come alive, even before it was completed.”