Greg Natale


Greg Natale is an Australian interior designer, and the founder of Greg Natale Design.

Early life and education

Natale was born and raised in Sydney, Australia, to Italian immigrants who arrived in Australia in the 1950s. Natale took a three-year course in interior design at the Enmore Design Centre at TAFE NSW – Sydney Institute, studied visual arts at Sydney College of the Arts, and architecture at the University of Technology, Sydney.

Career

From 1996 to 2001, Natale worked for three different architectural design firms: Garth Barnett Designers, HBO+EMTB, and SJB. In 2001, he launched Greg Natale Design. This was around the end of the minimalism movement, and Natale chose to pursue a more luxurious look than had previously been in style. His first major project was the 2002 design of the Gonano Apartment, with a decorative, repeat pattern coordinated on walls, blinds, bed linens and art. Based in Sydney, the firm handles interior design in residential, retail and commercial spaces, and also does residential exterior design.
Natale's style is a mixture of opulence, vibrant colors, patterns and textures, with meticulously curated and balanced, layered spaces and modern touches. He has designed products including rug collections of commercial and domestic rugs and carpets for Designer Rugs, wallpaper collections for Porter's Paints, furniture collections for Stylecraft and Regency Distribution, and a range of tiles for Teranova Tiles and Italian powerhouse Bisazza.
Natale has twice been named the Belle / Coco Republic Interior Designer of the Year in 2011 and 2014. In 2014, he was named the inaugural winner of the Editors' Medal at the Interior Design Excellence Awards. In 2015 he was named as one of ‘The World's Most Influential Designers’ by Architectural Digest Mexico and in 2016 at High Point Market in North Carolina was awarded ‘2016 Luxury International Designer of the Year’. In 2015 Harper's Bazaar Interiors, Middle East feted Greg Natale as a ‘Design Visionary’. Greg has appeared as a guest judge on the reality television shows The Renovators and homeMADE.
Natale's first book, The Tailored Interior, was published by Hardie Grant in November 2014, with photography by Anson Smart and a foreword by Jonathan Adler. The book offers insights and lessons on interior design, including Natale's philosophies and approach to paint color, type of paints, patterns, proportion, cohesion and layering, showcasing 18 spaces Natale has created. Architectural Digest named the book as part of its 21 Best Books by Designers and Architects of 2015.
In September 2018 Natale's second book, The Patterned Interior, was published by Rizzoli New York. A visual monograph with photography by Anson Smart, the book's foreword was penned by celebrated designer Martyn Lawrence Bullard. The Patterned Interior guides readers through a diverse selection of residences that showcase Natale's exploration of the power and importance of pattern. Featuring photographs that span multiple countries and myriad styles, The Patterned Interior tours a rural Oklahoma property that redefines contemporary rustic cool, a unique surf-inspired penthouse overlooking one of Australia's most sought-after beaches, a Midtown New York pied-à-terre that exudes sophistication, a vast country estate in southern Australia with a distinct rock vibe, and a light-filled city apartment in one of Sydney's most iconic buildings.

Awards (selected)