CNA Design Studio

From a young age, I was determined to pursue a career in design, and by the time I was 16, I had set my sights on becoming an architect with my own practice. Navigating this journey with ADHD and dyslexia presented its challenges, but I came to view these traits as superpowers. They fueled my ambition and led me to set ambitious goals, such as becoming a registered architect by age 26 and establishing my own practice by 30. I am proud to say that I have surpassed these goals.

I am thrilled to announce that we have recently acquired our own CNA office. Recognising that a traditional office environment does not align with our team’s values, we are creating a dynamic and neurodiverse workspace. This new office will offer us a creative environment designed to foster innovation, wellbeing, and community while also providing dedicated areas for focused work.

None of this would be possible without our exceptional team. I am deeply proud of all of my team and their many contributions to CNA. We are all very excited to see how our CNA creative hub will come to life 🌟

Did you know we offer contract administration services? 👷🏻‍♀️🏗️

We can manage the agreement between you and the builder, ensuring all parties are aligned and informed. As your advocate on site, we can act as the superintendent, overseeing the construction process to safeguard your interests and ensure the project progresses smoothly!

We love a good testimonial but sure set the bar high calling us wizards 🪄🙊

When our clients approached us with the opportunity to transform this arts and crafts style home, we immediately saw the potential in revitalizing the original loft style home on Marine Drive. Positioned facing north, this gem was waiting to be brought back to life. Our clients trusted our vision and process. By retaining the original building, we’re not just offsetting carbon; we’re crafting a coastal home with a touch of Tea Gardens heritage.

Gone are the days when starting from scratch was both sustainable and affordable. If you’re excited about the exterior, wait until you see the interiors—they’re truly remarkable. We’re grateful to collaborate with such wonderful clients and skilled builders like Bryant Built on this project. We believe it’s one to watch.

✨ Next up in our team introductions, it’s time to introduce you to Jaime ✨

Since joining the CNA family in 2021, Jaime has been an integral part of our team, often wearing many hats. From Mama Jaime watching over the little ones to Office Hero Jaime working on all the behind-the-scenes business management, our Jaime keeps CNA running like a well-oiled machine. Safe to say, we couldn’t do it without her!

When not at work, Jaime loves relaxing at home with her husband, their son and cats. Digging into her ancestors, she found her English, Scottish and Irish roots, and visited these countries where she enjoyed the gardens, food, people and culture.

100% of voters agreed on our recent post that organic hand-drawn lines are superior to straight! We are so glad because there are many more sketches like this coming your way 🏡

✍🏼 Water Gum Residences
- SDA Housing, Port Macquarie, NSW

Here at CNA Design Studio, we are committed to environmentally sustainable design (ESD) principles. We collaborate closely with clients to integrate energy-efficient solutions that minimise environmental impact without compromising building costs.

Check out our brand new blog on our website to read more 🌱🌏
https://www.cnadesignstudio.com/blog/our-commitment-to-sustainability

There’s nothing quite like the feeling of seeing a project reach completion. The countdown is on for our Glebe road project to finish!

Keep your eyes on this space for some walkthroughs soon 👀

✨ Next up in our team introductions, we’re thrilled to introduce Jess! ✨

With over 10 years of experience as a graphic designer, Jess brings her creativity to our socials, photography, and overall marketing at CNA. Recently completing her studies in interiors, Jess is ready to infuse her unique touch into all our interiors and selection projects.

With Jess on board, our capabilities as a full-service architecture firm expand even further. We now offer comprehensive solutions, from initial plans to the final styling touches. Jess’s passion for earthy designs and warm, inviting spaces perfectly aligns with our mission to create beautiful interiors that blend style and comfort.

As architects, we’re no strangers to textbooks. ‘Building Your Own Home’ is an invaluable resource for both architects and design enthusiasts, covering everything from the ground up. Frequently reached for in our office, it’s an essential addition to any design toolkit.

We’d love to hear about the resources you find most inspiring. Share your thoughts in the comments! 📚🏡✨

When our client says asks for coastal holiday vibes - we deliver. We like to observe all of our samples in natural light, especially when the afternoon sun hits this good ☀️

This is just the start of our samples for this space.. more to come 👀

Finishing off our Friday with some sketching of one of our latest SDA housing projects in Port Macquarie ✍🏼

SDA (Specialist Disability Accommodation) housing offers people with extreme functional impairment or high support needs access to independent living. CNA are proud to provide comprehensive SDA housing design services.

Contracts are officially signed for our beautiful Marine Drive project working with Bryant Built . This build in Teagardens will give an old arts and crafts house a modern, welcoming second life for its growing family to enjoy for years to come.

So much goes on behind the scenes for projects like these before we get to share them with you guys. As the Project Architect on this build, CNA completed: Concept Design, DA Documentation, Tender, Construction Certificate, Contract Administration and Interior Documentation.

We can’t wait to watch this project come to life and share progress along the way ✨

We are very excited to announce this class 2 alteration and addition with Bryant Built so excited to see the final product already!

Such a wonderful team to work with!

If you have a class 2 job in need of major renovation or a new large scale residential or class 2 build. Take this as your sign...It is time to contact your local CNA and Bryant Built team.

CNA News 📣

Our new Associate Saara van Rugge has been an integral team member at CNA since 2021. Since graduating with a Master of Architecture from the University of Newcastle in 2015, Saara has gained a wealth of experience.

Saara specialises in residential design, with a particular passion for alts and adds projects, and has experience as project lead on several bespoke residential projects. Saara worked abroad on residential and commercial projects in the UK, before returning to join CNA and further developing her experience with lead roles in residential, multi-residential, Class 3 SDA housing, and hospitality projects in the Newcastle, Hunter, Mid Coast, Central Coast and Port Stephens regions. Currently, Saara is working on notable jobs such as the Hampton on Glebe, several new SDA (Specialist Disability Housing) developments across NSW, Early Education Centres, and her favourite, multiple residential jobs!
Did you know…Saara also holds an Associate Degree in Education? Giving Saara a unique understanding of pedagogy, that is expressed in her work on education spaces, and making her a specialist in educational design.

It is with great pleasure that we announce Saara as an associate here at CNA. Saara is an extremely talented designer and documenter, with amazing project management skills. Saara is a valued member of our team, and we are proud to share her success with you all. If want to work with Saara on a luxury house or development, contact the CNA team today.
CNA would not be the thriving business it is today without all our talented team. Thank you

Ever wondered about the benefits of engaging an architect? Or how CNA Design Studio could help you on your next project? Here are the 5 BIG reasons you need an architect.

Wishing everyone a happy and safe Easter long weekend with family, loved ones and some (hopefully) some relaxation…

Dreaming of this space in our Newcastle ‘Seachange Apartment’ designed by the very talented 🐰🛌

Architect | Class 2 Architect and building practitioner .designstudio
Interior design + styling | boneandblanc
Builder | Heath Sutherland
Photographer |

It’s not often we get a moment to reflect on how far CNA has grown over the last few years. 2024 actually is a big milestone for us, with our 5 years in business coming up and our team only growing bigger.

We are incredibly grateful to have had the opportunity to be involved in so many incredible projects and be a part of the local community along the way.

We can’t wait to see what the next 5 years bring 🙌🏻

When creative minds come together… magic happens ✨We have gone to kitchen heaven seeing these shots of one of our recent Newcastle projects, ‘Seachange Apartment’

well and truly did an amazing job creating and styling this clients dream home 🙌 We can’t wait to work together with the project team again.

Alongside them, as a Class 2 Registered Architect, we had the necessary expertise and experience for this apartment renovation.

Architect | Class 2 Architect and building practitioner .designstudio
Interior design + styling |
Builder | Heath Sutherland
Photographer |

Shower niches can be for so much more than just holding your shampoo and razor 🚿

In the main bathrooms of our Kahibah townhouses, you can see how we elevated this space using a contrasting tile and mood lighting. Statements like these don’t actually cost a lot but have such a strong impact on a space 🔥

Do you have a development you would like us to look at? Contact us now to see how we can help.

What better day than Valentines Day to appreciate some amazing client feedback ⭐️ We love receiving reviews after the completion of a project so thank YOU Blake 👏🏻

As we continue our team intros, we are excited to introduce the wonderful Dayenny!

With over 14 years of experience in architecture and project management, she has worked across Australia, New Zealand and Brazil. Her designs focus around efficiency and specialize in sustainable design.

We are so proud to announce she was recently awarded a scholarship for her PhD! Her research focuses on sustainable Architecture through indigenous knowledge. Dayenny was born and raised in Brazil, having been influenced by natural materials such as stone, wood and clay. Her research started on vernacular architecture in Brazil, then after she became an Australian citizen and worked in the Australian architecture practices for 6 years she decided to collaborate with an Australian scholar.

Congratulations Dayenny, we are so happy to have you as part of the team 👏🏻👏🏻

When the simplest design elements of line and repetition look this good you know you’re onto something 😍

We love the contrast of this monument pergola against the bright blue sky at our Kahibah Project ☀️

Nothing beats organic hand drawn lines on a drawing ✍🏼 We can’t wait to show you what we have planned for our latest website updates including more drawings just like this one!

Team CNA are back for 2024 and excited to get stuck into projects and keep you all updated throughout the process 👀 Watch this space!

Construction has started on our Glebe Road project ‘New Hampton on Glebe’ which we designed for recently.

A stunning set of 7 Hamptons Style Townhouses, with street presence oozing with charm and timelessness.

Renders by: .com.au

Next up in our team introductions is Saara 👋🏻

Saara is our very talented documenter and designer, or as Candice likes to call our ‘architectural ninja’ due to how fast and stealthy she can turn over her job list! She is also a whizz with DA Documentation.

She’s a self proclaimed history nerd and an avid traveler. Fun fact: Saara actually lived abroad in the UK working for us for some time 🇬🇧

You know you work with architects when you see the CNA group chat talk about sexy details but have to laugh when you open it up you see a detail drawing of an external door threshold 😏🤣

Here at CNA we are more than just a team, we are family. As 2023 is nearing an end we have been reflecting on our growth as a team this year and all that we have accomplished 🏠

Thank you all for being along for the journey with us! Keep your eye out for some more team intros soon ☺️

CNA Design Studio Project Spotlight

Shout out to our amazing Senior Designer Saara , who designed and documented for CDC for the Pavement Society. It was an absolute pleasure to work with Abby and the team !

If you haven’t tried their coffee & Candles, you need to!!!

If you have a hospitality project, you’re planning we would love to help.