What happens when you combine an interior architect with a construction project manager? Television show Design Down Under, featuring Georgia Ezra and Richie Morris.
Ezra, who was born and raised in Sydney before moving to Melbourne, said she’s one of those people who is genuinely fortunate enough to be doing what she always wanted to do.
“I was very curious about form and interiors. One of the very early memories I have of myself as a little girl was going to ballet on Saturday morning, and mum and dad happened to be looking for a rental at that time. And I remember sitting in the car, chin perched on the window, wishing my superpower was I could remove the front facades of the houses and see through into them,” she told The AJN. “I was so curious about what was behind those front walls.”
“And that was my way of being like, this is happening, but I’m loud and I’m proud, and this is my way of telling people, Jewish and non-Jewish, that this is who I am. I’m not going to shy away from it. It was something that I didn’t think about at that time. It was a non-negotiable.”
Following school, Ezra followed her dream, studied at university and found her way to Melbourne, where she worked at an architectural firm before starting her own business – GABBE Design Studio, which is now Studio Ezra, as well as Tiles of Ezra. It’s also where and when she met her now husband, who was in construction project management.
It was their synergy and connection that led to them being discovered for their television show.
Ezra described the discovery as a “serendipitous situation”, explaining to The AJN that a couple in the US wanted to use Tiles of Ezra in their renovations that were featured on a television show. The initial meeting with the trade-out production team was meant to only be with Ezra, but she dragged Morris along for the ride.
“We get on a call at 8.30 at night. Richie happened to be on the couch next to me, and I was like, if I’m in this meeting at 8.30, you’re coming along. So he joined,” she laughed. “If he didn’t, we wouldn’t have had the show.”
Within a week of that phone call, Ezra and Morris had a reel that was then pitched to production companies. Within another week, there was a trade agreement signed with Magnolia Network. And they haven’t looked back.
What was strange for the duo at first, though, is that it was a US production company featuring Australian properties, trades and products, and the show was set to air in the US and Canada.
Then all of a sudden they were told it was showing on Qantas. And then Singapore Airlines. Slowly, slowly, it was inching closer to Australia. And, after reaching Hong Kong, Bangkok and other areas in Asia, when HBO Max launched in Australia, Design Down Under was finally available to Australian audiences, which Ezra said was very special, from a familial point of view and a wider Australian community point of view.
“I think it’s really challenging to film a TV show for 18 months, eight to five every day, Monday to Friday, and not be able to have anything to show for it,” she said. “No one has anything to watch. You’ve got nothing to show. So getting clients on board, budgets are low, and you’ve got to be super, super creative to try and get an incredible outcome. So from a material point of view and a PR point of view … It’s hard to negotiate with Australian companies to get contra material or discounts. So that was challenging. But from a personal point of view, for years I’ve had friends, family members, contacts, acquaintances in the community, asking how do we watch it? So to be able to show that work now, it’s two years of blood, sweat and tears. We put everything into this project and it’s a very proud moment to be able to air it to everyone that we love.”
What was especially important for Ezra and Morris to show right from the get-go, was their Jewish heritage. Ezra explained that in the very first episode, they chose to show her baking challah with her daughter. What she appreciated most of all is that the network never pushed back, rather, they accommodated her every wish, even the sound team when her Magen David or other Jewish necklaces would hit the microphone.
“We wanted it to be known to everyone that we were Jewish,” Ezra recalled, explaining that this got even more intense following October 7. “It wasn’t something that we wanted to hide or make obscure.” Ezra said the months following were some of the most challenging months of their filming time, constantly glued to their phones with every break, even if it was just for a minute or two.
But instead of shying away from their Judaism publicly during that time, Ezra chose to go bigger.
“I put on a chai that was this big,” she said, gesturing to her neck. “It would have been about eight centimetres in height. A huge chai, encrusted in diamonds, an heirloom that my auntie gave me when I was really young. And I wore it every single episode for the next two or three months … And that was my way of being like, this is happening, but I’m loud and I’m proud, and this is my way of telling people, Jewish and non-Jewish, that this is who I am. I’m not going to shy away from it. It was something that I didn’t think about at that time. It was a non-negotiable.
“So that was one way that I was able to at least show my strength at that time.”
With both seasons now available to stream on HBO Max, Ezra said there’s also so much more on the horizon. While Tiles of Ezra is definitely keeping the duo on their toes, Ezra has a coffee table book in the works, which is a culmination of about 20 to 25 of Ezra’s interior design projects and the meaning behind them.
As someone who has followed her dream from when she was just a little girl after ballet class flitting through homes and bedrooms to actually designing the homes themselves, Ezra has some sage advice for those in the younger generation coming up through the ranks now.
“We have lots of dreams and wishes and desires, and I think sometimes it can be really scary and overwhelming and intimidating to go for them or to put them out there. And one thing I’ve learned, and I’m really passionate about is never shying away from putting those things out there,” she said, before going on to share the story about how her coffee table book came about.
Ezra approached a publishing company several years ago, but the idea never came to fruition. In a full circle moment, the owner of the publishing company ended up purchasing tiles from Tiles of Ezra. So, she reached out again. And a deal was signed.
“I think just give it a go. A lot of these opportunities come around by putting yourself out there and at the same time, equally, there’s a lot of opportunities that I don’t get a reply,” she said. “I always say to everyone, just go for it, what do you have to lose? You don’t get if you don’t ask.”
But she also advised not to make it into a competition, even with yourself.
“For so many years it was a race; it was a race with myself,” she said. “I’ve come to a strong realisation that there is no race. I’m just [doing] what is true to myself in the moment. It’s a long journey.”
Design Down Under is now streaming on HBO Max.
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