When it comes to accenting a home with wallpaper, Dinnigan has firm views. “A lot of people think that if a room is tiny, they need to make it light and bright. But I always say a big space should be light, whereas a small room is where I like to find wallpaper. Small rooms create that more intimate feel when you add wallpaper.”
Just in case these projects aren’t keeping Dinnigan busy enough, in August she redesigned all the hotel staff uniforms for the Park Hyatt Sydney, from front-of-house to the dining areas. Aiming for a more elegant and elevated aesthetic, Dinnigan has brought stripes, washes of navy and breezy pussy-bow blouses to the mix, purposefully tapping into the old-world elegance of English hotels.
Dinnigan (centre) with models in Paris at her fashion week show in October 2007.Credit: Getty Images
“You’ll see a classic element to what I have designed – these garments are elegantly modern, with a contemporary undercurrent,” she says. “For me, it was about keeping it classic, elegant and timeless – and finding a balance between them all.”
The collection for the Park Hyatt has another inspiration – Sydney Harbour. Dinnigan says she was inspired by the Sydney Opera House’s seashell sails and the waterfront, which inspired the “wave” print reflected throughout the collection. (Others working on the hotel’s revamp include Dinosaur Designs’ Louise Olsen.)
The project has been three years in the making, and Dinnigan says she wanted to tap into Australia as a relaxed destination, then juxtapose that laid-back charm with a sense of now. “The uniforms are also meant to be a bit of fun. Sydney as a city isn’t as serious as capitals like London, so I didn’t want the uniforms to feel stuffy – this is Dinnigan with a twist.
“It’s been years of conversations to come up with a collection that will look good in many years’ time. The capsule had to be contemporary, and I stuck to clothing styles that make everyone who wears them feel confident. There’s a breezy ease to it.”
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Dinnigan is also working on a new book about her birth country, South Africa (she was raised in New Zealand before arriving in Australia in 1985). This follows on from her 2024 book, Bellissima: An Australian Italian Affair, which took readers into her world of interiors, gardens and the kitchen.
Between projects, the 60-year-old has kept herself busy over the past three years renovating her country property. The 1920s cottage, in the NSW Southern Highlands town of Robertson, features recycled floorboards while its position on the escarpment gives it a forest-to-coastline view. Her shed is filled with wood from recycled cheese boards and vintage doors from Argentina.
Dinnigan loves to scavenge her way around France and Italy, finding vintage pieces she brings back to life in Australia. “I put a lot of passion into any project I take on,” she says. “Whether it’s styling and renovating a home, working on a fashion collaboration or working on my own homewares, I get great joy from seeing things come together. It’s a labour of love, and I do really like to keep busy.”
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