In hindsight, the road to establish Pete Kennon’s own studio was a long time coming. While the practice is just three years old, the seeds were sown many years earlier. In year six, upon leaving primary school, Kennon had written that he wanted to grow up to be an architect, however, he began a Commerce and Marketing degree finally following his dream and transferring into Architecture.

After university Kennon worked at a large-scale architecture practice for five years. It was a period of growth in Melbourne’s commercial property sector and he was at the forefront. Here he honed his skill and learnt the processes of design and how it could be implemented for the good of people and place and, most importantly, he learnt the skills to do it on his own.

At the beginning of 2019 Kennon established his eponymous practice wanting to return from a commercial practice process to the deeper thinking and ideals that had inspired him through his love of art in his youth and the architectural research in writing a thesis.

Kennon is convinced that good design is about people and how to curate the human experience through memory and identity. It is about searching for places where we belong and work heightens this through stimulating the human senses.

Kennon now leads a studio of 12 people in a bespoke space in South Yarra, Melbourne. The practice has grown from two to 12 people in 15 months during a global pandemic and he is invigorated following his dream and seeing real outcomes, such as the multiple awards bestowed upon projects. Kennon is comfortable with people, he loves his clients and in finding clever solutions to make their lives better. He also enjoys bringing his team together and helping younger staff grow and thinks that it is the most rewarding feeling to help facilitate the growth of clients and also the team through a collaborative project where everyone can feel uplifted. To Kennon, architecture and design is a creative outlet that is delivered through technical ability where having both skill sets can create something great.

Photography: Headshot by Timothy Kaye; Gable House by Derek Swalwell; Joey Scandizzo Salon by Timothy Kaye; Citizen by Timothy Kaye.