A personal approach to your home.

Hi, I’m Chris, founder of Veness Design & Drafting.

A bit about me

My interest in design started well before I established the business in 2010. I studied a Bachelor of Environmental Design, a cross-disciplinary design degree where I majored in Architecture and Interior Architecture. During my studies, I was fortunate to begin building my career within a number of leading design practices in the ACT, working alongside some incredibly talented people who became mentors, role models and an important influence on the designer I am today.

Those early years gave me much more than technical design experience. They taught me the importance of listening, questioning, problem-solving and understanding that great design should always have a purpose.

My career later took an unexpected turn into teaching and education, where I discovered another passion helping people learn and feel confident in reaching their maximum potential. That experience has had a lasting influence on how I work with my design clients today. I don’t expect you to understand drawings, planning processes or building terminology. It’s my responsibility to explain things clearly, guide you through the process and help you make informed decisions about your home.

Why I started Veness Design & Drafting

When I established Veness Design & Drafting, I wanted to create the kind of design service I would want for my own family: personal, approachable, honest and genuinely focused on the customer.

That customer-first philosophy has always been the way I operate, and it always will be.

I’m a family man myself, so I understand that a home is much more than walls, rooms and a roof. Home is where life happens. It’s where families grow, where memories are made and where, at the end of the day, you should feel most comfortable being yourself.

That’s why I take the time to understand not only what my clients need today, but also where they see themselves in the future. How will your family change? How do you actually use your home? What concerns you about it now? What would make everyday life easier? And importantly, what will make it feel like your home?

What I value

I value honesty, clear communication and genuine relationships with my clients. I want you to feel comfortable picking up the phone, asking a question, changing your mind or telling me if something doesn’t feel right.

There’s no ego here. My job isn’t to impose my style on your home. It’s to listen, bring ideas and experience to the table, aim for the best solution and ultimately create something that reflects you.

Whether you’re planning a new home, extension, renovation or simply have an idea and don’t know where to begin, you don’t need to arrive with all the answers.

Bring me the ideas, the wish list, the Pinterest images, the sketches on scraps of paper - even the things you can’t quite explain yet. We’ll work through it together.

After more than 15 years of Veness Design & Drafting, what I still love most is seeing an idea that began as a conversation become someone’s home.