David and Katie believe in building quality homes and raising the industry standards by restoring respect in the building industry. There are many great builders out there and David and Katie believe in honouring.

Grassroots is about starting from the ground up. David and Katie build quality homes year in and year out. They are continually educating themselves to better the service they provide. When asked “how do Merino Homes deliver to such a high standard?” they say, “A lot of our success is because we surround ourselves with a team that is like-minded & work with many amazing trades who love what they do.” David and Katie live by old school values and believe that you can’t build a home on your own, You need a village or community with the same set of values and beliefs working together to get to the common goal which is a quality home built to high standards. At Merino Homes we never have any one work for us, we work with our trades, suppliers and employees and their specialized industry experience.

The grassroots initiative is about building on that network, reaching out to people starting out in the industry and sharing this collective knowledge that has been gained over the 20 years and more in building and construction. Katie and David see this initiative as a way of giving back to an industry that has supported them and allows them to do what they love, every day of the week, which is building custom homes to suit the lifestyles of the owners!

Being inspired by industry leaders such as Anna Winter (Editor of American Vogue Magazine)  doing the Fashion Fund and mentor programs through companies such as Her Business run by Suzi Dafnis and Master Builders Association NSW. David and Katie started their grassroots initiative on a small scale with apprenticeships and having traineeships. They open their business every year to a select number of work experience positions and work with a number of different training organisations to develop the skills and knowledge in the building and construction industry.

Merino Homes is so excited to be an industry partner with the International School of Colour & Design (ISCD). Katie had the honour of being the guest speaker at ISCD graduation ceremony in Sydney during April 2019. The team at Merino Homes loved meeting so many of their graduates and forward-thinking faculty.

Being asked to be an industry partner has allowed David and Katie to push their Grassroots initiative to another level by launching the Merino Homes Design Challenge. This Challenge is exclusively partnered with ISCD for 2020.

With every Merino Homes build David and Katie believe in “The Merino Experience” which is creating a journey every bit as enjoyable as the destination. Katie and David work closely with their trades and their clients throughout the entire build to give them the best possible experience from concept to completion.

The Merino Homes Design Challenge gives Merino Homes the chance to open one of their live builds to the students and Alumni of ISCD, providing them with the ultimate hands on experience. Starting out in any industry can at times be overwhelming and or demanding. The Merino Homes Design Challenge gives students and alumni the opportunity to work with a live client brief for a current Merino Homes build. The students will be challenged to provide a full selection and furnishing briefs for the home. Out of all the entries there will be a select few who will be named finalists and from them a winner will be named.  The finalists will accompany Katie and David onsite throughout the build to see the winning design briefs come together through a true merino experience from concept to completion. They will also have exposure to the challenges faced on site with selections and be able to talk to the trades that install them. On top of the build experience the winner will receive a formal recommendation from Merino Homes and a photo shoot of the home to add their portfolio.

Since opening it’s doors over 35 years ago, the International School of Colour and Design (ISCD) has helped 1000’s of creatives start their design journey ensuring they have the support and knowledge they need to thrive in the industry. ISCD is a quality provider of design education as recognised by the Design Institute of Australia (DIA), with our Diploma of Interior Design (MSF50218).

ISCD is more than just a design school, we aim to inspire and educate you to fulfil your creative potential. We are proud to work with leading industry associations and companies who offer added benefits and opportunities to our student community. Throughout our school year we hold various events for the ISCD community and beyond.

ISCD Homepage

Diploma of interior design (MSF50218)

Certificate IV in Interior Decoration (MSF40118)