But Why? A Design Podcast

Eugene Hooks & Stirling Fletcher
  • 5.0 (2)
  • DESIGN

A space for curious minds to explore the stories, systems, and people behind the design of our everyday world. www.butwhyadesignpodcast.com

Episodes

  1. 1 DAY AGO

    008 - Innovate

    In this episode of But Why? A Design Podcast, Eugene and Stirling are joined by Alex Lotersztain of Derlot. Alex is an engaging creative who is globally recognised for his work across interiors, product, brand and materiality. Our discussion explores the influence of his childhood and travel experiences, and how he transitioned from being a rebel to becoming obsessed with design through channelling his curiosity to create passion and drive. Alex’s journey is one that many entrepreneurs may be able to relate to. At times he has worked many more hours than he has slept and has had to be overtly bold to receive opportunity. We enjoyed his stories on how in the beginning he made his studio appear as a studio of ‘three’ (although all emails were received and responded by him as the only employee) and how he gained an impromptu 3hr walk-up meeting with a design legend. Alex doesn’t describe his journey as hard. This is because he has had fun along the way and loves what he does. Our conversation gives insight to this. Alex says “we are all born designers but it is stripped away from us”. He believes that modern day challenges provide an abundance of visual stimuli and distraction from experimentation and curiosity. This episode also touches on: * The emotional rollercoaster associated with research and development. * Being forced to be creative (and arguably a better designer) through not having the resources of the ‘big guys’. * Physical manifestations of sustainability storytelling. * The importance of understanding the ‘market pulse’ before risking wasted energy. * Innovation is continuous improvements not just market changing inventions. We hope you enjoy. Keep questioning, keep exploring, and most importantly… keep asking, But Why? Keen to Support Us? But Why? A Design Podcast is proudly an independent self-funded publication. By subscribing, you signify our content is valuable and it gives us reason to keep creating. If you are feeling generous, you can make a pledge, but if you would rather just buy us a coffee, we would love that too! Shout us a coffee through the below link: Show Links Derlot Marc Newson Wombat GK Design Produced by us. Music by Jessica Hooks. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.butwhyadesignpodcast.com

    46 min

  2. 23 APR

    007 - Circularity Can't Be An Afterthought

    In this episode of But Why? A Design Podcast, Eugene and Stirling are joined by Huia Adkins, Chair of the Steering Committee at Circular Economy Western Australia (CEWA) and Executive Advisor of Sustainability at GHD. Huia shares her journey from environmental protection and waste management into circular economy thinking, describing the moment she encountered circularity as a complete shift in perspective, from managing outputs to redesigning entire systems. Our conversation challenges the idea of circularity sitting as a last-minute bolt-on at the end of a project. We explore how circularity must be embedded from the outset, shaping design decisions, procurement models and stakeholder collaboration. We hope this episode presents as both pragmatic and optimistic. It acknowledges structural, policy and industry gaps, while also highlighting the growing capability and knowledge required to develop a more circular future. The conversation explores: * The limitations of linear systems and why they often need to be rethought entirely. * The role of procurement and RFP processes in either enabling or restricting innovation. * Circularity as a system-wide economic model, not just a materials or waste issue. * The rise of concepts like right to repair and extended producer responsibility. * The challenge of circularity becoming a buzzword without clear understanding or application. We hope you enjoy. Keep questioning, keep exploring, and most importantly… keep asking, But Why? Keen to Support Us? But Why? A Design Podcast is proudly an independent self-funded publication. By subscribing, you signify our content is valuable and it gives us reason to keep creating. If you are feeling generous, you can make a pledge, but if you would rather just buy us a coffee, we would love that too! Shout us a coffee through the below link: Show Links CEWA GHD Kwinana Industrial Council World Economic Forum Produced by us. Music by Jessica Hooks. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.butwhyadesignpodcast.com

    34 min

  3. 8 APR

    006 - Materials Matter

    In this episode of But Why? A Design Podcast, Eugene and Stirling are joined by Renae Tapley, Studio Director of Foolscap Perth Studio and founder of Future Materials. Renae shares the thinking behind Future Materials, a self-initiated platform built to promote low-carbon, circular and bio-based materials for the built environment. Our conversation touches on industry’s reliance on newness, questions the value we overlook in what already exists, and highlights the role designers play in influencing supply chains, behaviours and long-term outcomes. This episode is a reminder that specifiers hold power in specification and every decision carries consequences. It also opens up a different way of thinking about buildings - as banks of future value. The conversation explores: * The idea of a ‘materials narrative’ and designing with context, locality and story. * Resource recovery over demolition and reframing ‘waste’ as value. * Barriers to change including cost, risk, regulation and industry inertia. * Tensions between certification systems, storytelling and genuine impact. * Designing for disassembly and the importance of construction methodology. * Buildings as material banks, including material passports and digital twins. * The importance of shifting from extraction to participation with the natural world. We hope you enjoy. Keep questioning, keep exploring, and most importantly… keep asking, But Why? Keen to Support Us? But Why? A Design Podcast is proudly an independent self-funded publication. By subscribing, you signify our content is valuable and it gives us reason to keep creating. If you are feeling generous, you can make a pledge, but if you would rather just buy us a coffee, we would love that too! Shout us a coffee through the below link: Show Links Future Materials Foolscap Studio Living Building Challenge Green Building Council Produced by us. Music by Jessica Hooks. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.butwhyadesignpodcast.com

    36 min

  4. 11 MAR

    005 - Designers Enhance Life

    In this episode of But Why? A Design Podcast, Eugene and Stirling are joined by architect Jimmy Thompson of MJA Studio to explore the idea that design has the power to enhance life. Jimmy shares insights from years of practice working across housing and mixed-use projects, where the challenge is not just creating buildings, but shaping environments that support dignity, wellbeing and everyday experience. The conversation moves beyond form and aesthetics, asking deeper questions about the role architects play in creating places where people spend most of their lives. At the centre of the discussion is a reminder that design decisions carry consequence. From light and air through to spatial planning and material choices, the built environment has the potential to elevate human experience when intention and care are applied. The conversation also touches on a challenge within the design profession itself: designers often struggle to communicate the why behind their decisions. The conversation explores: * Architecture as a tool for enhancing everyday life * The responsibility designers hold toward the people who occupy their buildings * Housing as more than shelter, creating dignity, health and wellbeing * Balancing professional success with humility in design practice We hope you enjoy. Keep questioning, keep exploring, and most importantly… keep asking, But Why? Keen to Support Us? But Why? A Design Podcast is proudly an independent self-funded publication. Subscribers get early access to new episodes, behind the mic reflections, design field notes, and thoughtful essays that expand conversations beyond the recordings. Never miss an update! Every new post is sent directly to your email inbox. If you are feeling generous you can make a pledge but if you would rather just buy us a coffee, we would love that too! Shout us a coffee through the below link: Show Links MJA Studio Produced by us. Music by Jessica Hooks. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.butwhyadesignpodcast.com

    38 min

  5. 26 FEB

    004 - Environmental & Human Experience

    In this episode of But Why? A Design Podcast, Stirling turns the lens toward Eugene and the origin of platFORMed. What begins as a conversation about naming quickly becomes something deeper - a reflection on purpose, influence, risk, and the uncomfortable moment when success no longer feels aligned. Eugene shares his pursuit of a holistic impact - not just in products or projects, but in systems, people and environments. The discussion explores the tension between security and soul, and the realisation that legacy is shaped not by position, but by influence. The conversation explores: * The decision to leave security in pursuit of purpose * Designing a life, not just a career * Influence as a tool for environmental and human impact * Projects as leverage for systemic change * The tension between comfort, risk and legacy * Waste Watch: repair, responsibility and the ‘underused economy’ We hope you enjoy. Keep questioning, keep exploring, and most importantly… keep asking, But Why? Keen to Support Us? But Why? A Design Podcast is proudly an independent self-funded publication. Subscribers get early access to new episodes, behind the mic reflections, design field notes, and thoughtful essays that expand conversations beyond the recordings. Never miss an update! Every new post is sent directly to your email inbox. If you are feeling generous you can make a pledge but if you would rather just buy us a coffee, we would love that too! Shout us a coffee through the below link: Show Links platFORMed & / OR Consulting Produced by us. Music by Jessica Hooks. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.butwhyadesignpodcast.com

    32 min

  6. 12 FEB

    Special Episode - Perth Design Week 2026

    In this episode of But Why? A Design Podcast, we are joined by Sandy Anghie, co-founder and chair of Perth Design Week. Together, we trace the origin of Perth Design Week from a ‘coalition of the willing’ into a growing platform that brings disciplines together, expands public awareness, and strengthens the conditions for design to be seen as a cultural and economic force, not a niche industry conversation. Sandy shares what people often do not see: the long hours, volunteer intensity, and behind-the-scenes partnerships required to make the week happen. We talk about why the shift from silos to a shared tent is so powerful in Perth, and how PDW has helped reveal the true scale of the design sector when it moves as one. A central theme emerges: design is everywhere and for everyone. If design shapes the quality of our cities, homes, services and daily experiences, then Perth Design Week is not just a celebration. It is a mechanism for participation, literacy, and momentum. This episode is warm, grounded and energising. It is about advocacy through celebration, and the practical reality of turning an idea into an institution. Topics explored include: * How Perth Design Week began, and why Perth needed its own design week * The “coalition of the willing” and why breaking silos matters * Festival growth and 2026 being a more curated model * The role of key partners and venues in enabling scale and access * Why design weeks are cultural infrastructure, and a genuine tourism and economic opportunity * Local HQ as key activation within The Liberty Theatre Keep questioning, keep exploring, and most importantly… keep asking, But Why? Keen to Support Us? But Why? A Design Podcast is proudly an independent self-funded publication. Subscribers get early access to new episodes, behind the mic reflections, design field notes, and thoughtful essays that expand conversations beyond the recordings. Never miss an update! Every new post is sent directly to your email inbox. If you are feeling generous you can make a pledge but if you would rather just buy us a coffee, we would love that too! Shout us a coffee through the below link: Show Links Perth Design Week State Buildings WA Museum Boola Bardip Block Branding Produced by us. Music by Jessica Hooks. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.butwhyadesignpodcast.com

    25 min

  7. 30 JAN

    003 - Why Do We Design With Hostility?

    In this episode of But Why? A Design Podcast, we are joined by Sarah Booth to explore an uncomfortable but necessary question: Why do we design with hostility? Together, we unpack how environments, systems and processes can unintentionally exclude, overwhelm or alienate. From workplaces and public spaces to services and everyday interactions, this conversation challenges the assumption that good design automatically leads to good outcomes. Sarah invites us to slow down and look beneath intent, asking where efficiency, control or legacy thinking has overridden empathy, care and lived experience. We talk about power, responsibility and the subtle ways design decisions shape behaviour, dignity and belonging. A central theme emerges: what if designers became choreographers of care? What if we designed not just for function or aesthetics, but for emotional safety, inclusion and human experience? This episode is reflective, provocative and quietly hopeful. It is not about blame, but about awareness, accountability and the opportunity to do better. Topics explored include: * What “hostile design” really looks like and why it often goes unnoticed * The difference between intention and impact in design decision-making * Who gets centred and who gets excluded by default * Designing with care, empathy and responsibility * Reframing the designer’s role as a choreographer of human experience As always, the conversation is unscripted, honest and occasionally uncomfortable. Keep questioning, keep exploring, and most importantly… keep asking, But Why? Keen to Support Us? But Why? A Design Podcast is proudly an independent self-funded publication. Subscribers get early access to new episodes, behind the mic reflections, design field notes, and thoughtful essays that expand conversations beyond the recordings. Never miss an update! Every new post is sent directly to your email inbox. Subscribe here: About - But Why? A Design Podcast If you are feeling generous you can make a pledge but if you would rather just buy us a coffee, we would love that too! Shout us a coffee through this link: https://buymeacoffee.com/butwhyadesignpodcast Show Links Sarah Booth Spacemarket Winston Churchill Trust Produced by us. Music by Jessica Hooks. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.butwhyadesignpodcast.com

    46 min

  8. 14 JAN

    002 - Are We Wasting By Design?

    What does it mean to be “wasted by design”, and are we, as an industry (and a society), designing waste into the system on purpose? In Episode 002 of But Why? A Design Podcast, Eugene and Stirling step back and set context for the work behind the mic. This is Part One of a two-part origin story, focused on Stirling’s journey and the philosophy behind Wasted by Design, a business name that is deliberately ironic, intentionally provocative, and rooted in years of observing waste in commercial interiors. Stirling shares why the problem is not just environmental, but also human. Wasted materials, wasted time, wasted quality, wasted potential. The episode explores why reuse is still treated as “less glamorous” than new, why commercial settings struggle with circularity even when households embrace second-hand platforms, and how fear, liability, and fragmented decision-making keep the system stuck. They also introduce a new recurring segment, Waste Watch, designed to call out everyday examples of waste, with a constructive lens. The first target: a very public piece of seasonal marketing that raises bigger questions about design intent and brand responsibility. In this episode, we discuss: * Why the name Wasted by Design is meant to provoke an honest conversation * The human and spatial cost of a profit-first system * Why commercial reuse is harder than household reuse * How designer ego and the pursuit of new can crowd out better options * When sustainability tools become badge-chasing instead of genuine impact * The Never-Used Economy, including speculative fitouts that are built then removed before use * Waste Watch: the KFC bucket hat as a case study in designed waste and marketing choices Keep questioning, keep exploring, and most importantly… keep asking, But Why? Keen to Support Us? But Why? A Design Podcast is proudly an independent self-funded publication. Subscribers get early access to new episodes, behind the mic reflections, design field notes, and thoughtful essays that expand conversations beyond the recordings. Never miss an update! Every new post is sent directly to your email inbox. Subscribe here: About - But Why? A Design Podcast If you are feeling generous you can make a pledge but if you would rather just buy us a coffee, we would love that too! Shout us a coffee through this link: https://buymeacoffee.com/butwhyadesignpodcast Show Links Wasted by Design Perth Design Week Big Bash Produced by us. Music by Jessica Hooks. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.butwhyadesignpodcast.com

    28 min

  9. 15/12/2025

    001 - Why Do We Design?

    In this first episode of ‘But Why, A Design Podcast’, hosts Eugene Hooks and Stirling Fletcher explore the question of - Why do we design? Drawing from frameworks, philosophy, lived experience and a few unexpected tangents, we unpack the forces that drive designers and non-designers alike to shape the world around them. From primal instincts of shelter and survival to modern challenges of ego, commercialisation and planned obsolescence, this episode explores how design began with human progress, lost its way in some areas, and is now being re-examined with a renewed sense of responsibility. Along the way we discuss: - What AI thinks design is for - How Maslow’s hierarchy shows up in design evolution - The tension between intent and commercial reality - Empathy as a design tool - Design as instinct versus design as profession - When design solves problems and when it creates them This conversation sets the foundation for everything that comes next. Thank you for joining us on this journey. Keep questioning, keep exploring, and most importantly… keep asking, But Why? Keen to Support Us? But Why? A Design Podcast is proudly an independent self-funded publication. Subscribers get early access to new episodes, behind the mic reflections, design field notes, and thoughtful essays that expand conversations beyond the recordings. Never miss an update! Every new post is sent directly to your email inbox. Subscribe here: About - But Why? A Design Podcast If you are feeling generous you can make a pledge but if you would rather just buy us a coffee, we would love that too! Shout us a coffee through this link: https://buymeacoffee.com/butwhyadesignpodcast This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.butwhyadesignpodcast.com

    19 min
  10. 000 - Intro

    14/12/2025

    000 - Intro

    In our very first release of But Why? A Design Podcast, we open the door to the questions that started it all. What began as years of conversations between two design-minded friends has now become a space to explore the deeper intent behind design, the systems that shape our world, and the curiosity that keeps us asking… But why? This introductory episode sets the tone for what’s to come: * Topics we’re passionate about and want to challenge * Guests who bring expertise beyond our own * Solo reflections and shared discussions * Thoughtful, curious explorations of how design influences people, places and experiences It’s an invitation into a community of questioners and thinkers, designers and non-designers alike. We thank you for joining us on this journey. Keep questioning, keep exploring, and most importantly… keep asking, But Why? Keen to Support Us? But Why? A Design Podcast is proudly an independent self-funded publication. Subscribers get early access to new episodes, behind the mic reflections, design field notes, and thoughtful essays that expand conversations beyond the recordings. Never miss an update! Every new post is sent directly to your email inbox. Subscribe here: About - But Why? A Design Podcast If you are feeling generous you can make a pledge but if you would rather just buy us a coffee, we would love that too! Shout us a coffee through this link: https://buymeacoffee.com/butwhyadesignpodcast This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.butwhyadesignpodcast.com

    2 min
  • 10 Episodes

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
2 Ratings

About

A space for curious minds to explore the stories, systems, and people behind the design of our everyday world. www.butwhyadesignpodcast.com

Information

  • Creator
    Eugene Hooks & Stirling Fletcher
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    10
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © But Why? A Design Podcast
  • Show Website
    But Why? A Design Podcast

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