Meet the Electric Home Design Collective

Understanding Electric Home Design (EHD) is an important step in shaping the functionality, sustainability, and style of your new build or renovation.

Clipsal has created The Electric Home Design Collective: a group of four experts in building, interior design, architecture, and electrical work. They look at how great Electric Home Design comes to life in different homes around Australia and share their insights on how to achieve it.

Neil Hipwell: Founder and Director of Futureflip

After starting out as a carpenter and then a builder, Neil Hipwell established innovative design and construction company Futureflip. The multi-award-winning company specialises in luxury new homes across Sydney and the South Coast.

Neil has worked with Clipsal products throughout his career and says there’s a growing shift to smart homes. “It’s so important to have smart home connectivity because people are spending a lot more time at home and getting busier than ever.” He says having simple touch screen control of your house from your smartphone (whether you’re at home or on the other side of the world) has real appeal for clients.

Meet Neil Hipwell: Builder, Founder, and Director of Futureflip

Family-run electrical company Vaccaro Group was founded nearly 40 years ago by Cameron’s father Sam. The award-winning NSW company specialises in electrical and air conditioning services. Cameron says they pride themselves on creating electrical solutions tailored to how customers want to live in their homes.

“The locations of lights and power points or adding hard-wired data points for faster internet speeds in home offices… they’re all things you have to think about before you start building,” says Cameron. He adds that working with Clipsal’s software Clipspec helps customers to visualise locations of electrical elements so they can work together to create the ideal layout.

Meet Cameron Bruzzese: GM And Electrician at Vaccaro Group

Interior designer Kate Lawrence of Kate Lawrence Interiors has a boutique studio in Sydney, creating homes that are beautiful, calming, and timeless. “It’s a lovely space to be in because you’re building relationships with people and seeing their homes come to life,” says Kate. She says electrical finishes are just as important as any other finish, and light switches and power points come up in every design consultation.

Kate says the Clipsal range can suit a wide variety of styles. “When I put together colour schemes for a client, I’ll have samples of everything and look at it as a whole. It’s something I feel confident in recommending to clients.”

Meet Kate Lawrence, Owner and Director of Kate Lawrence Interiors

Brisbane-based residential architect Paul Butterworth specialises in designing environmentally sustainable and innovative homes for clients in south-east Queensland. His practice has been specifying Clipsal products in its projects for years. “Some of the things we look for are really flush, hyper-integrated design fittings that seamlessly integrate with complicated elements like kitchens and bathrooms; they look like they’re never there but are extremely useful for our clients,” says Paul.

Paul says that sustainability and energy consumption in homes is a critical issue too. “There’s a real opportunity for companies like Clipsal to be a meaningful interface between the clients and how much energy they use for a sustainable future.”

Meet Paul Butterworth, Brisbane Residential Architect

Neil Hipwell from Futureflip: the Bunker House tour

Neil takes Cameron and Kate on a tour of his family’s stunning Bunker House, a beachfront property at Gerringong on New South Wales’ south coast.

The multi-level home combines Clipsal C-Bus smart home automation with the sleek lines of Clipsal Saturn Zen and Iconic Styl for a modern look and simple touch screen control of the entire property — from full climate control to security, lights, and even the pool.

Throughout the tour, Neil explains how Electric Home Design was a top priority, as the home’s concrete construction meant carefully planning every electrical feature and switch location, right down to the EV car charger on the driveway.

Tour the Bunker House with Neil Hipwell from Futureflip

Cameron’s newly completed duplex, Viridis Vincentia, sits near the beaches of Jervis Bay on the south coast of New South Wales. The Italian-inspired home blends beach life with luxurious comfort and offers easy control through Clipsal Wiser smart home automation.

From the Wiser by SE app on his phone, Cameron can check security cameras, doors, manage climate control, schedule lighting, and even get a notification of leaks or if smoke alarms are activated.

Additionally, the timber trim of Clipsal’s Iconic Essence switches and power points complements the timber details in the interior. Cameron also has the option of easily swapping in any other ‘skins’ in the Iconic range anytime.

In this tour, Cameron also explains what can be achieved with good Electric Home Design and the difference it can make to your home.

Tour the Viridis Vincentia House with Cameron Bruzzese from Vaccaro Group

The Clayfield Fern House in Queensland is a modern renovation of a traditional 1920s ‘Queenslander’-style home. In this tour, Paul shows Neil and Cameron how he and his team have reimagined the home’s interior and backyard area, while maintaining its character protection requirements. The home’s heritage front is echoed in new white balustrade detail at the rear and a lush fern garden in an ‘outdoor room’ plays on its tropical setting.

Paul specified Clipsal Iconic in Anthracite throughout the home for a modern look in keeping with the new interior style. Iconic’s additional features such as USB fast-charging, dimmers and compatibility with the Wiser smart home system give the owners plenty of options too.

Tour the Clayfield Fern House with architect Paul Butterworth

Kate shows Neil and Paul through a stylish duplex on Water Street in Sydney, where the Clipsal Iconic range is the perfect partner for the natural tones of Kate’s modern interior design.

In the kitchen, Kate has used Iconic Essence as its timber trim echoes the wooden cabinetry and complements the waterfall island bench in limestone. A power point under the bench also creates a handy workspace when needed. For the master bedroom, the Iconic range in Vivid White with translucent edging blends effortlessly with the walls. Light switches next to the bed add ease, while power points with built-in USB-A+C ports are convenient for charging devices overnight.

Timber cabinetry and stone feature in the sleek main bathroom too. To keep the look uncluttered, power points are tucked inside the vanity.

Tour the Water Street House with Kate Lawrence from Kate Lawrence Interiors