Rex Hirst

Managing Director of let’s talk interiors pty., ltd. which trades as let’s talk kitchens & interiors

A professional designer since 1972, Rex studied advanced kitchen design in America. Upon returning to Australia in 1982, he personally founded, and served as the first President of the original governing body of the Australian Kitchen & Bathroom renovation industry.

It was absorbed by the Housing Industry Association, (HIA), and became known as “HIA Kitchens & Bathrooms”. Rex was a committee member of HIA Kitchens & Bathrooms, for many years and is an outspoken advocate for the proper training, registration & certification of designers in this field.

In 2005, he worked to set up a new National body, the Kitchen & Bath Designer’s Institute, (KBDI). KBDi was formed with huge sponsorship & support from the whole industry to better represent the Australian Design community. KBDi is now very well established with chapters in all states. Rex is a past President of the KBDI.

He has been an active design lecturer within the industry for most of his career and has had many articles published on kitchen design. For more than 10 years, heconsulted to the Victorian Department of Human Services, in the area of kitchen & bathroom design for the disabled.

As a highly experienced and creative designer, Rexspent 12 years as a judge of the Annual Kitchen & Bathroom awards in both Victoria for HIA and nationally for the KBDi.

Since retiring as a judge, some of his own more recent design awards include:

• Winner 2015 HIA Designer of the Year.
• Winner 2015 HIA Best kitchen over $50,000
• Winner 2017 HIA Best Kitchen over $50,000
• Winner ACFA Best fitted furniture, (library), 2017.
• Finalist ACFA best bathroom design, 2019.
• HIA 2021 Winner New Kitchen Design
• HIA 2021 Winner Kitchen of the Year over $80,000.

He says, “I don’t design actively anymore; I just vet my staff’s work and annoy them”. 😊