About Claire
A practical designer.
An observant writer.
“Great design will enhance your life.”
Claire Cardwell
Johannesburg / South AfricaClaire Cardwell / Blue Designs
Designing the life around the building.
Claire Cardwell is a Johannesburg-based architectural designer and writer with more than 20 years’ experience in residential architecture.
Through Blue Designs, her established practice, she has designed new family homes, transformed existing houses, worked with heritage character and helped owners address buildings where plans are missing or no longer match what is on site.
Her approach is grounded in the real details of living: light, movement, proportion, maintenance, context and the way rooms connect. She also writes as The Naked Architect, making architecture and planning more accessible to homeowners.
Working principles
Listen first
A good brief begins with how you live now, what is not working and what the next chapter needs.
Keep character
Modernisation can be generous and current without erasing the identity of an existing or heritage home.
Make it clear
Drawings, processes and constraints are communicated in plain language so decisions stay grounded.
Services
One point of view,
from idea to approval.
Every project begins with a conversation and is scoped around the site, the existing records and the outcome you need.
Architectural design
Approvals & planning pathways
Where specialist town-planning input is required, Claire coordinates through established professional relationships. Requirements and appointment scope are confirmed for each property.
“Claire is a practical architectural designer, very professional and responsive to specific requests.”
— Mike Dias, CEO, Husky Design · testimonial published by Blue Designs
Have a project in mind?