Congratulations to FDIA Meryl Hare, OAM Recipient 2024
This year, in the King’s Honours list, our esteemed FDIA and Hall of Famer, Meryl Hare was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) 2024 for her exceptional contributions to interior design. There is no one more deserving of this recognition than Meryl.
Meryl Hare is the Managing Director of award winning interior design practice Hare & Klein, which she established in 1998.
Meryl was born in Johannesburg and trained in Durban, South Africa in Graphic Design. She worked as a Graphic Designer in Natal and then in a role of Marketing Management [for which she had also trained] for Barclay’s Bank in Johannesburg, following which she spent ten years as managing director of Gallery Interiors, before coming to Australia.
She was a full professional member of the South African Guild of Interior Designers and served as a National Councillor from 1986 to 1988. In Australia she was a full member of SIDA from 1989 to 1998, serving on the national Executive from 1990 to 1993, then as vice President from 1993 to 1995 before becoming President from 1996 to 1998. Meryl joined the DIA in 1989 and was a National Councillor from 1998 to 2000. She is a current Member, since 1998, of the Past President’s Board, and has served as President of the SIDA Foundation.
Meryl has contributed enormously to the practice and reputation of Interior Design and has regularly won awards at a National level and she is highly regarded by her fellow professionals. Meryl played a pivotal role in the amalgamation of the SIDA and the DIA.
She was awarded a Fellowship in 2001.