Karyn McRae is a Building Designer, Interior Designer, and Registered Design Practitioner with
over 20 years of experience across residential, multi-residential, commercial, and hospitality
projects throughout Australia.
As co-principal of McRae + Lynch Design, a boutique Sydney studio she leads alongside Helen
Lynch, Karyn operates across the full scope of a project, from early concept and DA through to
procurement and delivery. The studio is known for substantial, whole-project engagements that
demand both technical rigour and considered design thinking.
Holding an Advanced Diploma in Building Design and an Advanced Diploma in Interior Design from
the Design Centre Enmore, Karyn is one of a relatively small cohort of practitioners who are both
qualified Building Designers and Registered Design Practitioners under the NSW Design and
Building Practitioners Act, a credential that speaks to accountability as much as capability.
Co-host of A Designer’s Perspective, she brings the same directness to conversations about the
design industry that she applies to running her studio. Her presence on this panel reflects a
practitioner’s perspective: what does AI actually mean for the people doing the work, managing the
projects, and carrying the professional responsibility?