About · Taeler Jordan
I've sat on both sides of the renovation.
For over a decade I was the one drawing the plans in Melbourne architecture practices. Then I renovated with my own money, on my own timeline, and learned what the drawings never told me.
Now I help homeowners Australia-wide work out what their house can become, before they spend a dollar on building it.
10+
years in Melbourne architecture practices, 2010 to 2021
M.Arch
Master of Architecture, RMIT, 2016
5
developments since my first renovation, every one designed by me
4
Floor Plan Review places a month, so each house gets proper attention
01 · The desk
Architecturally trained
I started working in Melbourne architecture practices in 2010 and stayed for over a decade, finishing my Master of Architecture at RMIT along the way in 2016. I worked on some genuinely beautiful residential projects. I drew the plans, coordinated the documentation, and worked in that tricky space between a client's dream and what a builder could actually deliver.
I loved it. But I always wanted to know what it felt like on the other side.
02 · The crossover
Developer-tested
So I crossed over. With my husband, I renovated my first house while still working full-time, sold it, and never looked back.
Since then I've completed five developments, designing every one myself and managing the builds. Every one taught me something about where money is worth spending, and where it isn't.
03 · The gap
“I can't afford an architect.”
Then people started asking for help: friends, followers, strangers on Instagram. I heard the same thing every time. They didn't need, or couldn't afford, a full architectural service. But a draftsman or a stylist wasn't giving them what they needed either.
They wanted someone who could look at a floor plan and see straight away what wasn't working. Someone who could show them what their house could become before they committed to a builder. Someone who'd done it themselves, on a real budget.
That's the space FTLO Design was built for.
“Great design doesn't have to be expensive. It just has to be considered.”
Taeler Jordan
How I work
Two halves of one business
FTLO Design Studio
Your house
A three-stage design service for homeowners renovating on budgets under a million. Floor plan first, then the exterior, then the interiors. Start at the beginning or jump in where you need help, and stop whenever you like. It all runs remotely, so I work with homeowners right across Australia, from Melbourne to New South Wales.
How the studio works →FTLO Design Developments
My houses
The houses I buy, design and build myself. They're where I test ideas with my own money first, so the advice you get has already been tried.
See the projects →
Behind the scenes
I share all of it on Instagram.
The decisions, the budget moments, the before and afters. Not the polished highlight reel, but the real process of renovating a house thoughtfully. When you can see exactly how it's done, you feel more confident doing it yourself, or knowing who to call.
Follow @ftlo_design →Let's make something beautiful
Wherever you're up to, I'd love to help.
Staring at a floor plan wondering where to begin? Already have a direction and need to see it? Start with a Floor Plan Review: two designed layouts in seven business days, $899 + GST, paid on delivery.