Lick light + colour is one of Sydney's best kept design secrets, providing enriched spaces through the inventive and playful manipulation of lighting and colour design to a discerning clientele. Lick and its founder, Terry Hogg, has transformed hundreds of impressive commercial and residential projects to date, achieving tremendous, if not euphoric, client reviews every time.
At a young age Terry realised that the expectations of a South Sydney Maroubra boy were not consistent with his burning desire for design and transformation through colour and lighting. His keen eye first emerged at the age of sixteen with his first major project, the conversion of the family's garage into a design studio which became the talk of his neighbourhood, spurred on Terry metamorphasised the garage through several admired makeovers over the next few years.
Soon after, Terry moved to Melbourne-Australia’s cultural capital-where he continued his creative exploration through work in fashion and design. After 5 years yearning for more Terry moved to Europe where he binged on lighting and colour design, from the ancient colour palettes of the palaces and castles to the boldest cutting edge of contemporary design, all creative seasoning that informs and inspires him today.
On his return to Australia, hungry for commercially recognized credentials Terry enrolled in several design schools to feed his insatiable design appetite, During this period he joined one of the country's leading boutique paint companies where he finessed his widely-celebrated colour-matching skills and crafted his technical paint expertise.
Growing up in the ‘Bra’ instilled an honest and raw approach to life which transcends into Terry’s design aesthetic. His gregarious and captivating personality combines with a grounded realism. Terry inspires his clients to explore their boundaries with colour and lighting while helpfully managing their fears and misconceptions. He says:
"Its about considering the significance and utility of the actual space itself. My goal is to create a level of trust that borders a creative fusion and enthrall my client with the possibilities for their project. I see my job in the first part to visualize and share with the client what they can’t see in a space. The next part involves me taking the client through their own process of exploring possibility and adventure. People have such an emotional response to colour its never about forcing my ideas but its about leading them beyond what they think is possible.
This ‘energy’ exchange along with his non-egotistical approach has been the key to the success of Terry’s company. His drive is totally intuitive and instinctive. And his passion and unpretentious attitude have helped create some of Sydney's most exciting homes, offices and apartment buildings.
Terry says, “ I have been working for some years now on what I refer to as the 80's meets the OO’s palette, using colours that vibrate off each other or “clash”. Never follow “what’s in”. I like to mix it all up use internal colours externally and vice versa, take the focus off walls and feature ceilings or floors with colour, “rules are made to be broken”. The same goes with lighting, I love designing tastefully lit spaces that can be transformed into a kaleidoscopic night-time space, should the mood be required. I have also created some stunning outside spaces for a select few as the garden or patio are an extension that ultimately have to fuse to the interior concept."