About Studio Origami · Perth Building DesignersWhere building science
meets intentional design.
Studio Origami is a Perth building design studio led by Izabela Katafoni. Since 2014 we've designed homes that are beautiful, comfortable and healthy to live in, and realistic to build.
Izabela Katafoni
A European eye for design.
A scientist's rigour for performance.
Izabela Katafoni founded Studio Origami in Perth in 2014. She is a building designer and Passive House trained, with a European background that treats beauty and performance as inseparable from the very first sketch.
Her approach is practical and personal: understand how you want to live, respect what you can spend, and work hand in hand with your builder so the design holds up in the real world.
Alongside high-performance building science, Izabela brings a deep interest in healthy homes: natural light, clean air, non-toxic materials and calm, nature-connected spaces. We call it biohacking your home.
View our projects →Our values
What drives every
Studio Origami project.
Beauty in every detail
Refined materials, considered proportions and spaces that genuinely delight. Rigorous and beautiful, never one at the expense of the other.
Intelligent performance
Passive House principles, thermal modelling and building physics applied from the first sketch, for homes that are comfortable all year.
Wellbeing by design
Clean filtered air, natural light, non-toxic materials and lighting that supports sleep. Your home as a quiet tool for health.
Budget as the brief
Your budget shapes the design from day one, and your builder is involved early, so what we draw is what you can build.
Client partnership
Genuine listening and honest advice. A home that reflects how you actually live, not a style imposed on you.
Enduring quality
Homes designed to last, with lower maintenance, lower running costs and less impact over the life of the building.
Our story
From a small Perth studio
to homes across WA.
Studio Origami was founded in Perth in 2014 with a clear purpose: to design homes that perform beautifully and genuinely improve the lives of the people living in them.
Between 2020 and 2023, Izabela worked in partnership with registered architect Javier Ayora under the name Studio Origami Architects. Since 2023 the studio has continued as Studio Origami, a building design practice led by Izabela, focused on new forever homes, Passive House and healthy home design.
Izabela has designed two Passive House homes: Torrens Park in Adelaide, which is certified, and The Hillview House in Karrinyup, where certification is underway.
Awards & recognition
- Best Residential Design under $500k, State Winner, 2018
- Best Residential Design under $500k, National Winner, 2018
- Commendation for Best Interior Design WA, 2018
- Green Smart Project Home of the Year, 2018
- Finalist, James Hardie Design Competition
Featured in The West Australian, Inside Out, Home Base and Houzz. See Press & Awards →
The Studio Origami difference
We don't just design
energy-efficient homes.
Energy efficiency is the foundation, not the ceiling. We layer healthy home design on top of high-performance building, and keep it all grounded in what you can realistically build.
The air you breathe is filtered and fresh. The light in your bedroom supports a good night's sleep. The materials your family touches every day are natural and non-toxic. And the spaces you move through feel calm.
That's what we mean by biohacking your home.
What we offer
Building design services
in Perth & WA.
New Home Design
Custom forever homes for Perth and WA blocks, from first sketch to builder-ready documentation, with costs checked along the way.
New home design →Passive House Design
Homes designed to Passive House principles for Perth's climate: steady temperatures, filtered fresh air and very low energy bills.
Passive House design →Healthy Home & Interior Design
Circadian lighting, natural and non-toxic materials, and biophilic interiors, for new builds and renovations.
Healthy home design →Strategy Session
A 90-minute session to turn your ideas, block and budget into a clear, realistic plan before you commit to design.
Book a session →Studio Origami designs new homes, Passive House and healthy homes across Perth and Western Australia, including Cottesloe, Subiaco, Nedlands, Claremont, Floreat, City Beach, Karrinyup, Scarborough, Mount Pleasant, Mosman Park, Wembley, Bayswater, Bassendean, Fremantle, North Beach, Hillarys, Kalamunda, Darlington, Lesmurdie, Bickley, Gidgegannup, the Swan Valley, Yanchep and the South West of WA.
Let's talk about
your home.
Start with a 90-minute Strategy Session: your block, your budget, your goals, and an honest assessment of what's possible.