Australian Interior Design Awards 2018

On Friday 25 May, the 15th annual Australian Interior Design Awards were presented at a gala celebration in Sydney, with more than 500 of Australia’s most esteemed interior design and architecture practitioners and professionals in attendance.

Celebrating its 15th anniversary this year, the 2018 Australian Interior Design Awards’ entries echo the same premium standard of the program since the award’s inception. Featuring game-changing public designs, convention-challenging workplaces and meticulously detailed retail spaces, this year’s winners elevate Australia’s design reputation to new heights. Below are some winners and comments form the judges.

The way in which Russell & George’s Space & Time challenges the temporality of contemporary design was a key factor in securing the Premier Award for Australian Interior Design. Dubbed a ‘genuine laboratory’ by the jurors, the uniqueness of Space & Time lies in its ability to morph into a restaurant, café, gallery, showroom, office, function centre or workspace.
“This project is as unexpected as it is rigorous, and its design sets a new precedent for encouraging innovation and not merely copying what’s been done before,” said the 2018 jury.

EMERGING INTERIOR DESIGN PRACTICE AWARD – Ritz & Ghougassian, Vic
The breadth and maturity of Ritz&Ghougassian’s portfolio impressed the jury, especially as the Melbourne-based practice was only established in late 2015. Co-directors Gilad Ritz and Jean-Paul Ghougassian’s refined, architecturally rigorous work is notable for its strong adherence to a set of shared design values and its avoidance of anything faddish or trendy, making them very deserving award recipients. There’s consistency and originality across each project, regardless of typology, and each displays genuine innovation and sophistication. This is especially evident in two of the practice’s most recent projects, the highly polished Highbury Grove residence and Fitzroy’s stylish Bentwood cafe. Ritz&Ghougassian’s commitment to build upon the architects’ combined experience working at Hassell, Room 11 and Woods Bagot makes it a name to watch. The practice is already prodigious in delivering over fifteen projects and, as one jury member commented, what makes this young practice particularly refreshing in an age of social media is that its co-directors are “designing by principles not Pinterest.”

HOSPITALITY DESIGN AWARD – Alexander & CO. and Tribe Studio Architects for Sean Connolly at Dubai Opera, United Arab Emirates
Sean Connolly at Dubai Opera is sophisticated and sensual, with a maturity that’s also lively and playful. The jury commended the interior’s meticulous detailing and immaculate planning and simply loved everything about it. Each detail has a high level of intelligence and custom elements are beautifully resolved, from terrazzo benches with leather cushions to elegantly understated, and quite often concealed, lighting. Maintaining an architectural integrity in the fit out’s complex geometry has also been masterfully accomplished. This design skilfully navigates a large, difficult space by creating intimacy in the plan, allowing guests to experience a range of distinct settings.

RESIDENTIAL DECORATION AWARD – Arent & Pyke for Curatorial House, NSW
Curatorial House is confident in its restraint and the jury was impressed by the project’s refined detailing, where motif is suggested rather than shouted. Black is used effectively throughout to punctuate the interior and along with white walls provides a neutral backdrop for the family’s thoughtfully edited collection of art, objects and furnishings.
The jury commended the project for being a very liveable home that’s not static, but rather allows change through a palette that is flexible. One jury member imagined the family travelling and bringing back new objects for the home without upsetting the current arrangement, but rather adding to it. In this respect, Curatorial House is full of narrative and a sense of emotional connectedness; although it is immaculately styled, it’s very much a lived-in home that’s used. This project demonstrates self-assuredness in the category through a boldness that quietly champions a less-is-more aesthetic.

WORKPLACE DESIGN AWARD – BVN for The Customer Experience Company, NSW
The Customer Experience Company is an innovative workplace design that delivers exactly what the concept sets out to achieve. Ways of working have been rigorously questioned and the outcome implements a model of flexibility that the jury believes will have long-term impact and influence. The design allows for the 500-square-metre interior to be completely reconfigured via a series of stackable whiteboards suspended from a ceiling-mounted track that zigzags through the space, depending on employees’ needs. It has the wow factor in demonstrating pure agility, while being an on-brand representation of the company’s progressive office culture and business ethos. The jury was impressed by its compelling plan and innovative thinking in changing perceptions and mindsets about how we work today. CEC’s designers have also introduced a new level of spatial informality to the workplace by erasing the distinct threshold between entry and actual work areas. This is a carefully considered, creative design that is anything but ordinary.