Australia's best interiors
Announced last week, the interior design industry's most prestigious awards indicate that Australians are embracing increasingly dynamic, thoughtful interiors and shifting away from the DIY or "quick fix" trend.
Australian Interior Design Awards jury member Ryan Russell said this year's winning projects demonstrated that Australians were adventurous when it came to our homes.
"What became evident through the awards was that clients and designers are collaborating to be more adventurous in how they want people to live and engage with one another," Mr Russell, director of Russell & George architects in Victoria, said.
"The West Australian projects such as the Perth Arena or CASA31_4 Room House, where the interiors play a fundamental role in creating exciting atmospheres for sport or residential settings, are examples," he said.
Adrian Iredale, of Iredale Pedersen Hook Architects, was the recipient of the Best of State Residential Design award for his CASA31_4 Room House with Caroline Di Costa Architect.
He said being recognised was an immense honour.
"We are sharing this space with many talented designers that collectively demonstrate how diverse the design world of Australia is and how much it has progressed over a short history," Mr Iredale said.
"A colleague recently described our project as a built biography, and our win confirms that uniquely personal design can be appreciated and enjoyed by a broader audience."
Mr Iredale said the awards were indicative of a paradigm shift in the public's appreciation of interiors.
"(It) helps to expose careful and sophisticated design to the general public, it helps to demonstrate that such well-considered work takes time to achieve, and it provides a counterpoint to the abundance of television programs that promote the quick-fix design," he said.
Finely crafted interiors, refined materials and intelligent space-planning characterised the outstanding entries, with the Premier Award for Interior Design Excellence and Innovation going to the Loft Apartment by Adrian Amore Architects, a restrained and delicate warehouse conversion in West Melbourne.
The Residential Decoration award went to renowned firm Arent & Pyke, while Acme & Co was named best Emerging Interior Design.
Co-presented by the Design Institute of Australia, designEX and Artichoke magazine, the awards span residential, hospitality and retail fit-outs, commercial interiors and public spaces.
Event manager Jacinta Reedy said this year's pool of winners represented some of the brightest talents in Australia's design industry. "The jury recognised in these projects new directions in interior design, including clever use of raw materials, a love of simplicity and restrained approach to design," she said.
Mr Russell said the 2014 awards stood out from previous years for a number of reasons.
"This year saw many designs having unique and strong identities - whether these designs were expressing a brand, a restaurant or a family in the case of residential design," he said. "The entries showed great diversity of design approach that ultimately echoed the personalities of the clients."
The future of design
Ryan Russell, architect and AIDA jury member, said several trends emerged from the 2014 Australian Interior Design Awards.
“Smaller houses that work harder; strong colour; bold use of natural materials; different ways of structuring the residential layout; and a more relaxed arrangement of objects and furniture pieces are the five most dominant residential interior trends,” he said.
There had also been a shift away from the popular Scandinavian influence. “Palettes were reminiscent of the 60s and 70s with warm brick tones, or they were the complete converse, using simple and austere colour palettes and materials that were incredibly layered through a sophisticated use of sculptural form, composition and use of natural light,” he said.
To see all the winning projects visit australianinteriordesignawards.com.
