Bright ideas come to life: The very best of Australian design

Australia’s architecture and interior design scene is in good health if the projects shortlisted for this year’s Interior Design Excellence Awards are any indication.

The annual Interior Design Excellence Awards, or IDEA, were started in 2003 by inside magazine as a way of celebrating the best of local design.

This year, 277 projects were shortlisted in 13 categories, including multiple and single-residential, hospitality, retail, institutional, public space, designer and emerging designer of the year, with the winners to be announced at a gala party in Sydney later this month.

Jan Henderson, co-editor of inside, says the 2018 shortlist shows a maturity that puts paid to old ideas about Australian-made as “second-best”.

“The impact of social media means that ideas are shared instantaneously,” she says. “However, the Australian aesthetic is particular and distinctive.

“Our love of the outdoors is incorporated seamlessly into projects and our style is easy and comfortable, unfussy yet detailed, and it is these qualities that see Australian projects as unique.”

Liminal’s Freycinet Lodge in Tasmania, reflects the undulating coastline and rock formations of its national park context; a very Australian design signature.

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Closer to home, the residential single category highlights the cherished ideal of one’s home as a castle. Gillian Serisier, Henderson’s co-editor on inside, says the major trends emerging in this field are the use of feature materials and the incorporation of curves.

“Celebrating materiality has seen a sharp increase with projects like the Beechworth Residence by Doherty Design Studio featuring massive stone walls, and the Glass House by Nina Maya Interiors boasting large expanses of deep-green stone,” Serisier says.

“Curved form is also presenting beautiful options with Bustle House by FMD Architects delivering some lovely lines.

“Roscommon House by Neil Cownie Architect also explores the curve, as does Oreo House by Taylor Pressly Architects, where a central spiral staircase anchors the whole.”

Reflecting the drift towards apartment living, residential multi is one of IDEA’s fastest growing categories. This year’s entries exhibited a greater focus on communal areas, with one notable example being Bird de la Coeur’s 661 Chapel Street project, which incorporates shared libraries and offee-making areas.

The hospitality and workplace categories continue to challenge traditional notions of public versus private space, while institutional projects such as Bendigo Hospital by Silver Thomas Hanley and Bates Smart set a new standards in aesthetics, function and sustainability.