Winners revealed: 2019 Belle Coco Republic Interior Design Awards

Australia’s most outstanding design projects were recognised last night at the 2019 Belle Coco Republic Interior Design Awards in Sydney.

Showcasing innovation, creativity and thought-provoking ideas and executions, the annual awards presented by Belle magazine and leading homewares brand Coco Republic are among Australia’s most sought-after accolades.

With categories spanning residential, commercial and hospitality, the initiative, now in its ninth year, salutes the industry’s very best as well as recognising new and emerging talent.

Eight winners from more than 300 submitted entries were chosen by an expert panel, including highly acclaimed international designer Kit Kemp.

“We are honoured to drive these prestigious awards that showcase the very best Australian design has to offer,” says Belle magazine editor, Gavin Kirk.

“Year after year, we are amazed at the level of creativity and expertise behind some of Australia’s most outstanding design endeavours.”

This year’s top honour, the Belle Coco Republic Interior Designer of the Year, was awarded to Melbourne designer David Flack of Flack Studio, whose lyrical but bold mingling of textures, colours, and strong lines distinguished him from his peers.

“We feel fortunate that we are contributing to the conversation of design like the many voices that have preceded us,” says Flack, “(it’s about) the importance of design and how we engage with our environment and most importantly each other. Our work represents homes that are designed and crafted for the individual – spaces that evoke empathy towards existing architecture and inherently reflect our clients’ personality.”

Flack’s signature glamour, strong aesthetic and modernist approach to both commercial and residential design are reflected in some of his most notable projects. His impressive portfolio includes esteemed eatery Entrecôte as well as a slew of desirable homes, including a modernist family home in North Caulfield that also scored him the Best Residential Bathroom Design award.

“Our clients wanted their home to be a piece of art – they didn’t want something that you had seen before or anything ‘polite’,” he says. “We love the result. The dance of materiality and how they speak to one another is the most important dialogue of this home. It’s about creating the unexpected, an energy and spirit.”

Best Residential Kitchen Design was awarded to Melbourne-based duo Kennedy Nolan for Caroline House, who also took home the Residential Interior award at the Dulux Colour Awards for the same project earlier this month.

With an interior that is considered, well crafted and intricately detailed, its controlled palette of black, white and cream, the curving island bench, and integration of all kitchen elements within customised joinery ensures the kitchen plays gently into the open-planned living space without dominating it.

The winner of the overall Best Residential Interior award went to Under the Tree, a project by creative duo Juliette Arent and Sarah-Jane Pyke of Arent&Pyke. Featuring a fiddle-leaf fig that rises from the lightwell of a renovated weatherboard cottage, the pair used texture and light to add warmth to the homes’ strong lines and robust materiality.

By meshing earthy tones like mustard, chartreuse and forest green (in deference to the family’s South African heritage) with organic textures like wool, Belgian linen and cowhide, the home seamlessly incorporates the owner’s tastes into the final decorative concept. “A client’s joy is always the best measure of success,” says Arent, “but Under the Tree also clearly expresses our aesthetic as a practice and we are very proud of the final result.”

Amber Road was awarded Best Work with Colour for the confident and beautiful use of colour to help create inspired, bold and impressive spaces over a range of projects, including Hotel Collectionist and Polychrome House.

Taking home the Belle Coco Republic Emerging Design Star was New Yorker Dylan Farrell of Sydney-based Dylan Farrell Designs. A sought-after furniture designer, his stunningly opulent, captivating and
dynamic spaces can be seen in projects including the beautiful Bayside Modern and Sydney Contemporary Perch.

2019 Belle Coco Republic Interior Design Awards Winners:

Belle Coco Republic Interior Designer of the Year – David Flack, Flack Studio

Best Residential Interior – Arent & Pyke,  Under the Tree

Best Residential Kitchen Design – Kennedy Nolan, Caroline House

Best Residential Bathroom Design – Flack Studio, Caulfield North Residence

Best Hospitality Interior – Amber Road, Edition Roasters

Best Commercial Interior – Esoteriko, Shelter Double Bay

Emerging Design Star – Dylan Farrell, Dylan Farrell Design

Best Work with Colour – Yasmine Ghoniem, Amber Road