2014 Interior Design Excellence Awards (IDEA)

Now in its 12 year, (Inside) magazine has announced the winners of its 2014 Interior Design Excellence Awards (IDEA). The winners and nominees of the 12th annual awards have been celebrated in fine style at the IDEA Gala Party. Held at Royal Randwick Racecourse in Sydney on Friday 21 November and I was fortunate to partake in the celebrations.

The night’s highly anticipated Overall Winner prize was awarded to Kennedy Nolan for their St Kilda House West project, a superb design incorporating Asian architectural themes within a contemporary vernacular. The project was also recognised as the winner of IDEA’s Residential Single category.

Woods Bagot’s contribution of exemplar projects over the past year saw them take home Designer of the Year title. Presenting work across hospitality, commercial and public space, their exceptional calibre of work is celebrated for its unique and elegant response.

Chris Connell, one of the country’s most highly regarded design figures, took home this year’s most prestigious award, the IDEA Gold Medal, presented to practitioners who have made an enduring contribution to Australian design over the course of their career.

The inaugural winner of the Editors’ Medal has been named as Greg Natale, a designer of extraordinary talent, Natale is both an exemplar and prolific contributor to the Australian interior design milieu with projects such as Croydon House, East Brisbane House, East Brisbane Guest House and Tennyson Point house among his spectacular 2014 portfolio.

Emerging practice Breathe Architecture received IDEA’s Sustainability award for The Commons, a triple bottom line development that is, uniquely, replicable. Comprising a series of small, but delightful architectural moments, the whole is so much more than the sum of its parts. The project and Breathe Architecture were also recognised as winner of the IDEA Residential Multi category.

The highly regarded Emerging Designer award was this year awarded to C + M Studio, for their inaugural project Manly Penthouse. Their design saw a curved interior room inserted within a modernist shell with the skill and resolution of a mature practice.

A. Baker by DesignOffice rising up from the charred shell of the burnt-out New Action Pavilion. DesignOffice worked with the existing textures and layers of the original burnt-out building, working with a pallet of concrete, bluestone, galvanised steel and leather. Landing them the award for Best Hospitality project.

Awarded best retail for Aesop Emporium by Kerstin Thompson Architects – Luxuriating in the single use of spotted gum timber, this sustainably sourced hardwood ply creates a visually calm space whist complimenting the products.

Winner of Best Public space was awarded to Bates Smart. 171 Collins St is Melbourne’s only 6 star Green Star office building. 171 Collins St was conceived as a 21s century boutique skyscraper.

To see all the winners visit IDEA