inside Interior Design Review has revealed the winners of its 2016 Interior Design Excellence Awards (IDEA). One of the most prestigious independent awards programmes in Australian interiors, IDEA showcases the very best of Australian interior and product design. Now in its 14th year, IDEA has sifted through hundreds of submissions from around the country to celebrate this year’s Australian design icons
IDEA’s coveted accolade of Overall Winner went to Indigo Slam by Smart Design Studio. Situated in Sydney’s Chippendale, the project is more than an interior, but a piece of livable art. Featuring a façade of sculpted concrete and an interior which plays on proportionality and light, the project’s outcome is a transformative piece of architecture and design. As IDEA juror Greg Natale put it, “If even for just a moment we put aside the architecture of the house, the interiors really stand on their own”.
One of the most highly regarded on the IDEA prizes, and indeed, one of the highest Australian honours to be bestowed on an individual designer, this year’s Gold Medal was awarded to Kerry Phelan. The ground breaking designer’s creative and innovative designs have earned her a stream of accolades throughout a career that has spanned more than 20 years.
The 2016 Designer of the Year award was awarded to Melbourne-based interior architect and designer, Fiona Lynch. Lynch’s studio is synonymous with elegance and distinction in residential design, with a meticulous attention to detailing evident across all her work.
Overall Winner
Indigo Slam – Smart Design Studio
Gold Medal
Kerry Phelan
Designer of the Year
Fiona Lynch
Emerging Designer
Karen Abernethy Architects
Editor’s Medal
Bates Smart
Hospitality // Winner
Antica Pizzeria e Cucina – Genesin Studio
High Commendation
The Ugly Duckling – Hecker Guthrie
TarraWarra Cellar Door – Kerstin Thompson Architects
Event // Winner
Work With Me Here – SIBLING
High Commendation
Wulugul Pop-up – Foolscap Studio
Lexus Design Pavilion –Mim Design
International // Winner
Aesop KLCC – Russell & George
High Commendation
Global Mining & Resources Company Headquarters – Hassell
Aesop Westgate – Russell & George
Object – Furniture & Lighting // Winner
Ora Desk Lamp – Ross Gardam
High Commendation
Lighting as Jewellery – Christopher Boots
Surface Sconce – Studio Henry Wilson
Object – Furniture & Lighting (Rising) // Winner
Flex Barstool and Table – Ash Allen in collaboration with Harry Zanios
Public Space // Winner
International Towers Sydney, Tower 2 Lobby – Woods Bagot
High Commendation
St Stephen’s Junior Years Refurbishment – CODA
Ivanhoe Grammar Senior Years & Science Centre – McBride Charles Ryan
Residential Decoration // Winner
Peninsula House – SJB Interiors
High Commendation
Pacific Lighthouse – SJB Interiors with Koichi Takada Architects
Theodore Treehouse – Studiobird
Residential Multi // Winner
Sydney 385 – Smart Design Studio
High Commendation
Two Little Chestnuts – Nixon Tulloch Fortey Architects
10 Wylde Street – SJB Interiors
Residential Single // Winner
Indigo Slam – Smart Design Studio
High Commendation
Fitzroy Loft – Architects EAT
Hargreaves Residence – Fiona Lynch
Retail // Winner
Melbourne Central Lower Ground Refresh – Kennedy Nolan
High Commendation
Lune Croissanterie – Studio Esteta
Yellow Earth Flagship Store – Tandem Design Studio
Workplace over 1000 SQM // Winner
Woods Bagot Melbourne Office – Woods Bagot
High Commendation
Corrs Chambers Westgarth – Bates Smart
Harry the Hirer, Head Office – SJB Interiors
Workplace under 1000 SQM // Winner
Humming Puppy Sydney – Karen Abernethy Architects with Louisa Macleod
High Commendation
106 Flinders Lane – Bates Smart
Squint / Opera Melbourne – SIBLING
Sustainability // Winner
Westpac Barangaroo – Geyer
High Commendation
Concrete House – Fringe Architects
Brae Restaurant and Accommodation – Six Degrees Architects