April 2008
Leading Victorian designers, Scott Walker and Robert Backhouse from Hassell, were announced the winners of the coveted Best of State Award for Residential Interior Design during the prestigious 2008 Interior Design Awards gala presentation held on Friday 11th April, 2008 at the Hilton Hotel Sydney. Victoria dominated the Residential Interior Design award category, with Walker and Backhouse also receiving top industry accolades as winners of the national Residential Interior Design award for the same project – the ‘Ross Street Residence’. In addition, all highly commended projects for the Residential Interior Design Category were by Victorian practices – an unprecedented outcome in the programme’s 5 year history.
‘Ross Street Residence’, designed by Hassell, was praised by the Interior Design Awards Jury as being, “A finely crafted, elegant interior that blurs at the edges where it connects with its enclosing architecture and meets its external surroundings. The wonderful sculptural nature of the internal spaces is extended and enlivened by an abundance of natural light. The absence of conventional domestic spatial paradigms and the considered use of materials and finishes complete the composition, ensuring that this family home will bring enjoyment to all who visit and dwell within it, a sentiment that has been wholeheartedly confirmed by the client.”
The 2008 Interior Design Awards also commended commercial interior design excellence by awarding Architects EAT, with the Victorian award for Best of State in Commercial Interior Design for ‘Maedaya Bar’ project, which also received the prestigious national award for Hospitality Interior Design.
‘Maedaya Bar ‘was highly commended by the panel of industry experts judging this year’s awards, “This interior is the result of a brave and clear concept that communicates a strong story and sense of narrative. The interior embodies simplicity and the design makes a sophisticated use of texture and material. The relationship between the materials used and what is consumed in the establishment has been carefully considered. A strong juxtaposition has been created between the two dining spaces within the interior, which cleverly respond to the different processes of food preparation and presentation in each area”.
A standout design from this year’s award programme, Victorian based Herbert and Mason Architecture in association with Ksubi for Ksubi shop front located in High Steet Armadale, won the national Retail Interior Design Award for their resourceful and extraordinary use of common objects.
A standout design from this year’s award programme, Victorian based Herbert and Mason Architecture in association with Ksubi for Ksubi shop front located in High Steet Armadale, won the national Retail Interior Design Award for their resourceful and extraordinary use of common objects.
Continuing Victoria’s reign of the 2008 Interior Design Awards, the Jury herald this project as “…a much needed and clever shift in retail design in Australia, in terms of both interior spatial resolution and brand reinforcement”. The jury acknowledged that, “if retail design is about being ahead of the pack, then this project is exemplary. The ingeniously designed progression of spaces through the store is experimental, humorous, explanatory and sophisticated, resulting in a unique and adventurous retail experience that references the edgy aspects of popular and visual culture”.
Co-founded by the Design Institute of Australia, the Interior Design Awards continues to maintain its enviable reputation as the most prestigious awards programme for design professionals in Australia. The state of Victoria has outshone all others in the number of winners and commended finalists in this year’s awards categories.
Please visit The Interior Design Awards website, http://www.interiordesignawards.com.au/results/, for the full listing of the winners and commended finalists.
The Judging for the 2008 awards was conducted under the supervision of the Design Institute of Australia, and observes the protocols set by the International Federation of Interior Architects/Interior Designers. The 2008 Jury comprised Jeffery Copolov (Bates Smart, VIC), Pia Francesca-Ruggeri (Pia Francesca Design, NSW), Francesco Bonato (Tectvs, SA), Fiona Griffiths (Conrad Gargett, QLD), Robert Puksand (Gray Puksand, VIC), Robert Backhouse (Hassell, VIC), Louise Bell (Interni, NSW) and Harley Anstee (Nexus Designs, VIC).
Now in its fifth year, the Interior Design Awards is an internationally recognised event promoting and rewarding interior design excellence. The programme is open to any Australian-based designer including interior designers, interior decorators, architects and other design professionals and is a partnership event of the Design Institute of Australia (the professional body representing Australian designers), designEX (Australia’s premier event for interior architecture and design) and ARTICHOKE (the interior architecture magazine published by Architecture Media).
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