The six practices shortlisted for Designer of the Year in the 2025 Interior Design Excellence Awards (IDEA) presented their case to the judging panel at Cult’s Brisbane showroom on Thursday 18 September.

Following the unveiling of the IDEA 2025 shortlist in August, the six studios vying for the coveted Designer of the Year award presented their work to a panel of industry experts in Brisbane last week. This year’s IDEA jury includes Melissa Leung, Jade Whittaker, Andrew Glover, Conrad Lowry, Matiya Marovich, Meryl Hare and jury chair Paul Hecker.

Taking place in Cult Design’s newly renovated Brisbane showroom, an intimate presentation for a select number of Australia’s boldest voices in interior design offered an optimistic overview of an industry grounded in sustainability and community.  

Alexander &CO.

Alexander &CO. founder and principal Jeremy Bull

Alexander &CO. founder and principal Jeremy Bull kicked off presentations. His Sydney-based studio’s extensive portfolio of residential and commercial interiors demonstrated an impressive array of timeless solutions to contemporary architectural problems.

In particular, Bull spoke on the studio’s IDEA-shortlisted projects from this year, including the expertly detailed LiTO and the Mediterranean-inspired Haven in the Hospitality category. Bull also presented the decadent and saturated Billy’s Ayrburn, shortlisted in both the Hospitality and Colour categories, and Alexander &CO.’s own Sydney workshop in the Workplace Under 1000 sqm category. 

Reflecting the studio’s penchant for detail and bold creativity, The Alexander &CO. Workshop integrates original materials uncovered during demolition, including brickwork, recycled ironbark and found fixtures and finishes. The studio’s HQ is both a residential showcase and meeting space for experimentation, collaboration and prototyping.

DKO

DKO director of interiors Michael Drescher

DKO director of interiors Michael Drescher followed, reflecting on five IDEA-shortlisted projects. A highlight project was the Lifestyle Communities Riverfield project, in the Institutional category, where the aim was to rethink retirement living. 

Rather than keeping people separate from each other, Drescher proposed the rituals of connection and calmness. In essence, creating places that are destinations in and of themselves. 

“It’s about gathering,” he said. “We wanted to explore what was done and then what we could do differently. We don’t want to live and retire [the way] previous places have made us do. We wanted to do something that was more inspiring.”

Another key project was a deeply personal home renovation, for two men who wanted their house to embody their lives together and shared experience – rather than just inflate the property’s resale value.

Built in 1991, the house had strong bones within its structure and the renovation work carefully bolstered those supportive scaffolds, using natural materials that reflected the couple’s personalities and lifestyles. 

“Everyone who [enters] has a feeling of warmth and a feeling of who they [the client] are [and] how they live,” Drescher said of the house.

Nickolas Gurtler Office

Nickolas Gurtler Office principal Nickolas Gurtler

Discussing the wide range of projects handled by his Melbourne-based practice, Nickolas Gurtler outlined the various industries that fall under his purview: residential, retail and healthcare.

“At every possible opportunity,” he told the room, “I try to include and specify products from local makers and emerging designers. I think Australia has some of the best design talent.”

Within his appeal to the judges, Gurtler highlighted two standout case studies: the Ray White Touma Taylor real estate office in Redfern, inspired by glamorous hotel lobbies; and a Hollywood-inspired redesign of a Melbourne menopause clinic. 

“Workplace settings before lockdowns were really about hot-desk efficiency,” Gurtler said of his design for the Ray White office. “But I think now it’s going to really seismic shift towards earning that community among the staff. There’s a sort of human centricity and connectedness that I think is really important.”

The design inspirations, meanwhile, for his work in The Menopause Specialist Clinic were rooted in sensitivity to female empowerment and visibility. Taking his creative cues from lipstick as a symbol of feminine strength, the clinic was a bold display of custom furniture and evocative red hues.

Richards Stanisich

Jonathan Richards and Kirsten Stanisich of Richards Stanisich

Kirsten Stanisich and Jonathan Richards of Sydney-based interior architecture practice Richards Stanisich emphasised a commitment to more than just beautiful design, but a culture embedded in contribution. Acknowledging their team and mentoring work, before guiding the audience through six of their recent projects, they struck a grateful tone from the outset. 

“It’s really important to us that our culture is soulful and real, and that we contribute to the industry beyond the projects we’re about to present to you,” the pair said.

Spanning residential, retail and commercial work, their portfolio reflected a harmonious balance of client collaboration and materiality. 

“Like a lot of designers, the best sort of brief to us is when you’re starting with something that’s really, super challenging and you can’t immediately see any kind of right answers,” they said.

A recurring theme across their presentation was the open embrace of challenges and constraints, adapting them into opportunities for depth of design and experimentation. Their final example, a Sarah & Sebastian flagship store, illustrated the means by which they drew inspiration from sensory experiences to create immersive environments.

Such a close awareness of how spaces feel on an emotive and sensory level stood as the defining quality of the pair’s appeal to the judges.

SJB

Victoria Judge (left) and Emly Wombwell of SJB

Reflecting on an impressive 50 years of SJB, Victoria Judge and Emily Wombwell traced the studio’s beginnings with three architects in St Kilda to its evolution into a diverse, multidisciplinary practice. Underlining the core values of difference, responsibility, curiosity, care and people, the pair detailed how these commitments framed their unique design philosophy.

“Difference is about avoiding the sameness we see happening,” the pair said. “We want to see individuality in more of the projects that we do. Responsibility is in every decision in a way, every action that we take on our projects and in our design process.”

These core values were typified in the range of projects outlined for the judging panel, from an adaptive reuse of heritage buildings to community-driven work, such as a packing shed in the Kimberley region of northern Western Australia, developed with Nyul Nyul elders.

Their design approach balanced serious social responsibility with a vibrant sense of play, showing how aesthetics can be both substantial and vivacious.

“The design doesn’t have to be serious to be meaningful,” they emphasised. “It can start a conversation, make you smile and give you a closer look.” 

“It’s not just about what we design,” they declared in closing. “There’s no signature style. It’s about who we design with and who we design for.”

Studio Gram

Dave Bickmore (left) and Graham Charbonneau of Studio Gram

The final presentation of the evening saw Dave Bickmore and Graham Charbonneau reflect on the growth of their Adelaide-based practice Studio Gram, as well as their signature creative ethos.

Founded in 2014, the practice has expanded from two young graduates to a 19-person team, delivering award-winning projects while continuously evolving its approach to human culture and wellbeing.

“We think of it as like a collective of storytellers and really the result of many hands,” the pair said of their place within the interior design and architecture industry. “Community was the core of the things that we wanted to establish with this.”

Presenting six shortlisted projects spanning hospitality, tourism and community spaces, much of their talk centred on their own studio space, a converted auto repair shop in Adelaide. The innovative project preserved the building’s history while transforming it into a flexible workplace that doubles as a community hub.

“It breaks away from the norms of the typical office or studio,” they said. “It was all about these hospitality rituals: a table, a kitchen, a bar.”

The central theme of their presentation was that of wellbeing, framing their practice as one deeply committed to community and collaboration, constantly striving for healthier ways to bring emerging designers into the industry.

“We got really sick of being part of those industry talks on wellbeing and never seeing any action,” the pair lamented. “We decided that embedding that in the way we practice was going to be important.” 

Guests take their seat to enjoy the evening’s insights and presentations.

They concluded with an overview of their student-in-residence program, inviting university students to experience an operational practice without the constraints of traditional internships.

“It’s not an unpaid labour pool and it’s not an internship. It’s really a completely open invitation for students to occupy, to ask, to express – and to drink our coffee,” they added wryly. 

Keep up to date with IDEA and get your tickets for the IDEA 2025 Gala

The winner of Designer of the Year, alongside the winners of all 14 IDEA categories and six special awards, will be announced at the IDEA gala at the Seymour Centre in Sydney on Friday 28 November.

The evening offered delicious canapés and plenty of opportunity to network with industry peers.

If the past 22 years of IDEA galas are anything to go by, it’s bound to be a vibrant evening of food, wine and socialising among the Australian design industry’s most remarkable creatives.

Join us for an evening of glamour, bubbles and industry insights at the 2025 IDEA Gala. Buy your tickets here. 

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IDEA 2025 is proudly brought to you by our overall sponsor Miele and sponsors Crafted Hardwoods, Cult, Designer Rugs, ForestOne, MillerKnoll, Laufen, Signature Appliances powered by Miele, and Zenith.

Photography by Stephen Henry.

Related: Explore all the projects and practices in the IDEA 2025 shortlist.