Winners of the 2025 Interior Design Excellence Awards (IDEA) will be announced at the IDEA gala in Sydney on Friday 28 November. Here’s what patrons can look forward to at A+D’s party of the year next week.

IDEA is Australia’s premier interior design award. Since 2003, the program has championed the very best in Australian interior and product design with an evening of great food, drinks, community and healthy competition between the country’s most impressive studios.

With Hassell’s Rosie Morley emceeing and SJB’s Joel Sia DJing the afterparty, we have an appropriately joyful and raucous evening planned for IDEA’s 23rd awards ceremony. For the uninitiated, here’s what to expect.

Where and when

The IDEA 2025 gala will take place at Seymour Centre in Sydney on Friday 28 November. Doors will open at 5:30pm with roaming canapés and drinks served ahead of a 6:30pm start.

Dress code

Come dressed to dazzle – formal, fabulous and gala-ready… just no black ties.

Drinks

Chandon will be serving vintage sparkling wine and its signature garden spritz, while Moo Brew has local beers covered.

There will also be a selection of DogRidge wines, as well as non-alcoholic beverages available on the night. 

What’s on the menu

While this is not a sit-down dinner event, gala attendees will not be left hungry. Following our roaming canapés, more than five substantial food stations are set to satiate a hungry crowd.

Vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options will be available on the night. This includes a beef gnocchi dish, wagyu eggplant, as well as sushi and paella stations. Sliders with meat-free options will be served to those with a late-night appetite, topped off with a tiramisu or a lemon and lime meringue tartlet for dessert.

The awards ceremony 

Now to the real meat and potatoes – the awards ceremony. 

Commencing at 6:30pm, Morley and a host of guest presenters will announce awards across 14 categories. These include: Colour, Event, Hospitality, Institutional, Object, Furniture and Lighting – Professional, Object, Furniture and Lighting – Rising, Outdoor, Public Space, Residential Interior Curation, Residential Multi, Residential Single, Retail, Sustainability, Workplace Over 1000sqm and Workplace Under 1000sqm.

Seven special awards will also be announced on the night, honouring the Overall Project of the Year, Designer of the Year, Emerging Designer of the Year, the IDEA Gold Medallist, the winner of the Mark Robinson Community Award and, for the first time, the winner of the new Enduring award. See who’s on the shortlist.

A chance to dance and mingle

Once the presentation is complete and winners have collected their trophies  – designed by Bates Smart with Axolotl – the party really begins.

Sia will light up the dancefloor for attendees eager to dance the night away. There will also be plenty of space for quieter catchups and meet-cutes.

The IDEA gala is a chance for those in Australia’s A+D community to really let their hair down and celebrate another year of hard work. It’s also a wonderful opportunity to rub shoulders with industry heavyweights and meet the talent to watch.

There’s still time to buy tickets, but hurry, they’re selling fast! Head to the Seymour Centre website to secure yours.

Lead image from IDEA 2024 by Narrative Post.

IDEA 2025 is proudly brought to you by our overall sponsor Miele, alongside sponsors Crafted Hardwoods, Cult, Designer Rugs, ForestOne, MillerKnoll, Laufen, Signature Appliances powered by Miele, and Zenith. We are also grateful to our event partners Axolotl, Chandon and Moobrew.