On Friday 29 November, at the sold-out IDEA Gala at Forum Melbourne, Australian Design Review and inside magazine announced the winners of the 2024 Interior Design Excellence Awards (IDEA).

Launched by inside magazine in 2003, IDEA is Australia’s premier interior and product design awards program, recognising the nation’s best projects and studios.

In what was arguably one of the most competitive iterations of IDEA yet, the jury – chaired by Clare Cousins of Clare Cousins Architects and comprising six esteemed and influential interior designers and architects including Davina Bester, Manuela Millan, Melissa Bright, Brooke Lloyd, Graham Charbonneau and Michael Alvisse as sustainability judge – faced the demanding and occasionally knotty task of narrowing down more than 500 entries to just one winner in each of the 20 categories. 

In addition to the 14 categories, which this year saw the introduction of the Mark Robinson Community Award and Outdoor Design, six special prizes were awarded in recognition of the exceptional work carried out by individuals or practices as a whole. These special awards included Overall Project of the Year, Designer of the Year, Emerging Designer of the Year, Mark Robinson Community Award, Sustainability and the IDEA Gold Medal. 

If the accolades and industry recognition weren’t enough, each winner of IDEA 2024 took home a trophy designed by 2023 Gold Medal winner Adam Goodrum — an exquisite design object in and of itself.  

Taking home the coveted Overall Project of the Year prize, as well as Designer of the Year, was Bates Smart. Of their award-winning project, The Embassy of Australia, Washington DC, jury chair Clare Cousins said: “The Embassy of Australia’s interiors embody the spirit and qualities of our country and its diverse culture, establishing a welcoming, distinctive and enduring diplomatic presence in the heart of Washington DC. The sophisticated use of Australian timber throughout creates an interior that exudes warmth and tactility. This exemplary public interior is a testament to Bates Smart’s long history of delivering projects of excellence across many disciplines.”

Davina Bester added: “Bates Smart consistently delivers exceptional design outcomes across various sectors, exemplifying the pinnacle of Australian design excellence.” Of this, the jury was unanimous.

Emerging Designer of the Year was awarded to Studio Shand. Founded in 2020 by Benjamin Jay Shand, the small multidisciplinary studio quickly established itself as a versatile and innovative design practice. “Studio Shand’s dedication to craft and exploration ensures their work is not only inventive but deeply connected to the art of creation,” Graham Charbonneau said.  

The inaugural Mark Robinson Community Award went to Dawn Architecture for Murran – First Nations Business, Retail and Arts Hub. This special award was renamed earlier this year, in honour of the late Mark Robinson, who was well known in the industry as a passionate and committed advocate for using one’s voice and resources to create a more inclusive and positively impactful design community. Dawn Architecture’s winning project embodied the essence of the award on multiple levels. Jury member Manuela Milan said: “Murran has been carefully designed to offer the best flexibility for the range of activities to be hosted in the space… seamlessly incorporating Indigenous design to offer the perfect backdrop for this important community space for First Nations people.”

This year’s award for Sustainability, which was assessed based on a refreshed set of criteria developed in collaboration with IDEA Sustainability judge Michael Alvisse, went to Kennedy Nolan with Finding Infinity for the retrofit of Wilam Ngarrang, a minimal intervention retrofit of a 1970s apartment block in Fitzroy. “[The project] delivered affordable housing design with exceptional amenities, all within a shoestring budget…preserv[ing] and extend[ing] the life of a tired 1970s apartment block where most would demolish and build anew,” Alvisse said. Amid the housing affordability crisis and climate emergency we are facing, the project stood out as inspiring, bold and well deserving of both the Sustainability award and winner of the Residential Multi category. 

Dr Natalie Wright was named the IDEA 2024 Gold Medal winner for her commitment and dedication to educating the future design stars of Australia. The award recognises an individual within the design community who, in the hearts and minds of their peers, has made a positive impact and left an indelible mark. Wright’s name came up again and again. Her dedication and vision for the future of design in Australia have inspired countless students, professionals and the broader community. She is an undeniable force, playing a vital role in shaping the interior design landscape.

See the full list of winners and highly commended projects below.

The 2024 IDEA winners

Mark Robinson Community Award 

Winner

Project: Murran – First Nations Business, Retail and Arts Hub
Practice: Dawn Architecture

Highly Commended

Project: Architecture with Pride
Practice: Australian Institute of Architects, Australian Institute of Landscape Architects, Architectus, Bates Smart, Bespoke Careers, Billard Leece Partnership, BVN, Carter Williamson, Cox Architecture, Dulux, Government Architect New South wWles, Geyer, Grimshaw, DKO, EMAGN, MHNDU, Hassell, SJB, Turner, Woods Bagot.

Project: The Living Room by Youth Projects 
Practice: Studio Tate

Sustainability 

Winner 

Project: Wilam Ngarrang Retrofit
Practice: Kennedy Nolan with Finding Infinity 

Highly Commended

Project: Art Gallery of NSW Library and Members Lounge
Practice: Tonkin Zulaikha Greer

Project: Nightingale Marrickville
Practice: SJB

Residential Single

Winner

Project: Terrace House Mirage
Practice: Alcami Architecture 

Highly Commended 

Project: Casa Piva
Practice: B.E. Architecture 

Project: Mo Jacobsen
Practice: YSG Studio

Project: Fairlie Apartment
Practice: Kennedy Nolan

Residential Multi

Winner

Project: Wilam Ngarrang Retrofit
Practice: Kennedy Nolan

Highly Commended

Project: Rivière
Practice: Bates Smart

Residential Interior Curation

Winner

Project: Red Crest House
Practice: Simone Haag

Work Place Over 1000sqm

Winner

Project: Aesop Australian Headquarters
Practice: Carr

Highly Commended

Project: Hero
Practice Brahman Perera in collaboration with Jost Architects

Project: 70 George Street, Cox Sydney Studio
Practice: Cox Architecture 

Hospitality

Winner

Project: Gerard’s 
Practice: J.AR Office

Highly Commended

Project: Fugazzi Basement
Practice: Studio Gram

Project: Antara 128
Practice: Kerstin Thompson Architects

Workplace under 1000sqm

Winner

Project: Oroton 
Practice: Richards Stanisich

Highly Commended

Project: Made For Studio
Practice: Made For

Retail

Winner

Project: Perri Cutten Mosman
Practice: Brahman Perera 

Highly Commended 

Project: July
Practice: In Addition

Object, Furniture & Lighting — Rising

Winner

Project: Proportions of Space
Practice: Object Density

Highly Commended

Project: Cheeky
Practice: Maryam Moghadam Studio 

Project: Lume
Practice: Joanne Odisho

Public Space

Winner

Project: The Embassy of Australia, Washington DC
Practice: Bates Smart with KCCT

Highly Commended

Project: The Art Gallery of New South Wales Library and Members Lounge 
Practice: Tonkin Zulaikha Greer

Institutional

Winner

Project: Michael Kirby Building
Practice: Hassell

Highly Commended

Project: Wangaratta District Specialist School
Practice: Sibling Architecture 

Outdoor Design

Winner

Project: Monash University Pharmacy Pavilion
Practice: Splinter Society with Mala Landscape

Object, Furniture and Lighting — Professional

Winner

Project: 48 Round
Practice: Zetr

Highly Commended 

Project: Lune Cabinet
Practice: Sabu Studio with Jess Kneebone 

Project: Neoteric
Practice: Ambience with Studio Y

Event

Winner

Project: Design Wall for Melbourne Now
Practice: Hassell with National Gallery of Victoria

Colour

Winner

Project: Fairlie Apartment
Practice: Kennedy Nolan

Highly Commended

Project: Upturned
Practice: Without Studio

Read more about the winners here.

Lead image: Joe Fletcher

Subscribe to inside magazine to get your copy of the IDEA 2024 Winner’s Edition, out on 02 December.

IDEA 2024 is proudly brought to you by our sponsors Miele, Cult, Crafted Hardwoods, Neolith, Halliday + Baillie, Krost, MillerKnoll, Laufen, Forest One Zenith, Designer Rugs, and supported by our event partners Axolotl, Four Pillars Gin,  Moo Brew Beer and Artfull.