inside Interior Design Review has revealed the winners of its prestigious 2016 Interior Design Excellence Awards (IDEA) at an event in Sydney on Friday 18 November.

Now in its 14th year, IDEA showcases the best of Australian interior and product design, as well as the designers behind the work. Each year, it receives hundreds of submissions from around the country and is recognised as Australia’s premier independent awards program. Winners from the 2016 field of entries were honoured with an unforgettable event at the IDEA Gala Party, which took place at a picturesque location overlooking the Sydney Harbour at Dockside Pavilion.

The respected 2016 IDEA jury included Greg Natale (Greg Natale Design), Helen Kontouris (Helen Kontouris Design), Jan O’Connor (Environa Studio), John Wardle (John Wardle Architects), Melissa Bright (MAKE Architecture), Nic Graham (Nic Graham + Associates) and Tim Jackson (Jackson Clements Burrows), along with inside editors Jan Henderson and Gillian Serisier.

The highly regarded Overall Winner went to Indigo Slam by Smart Design Studio. The project, in Sydney’s Chippendale, is a piece of livable art, featuring a façade of sculpted concrete and an interior which plays on proportionality and light. The outcome is a transformative piece of architecture and design. “If even for just a moment we put aside the architecture of the house, the interiors really stand on their own,” said Greg Natale, 2016 IDEA juror.

One of the highest honours to be bestowed on an individual designer, the Gold Medal, was this year awarded to Kerry Phelan of Kerry Phelan Design Office (KPDO). Throughout a career that has spanned more than 20 years, Phelan has produced exciting and groundbreaking designs that are polished and creative, winning accolades and securing loyal clients along the way.

The 2016 Designer of the Year award was taken out by Melbourne-based interior architect and designer, Fiona Lynch. Lynch’s studio has built a reputation for its defined and elegant residential projects, with a distinctive sophistication and exceptional detailing. Her work is meticulous and textural, and each project interprets and refines the client’s needs and desires.

2016 IDEA winners

EVENT

Winner: SIBLING – Work with me here
Highly Commended: Foolscap Studio – Wulugul Pop-up
Highly Commended: Mim Design – Lexus Design Pavilion

Event winner – Work with me here by SIBLING. Photo by Tobias Titz.

HOSPITALITY

Winner: Genesin Studio – Antica Pizzeria e Cucina
Highly Commended: Hecker Guthrie – The Ugly Duckling
Highly Commended: Kerstin Thompson Architects – TarraWarra Cellar Door

Hospitality winner – Antica Pizzeria e Cucina by Genesin Studio. Photo by Brendan Homan.

INTERNATIONAL

Winner: Russell & George – Aēsop KLCC
Highly Commended: HASSELL – Global Mining and Resources Company Headquarters
Highly Commended: Russell & George – Aēsop Westgate

International winner – Aesop KLCC by Russell & George. Photo by Funkydali.

OBJECT – PROFESSIONAL

Winner: Ross Gardam – Ora Desk Lamp
Highly Commended: Christopher Boots – Lighting as Jewellery
Highly Commended: Studio Henry Wilson – Surface Sconce

Object (Professional) winner – Ora Desk Lamp by Ross Gardam. Photo by Haydn Cattach.

OBJECT – RISING

Winner: Ash Allen in collaboration with Harry Zanios – Flex Barstool and Table

PUBLIC SPACE

Winner: Woods Bagot – International Towers Sydney, Tower 2 Lobby
Highly Commended: CODA – St Stephen’s Junior Years Refurbishment
Highly Commended: McBride Charles Ryan – Ivanhoe Grammar Senior Years & Science Centre

Public winner – International Towers Sydney Tower 2 Lobby by Woods Bagot. Photo by Trevor Mein.

RESIDENTIAL DECORATION

Winner: SJB Interiors – Peninsula House
Highly Commended: SJB Interiors with Koichi Takada Architects – Pacific Lighthouse
Highly Commended: Studiobird – Theodore Treehouse

Residential Decoration winner – Peninsula House by SJB Interiors. Photo by Nicole England.

RESIDENTIAL MULTI

Winner: Smart Design Studio – Sydney 385
Highly Commended: Nixon Tulloch Fortey Architects – Two Little Chestnuts
Highly Commended: SJB Interiors – 10 Wylde Street

Residential Multi winner – Sydney 385 by Smart Design Studio. Photo by Sharrin Rees.

RESIDENTIAL SINGLE

Winner: Smart Design Studio – Indigo Slam
Highly Commended: Architects EAT – Fitzroy Loft
Highly Commended: Fiona Lynch – Hargreaves Residence

Residential Single winner – Indigo Slam by Smart Design Studio. Photo by Sharrin Rees.

RETAIL

Winner: Kennedy Nolan – Melbourne Central Lower Ground Refresh
Highly Commended: Studio Esteta – Lune Croissanterie
Highly Commended: Tandem Design Studio – Yellow Earth Flagship Store

Retail winner – Melbourne Central Lower Ground Refresh by Kennedy Nolan. Photo by Brilliant Creek.

WORKPLACE OVER 1000SQM

Winner: Woods Bagot – Woods Bagot Melbourne Office
Highly Commended: Bates Smart – Corrs Chambers Westgarth
Highly Commended: SJB Interiors – Harry the Hirer, Head Office

Workplace Over 1000sqm winner – Woods Bagot Melbourne Office by Woods Bagot. Photo by N8.

WORKPLACE UNDER 1000SQM

Winner: Karen Abernethy Architects with Louisa Macleod – Humming Puppy Sydney
Highly Commended: Bates Smart – 106 Flinders Lane
Highly Commended: SIBLING – Squint / Opera Melbourne

Workplace Under 1000sqm winner – Humming Puppy Sydney by Karen Abernethy Architects with Louisa Macleod. Photo by Katherine Lu.

SUSTAINABILITY

Winner: Geyer – Westpac Barangaroo
Highly Commended: Fringe Architects – Concrete House
Highly Commended: Six Degrees Architects – Brae Restaurant and Accommodation

Sustainability winner – Westpac Barangaroo by Geyer. Photo by Richard Glover.

EMERGING DESIGNER

Winner: Karen Abernethy Architects

DESIGNER OF THE YEAR

Winner: Fiona Lynch

EDITORS’ MEDAL

Winner: Bates Smart

OVERALL WINNER

Winner: Smart Design Studio – Indigo Slam

GOLD MEDAL

Winner: Kerry Phelan of KPDO

See all the photos from the Gala Party online now.

Lead image, Williamstown Residence by Fiona Lynch, recipient of 2016 Designer of the Year award. Photo by Dan Hocking.