Winners of the 2021 Australian Interior Design Awards

The 2021 Australian Interior Design Awards (AIDA) were presented as a virtual livestream on Friday 3rd of September to acknowledge and celebrate the ingenuity of Australian design. Delivered through a partnership between the Design Institute of Australia and Architecture Media’s Artichoke Magazine, the Australian Interior Design Awards is the nation’s foremost awards program for the industry.

Residential Design joint winner: Architects EAT for Bellows House

Photography: Derek Swalwell

Now in its 18th year, the 2021 program was required to pivot to a digital broadcast in the weeks leading up to the event, drawing on last year’s program to deliver once again a highly successful and engaging virtual gala. Acknowledging the impact of the last 18 months, the jury celebrated the resilience of the industry, remarking “The pandemic hit hard and for the Australian interior design industry, the oftentimes devastating consequences were felt across the board. But if this hardship showed us anything, it’s that our designers and architects are a resilient bunch with an indomitable spirit.”

Residential Design joint winner: Flack Studio for Potts Point

Photography: Anson Smart

The esteemed award for Residential Design was jointly awarded to Architects EAT for Bellows House and Flack Studio for its work on Potts Point. Referring to Bellows House, the jury noted that “it’s a resolved space that integrates the interior with the architecture, giving rise to a series of spaces that are dramatic, theatrical and extremely livable.” The jurors unanimously agreed that this atypical space was something they’d not seen before, its creative reinterpretation of 20th century architectural design challenging the existing typology.

Flack Studio’s Potts Point was dually awarded, also named Best of State Residential Design (NSW). A home in which each juror felt they could live; it was praised for faultlessly meeting the brief. Of the project the jury commented, “the interiors are carefully curated and offer the quintessential answer to what the Residential Design category is all about – to deliver livable domestic bliss.”

Residential Decoration joint winner: Flack Studio for Middle Park

Photography: Anson Smart

There were also joint winners for the Residential Decoration award. Flack Studio received the award for the beautiful and thoughtfully curated Middle Park House. The jury commended it for being a principled creative undertaking and was impressed by its highly evocative qualities. One jury member commented that it feels like it was borne out of a detailed knowledge of the history of interior decoration, both locally and internationally, resulting in an interior that appears fresh and somehow familiar.

Arent & Pyke received the award for Garden House, a well-curated, breathtakingly beautiful and very liveable home. It features a thoughtfully executed interior decoration scheme that is particular to the client and place, and the jury was above all impressed with its polished eclecticism. This project is global in the best sense of the word, making Garden House appear utterly contemporary. It is to be admired for its austerity and fresh restraint.

Residential Decoration joint winner: Arent & Pyke for Garden House

Photography: Anson Smart

There were also a number of Commendations awarded in the Residential Design and Residential Decoration categories. Flack Studio also received a Residential Design Commendation for Middle Park House (pictured above).