“Thoughtful,” “artisanal” and “exuberant” projects are among the winners of the 2017 Eat Drink Design Awards, announced on 14 November in Melbourne. Australia’s and New Zealand’s design and hospitality communities came together to celebrate the best designed restaurants, cafes, bars, installations, retail spaces for food and drink and visual identities for all. Across six categories, 94 projects were shortlisted.
“What did unite the entries was a sweeping sense of ambition across all categories, albeit one focused on detail at the expense of ‘big moves,’” said the jury.
“Another interesting observation made from the trenches of this year’s judging is that designers, and indeed operators, seem to be designing to and from a base of intrinsic practicality, whether that be the durability of materials and joinery, or the distinct lack of superfluous multi-million-dollar budgets.
“It is as if things have been taken down a notch in one way, and yet intensified in another.
“The projects with the smallest budgets this year showed the most attention to such detail and created the most thoughtful design moments.”
And the winners are:
Best Bar Design
The Dolphin Hotel – George Livissianis
Best Restaurant Design
Viet Next Door – Genesin Studio
Best Cafe Design
Morris and Heath – Ritz and Ghougassian
Best Retail Design
Campos Barangaroo – Woods Bagot
Best Identity Design
Jackalope Hotel – Fabio Ongarato Design
Best Installation Design
Noma Australia – Foolscap Studio
Hall of Fame
Fratelli Paradiso by Mike Murphy with later additions by Mike Hanna and Don Cameron was inducted into the Hall of Fame – an award given each year to an establishment of enduring cultural and design value.
High Commendations
The judging panel for 2017 comprised Ingrid Richards, co-founder of Richards and Spence Architects; Nat Cheshire, director of Cheshire Architects; Vanessa Crichton, general manager of Rockpool Group; Ross Lusted, chef and owner of The Bridge Room; and Cassie Hansen, editor of Artichoke.
Winners, highly commended projects and the shortlist are all featured in Artichoke 61, along with a full jury overview. View all the entries and more images at the Eat Drink Design Awards gallery.
The 2017 Eat Drink Design Awards are organized by Architecture Media and AGM Publishing and supported by principal partner Taubmans; major partners Planned Cover and Shadowfax Wines; and supporting partners Tait, Stellar Works, Map, Schiavello, Laminex and Latitude.
Thanks also to our event partners Sample, Four Pillars Gin and Sanpellegrino.
The Eat Drink Design Awards are endorsed by the Australian Institute of Architects and the Design Institute of Australia.
