The 2020 Eat Drink Design Awards shortlist has been revealed, with organisers saying there’s never been a more important time to recognise “the spaces that bring value and joy to everyday life”.
The annual awards showcase venues from around Australia and New Zealand, putting a spotlight on excellence and innovation in design.
This year has seen a resurgence of design choices that honour a sense of comfort and nostalgia.
“Perhaps it is no coincidence that in a time of such upheaval, we have seen designers create spaces that provide familiarity in their appearance and comfort in their feel,” said Eat Drink Design Awards jury chair and editor of Artichoke, Cassie Hansen.
“Many designers appeared to be in search of an air of nostalgia for the interiors they create, with numerous venues showcasing a modern take on traditional spaces. This year’s designers have one foot in the past whilst firmly looking towards the future.”
The Eat Drink Design Awards are chosen by a jury of industry leaders from the hospitality and design sectors. This year’s members are Frank Camorra (restaurateur, Movida), Gemima Cody (restaurant critic and food writer, Good Food), Iva Foschia (founder, IF Architecture) Jonathan Richards (co-founder, Richards Stanisich) and Cassie Hansen (editor, Artichoke).
Award categories for 2020 include: Best Restaurant Design; Best Cafe Design; Best Bar Design; Best Hotel Design; Best Installation Design; Best Retail Design; and Best Identity Design.
Nominees for Best Restaurant Design include Surry Hills’ Poly (Anthony Gill Architects); Balmoral’s Bathers Pavilion (Luchetti Krelle); Cairn’s Paper Crane (CTRL Space); Jindalee’s The Beach House (Studio Gram); and Auckland’s Lilian (CTRL Space.
Nominees for Best Bar Design include Four Pillars Laboratory, Eileen’s Bar (YSG Studio) in Surry Hills; Adelaide’s Leigh Street Wine Room (Studio Gram); Perth’s Furaibo, Murray St (Hubble Design); and Everton Park’s Tetto Rooftop Bar (The Retail Designers).
Nominees for Best Cafe Design include Haymarket’s Dopa by Devon (Tom Mark Henry); Axil Coffee Melbourne Central (St Style); and Canberra’s City Hill Coffee (Greater Group).
One well-established venue will also be inducted into the Eat Drink Design Awards Hall of Fame. Past winners include Cumulus Inc by Pascale Gomes-McNab, Cookie by Phillip Schemnitz Architect, Jimmy Watson’s Wine Bar by Robin Boyd and Frederick Romberg, Cafe Di Stasio by Allan Powell Architects, Fratelli Paradiso by Mike Murphy with later additions by Mike Hanna and Don Cameron, and Icebergs by Lazzarini Pickering.
Winners will be announced on 18 November. The full shortlist can be viewed Eat Drink Design website.
Image credit Bathers’ Pavilion
