2021 Australian Interior Design Awards: Residential Decoration – joint award

Jury comment

Middle Park is thoughtful in its curation and ultimately very beautiful. The jury commended it for being a thorough, first-principles creative undertaking and was impressed by its highly evocative qualities. One jury member commented that it feels like it was born out of a detailed knowledge of the history of interior decoration, both locally and internationally, resulting in an interior that appears both fresh and somehow familiar.

Design statement

Middle Park is an Edwardian, two-storey family home designed as a “forever home” – a place dedicated to family, cooking and entertaining. Through referral and the clients’ previous experience with a Flack Studio home, a true collaborative relationship was formed.

The clients wanted a space that felt timeless; they didn’t want the space to feel “new.” They wanted a space of warmth and family history that also delivered on function. The designers responded by creating an environment of collaboration with the clients. The floorplan was altered to allow for a powder room, while focusing on the spatial planning to ensure that the home functions for two adults and two teenagers. It even allows for the teenagers’ partners to one day call Middle Park home. The design team created a spacious, open kitchen, where the family can entertain their guests, and custom banquette seating that links the new floor plan and the original plan.

The project embodies the essence of Flack Studio; conversations between materials, furniture, objects and emotional connections make this a forever home.

Design practice — Flack Studio

Project team — David Flack

The Award for Residential Decoration supported by Sub-Zero Wolf. The Australian Interior Design Awards are presented by the Design Institute of Australia and Artichoke magazine. For more images of this project, see the Australian Interior Design Awards gallery.