“Ambitious,” “exceptionally executed” and “classic” projects are among the winners of the 2016 Eat Drink Design Awards, announced on 9 November in Melbourne. Australia’s and New Zealand’s design and hospitality communities came together to celebrate the best designed restaurants, cafes, bars, temporary environments, retail spaces for food and drink and visual identities for all. Across six categories, 77 projects were shortlisted.
The winning projects exhibited a high level of ambition and “a deep appreciation for high-quality crafting, embodying an authentic atmosphere, rich in texture and materiality, luxurious but not too polished,” commented the jury. Every awarded and highly commended project “sought to boldly ‘punch above its weight.’”
“In this year’s entries we have seen numerous interiors and venues that are comfortable being ‘in their own skin,’ happily grounded in their time and place,” the jury continued. “Australia and New Zealand no longer appear to be following the lead of a (perceived) international vanguard – in this year’s entries we see a playful desire to quietly and happily innovate.”
And the winners are:
Best Bar Design
Pink Moon Saloon – Sans-Arc Studio
Best Restaurant Design
Dinner by Heston Blumenthal – Bates Smart
Best Cafe Design
Higher Ground – Design Office
Best Retail Design
Lune Croissanterie – Studio Esteta
Best Identity Design
Pink Moon Saloon – Peculiar Familia
Hall of Fame
Il Bacaro by Chris Connell Design 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 2016 comprised restaurant and food critic Terry Durack, interior architect Adele Winteridge, interior designer Hamish Guthrie, food and lifestyle publisher Julie Gibbs and Cameron Bruhn, editorial director of Architecture Media.
Winners, highly commended projects and the shortlist are all featured in Artichoke 57, along with a full jury overview. View all the entries and more images at the Eat Drink Design Awards gallery.
The 2016 Eat Drink Design Awards are organized by Architecture Media and AGM Publishing and supported by principal partner Taubmans; major partners Planned Cover and Taylors Wines; and supporting partners Map, Schiavello, South South West, Stellar Works, Tait and Viridian.
Thanks also to our event partners Acqua Panna, Sample and Starward.
The Eat Drink Design Awards are endorsed by the Australian Institute of Architects and the Design Institute of Australia.