From the jury
From the jury —
Like many things this year, the judging for the 2020 Eat Drink Design Awards happened at home. The five-member jury met virtually in mid-august for a nine-hour deliberation from the comfort of our kitchen tables. Despite the digital distance, the debate was no less spirited, and in every category the final decision was unanimous.
Perhaps as a response to “these uncertain times,” many of the award winners evoked a nostalgia for the past. The jury saw a repeated return to European classicism, and a push towards inclusive spaces that were comforting and familiar. Bright splashes of colour were everywhere, from fine diners to sports bars, karaoke clubs to taphouses, with an array of contrasting materials layered to establish mood and interest. There was an abundance of glossy terrazzo on floors, bars and tables, alongside plush booth seating, high stools, unvarnished timber and raw brick in spades. It was undoubtedly the year of the archway, with numerous curves adding structure and style to venues across the country.
Plenty of entries for Best Cafe Design adopted a clean, neutral colour palette, suggesting the designers knew their audiences and hit the brunch brief. “This category was a minty, white, and blonde wood fantasia!” noted one juror, and so it’s no surprise that the strong performers in this category went in a different direction. The Best Retail Design category had perhaps the most room for improvement, with the winner breaking out of a well-worn template with a daring reinterpretation of the humble food court.
There were an encouraging number of entries from outside the capital cities, including the winner of Best Hotel Design, Tattersalls Hotel Armidale, which sensitively and swishly revamped a heritage Art Deco treasure into a must-visit boutique destination. Adelaide had a strong showing, with Best Bar Design winner Leigh Street Wine Room harking back to stylish Euro boltholes of the past (we can’t wait to go back), while Canberra also impressed with a Best Hotel Design Commendation for the ultra-sharp hotel, Midnight.
The award for Best Restaurant Design was arguably “The Big One,” and the entries were of such a high standard that our jury awarded two equally deserving winners, both centred around bustling open kitchens. The contrasting winners arrive from opposite “hills” of the design spectrum – the Mornington Peninsula’s Osteria Tedesca is a storybook farmhouse evoking a domestic kitchen, while Surry Hills’ Poly is a minimalist urban dining room for Sydney’s most stylish set. Both offer a dramatic and immersive sensory experience that tells a relatable story, and have been built to last.
Nostalgia abounds in design just as it does in the new world. This year’s exemplary field is a remembrance of things past that forges a new future we can’t wait to explore.