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The winners of the Eat Drink Design Awards have just been named for 2022, showcasing the Australian restaurants, bars, cafés, hotels and retail spaces that are making leaps and bounds in contemporary design and architecture. Melbourne has led the way as the standout winning city, taking out five of the eight awards. And we're not surprised, given its longstanding status as the cultural capital of the country.
Notable Melbourne winners include Di Stasio Carlton by Hassell winning Best Restaurant Design for its nod to Italian architecture. The Music Room by Dion Hall unsurprisingly took out the Best Bar Design, with its luxe and moody interior, and buzzing Gertrude Street eatery Rocco's Bologna Discoteca won Best Identity Design, with Congrats Agency bringing its signature playful touch to the venue.
The new and already overwhelmingly popular Ace Hotel Sydney won Best Hotel Design, with its pops of colour and seamless blend of hospitality and luxury. Despite its location, Brisbane Airport’s the Common by Sullivan Skinner took out Best Cafe Design, and Adelaide Festival Pavilion - The Summerhouse by CO-AP snagged the title of Best Installation Design.
“Several related themes and observable trends made an impression on the jury this year amongst the winners. They are best understood when seen through the lens of our collective, not-quite-post-Covid moment as an Australian and indeed a global society. In uncertain, troubling times, the design community seems to be embracing a trend toward nostalgia and familiarity – one that is given form, thankfully, in original and innovative ways that avoid simple mimicry,” said the Eat Drink Design Awards jurors.
There was a distinct sense of sentimentality in this year’s awards, and unwavering support for some of Melbourne’s most enduring – and treasured – spots. In a move that’s been a long time coming, 68-year-old venue Pellegrini’s Espresso Bar (1954) by Smith, Tracey, Lyon and Brock was inducted into the Eat Drink Design Awards Hall of Fame, joining the likes of Bills Darlinghurst, Cumulus Inc and Cookie as an Australian icon.
The winning venues confirm what we’ve likely known all along: hospitality design in Australia is as prolific as ever, and undoubtedly has a massive influence on where people choose to drink and dine.