Inside World Festival of Interiors is the sister awards program of World Architecture Festival (WAF), celebrating the finest examples of interior design across the globe. Encompassing 11 dedicated categories, the festival offers designers the opportunity to showcase their achievements from residential design through to health and fitness.
Woods Bagot Global Design Director Domenic Alvaro says this year’s shortlist reflect the practice’s total approach to design, applying care and consideration to all aspects of the built form, inside and out.
“Each project that we undertake is greeted with a holistic approach,” says Alvaro. “We consider every aspect of the end user’s experience through thoughtful interiors and amenities, maintaining the focus on human-scale design in all our designs.”
Four Woods Bagot projects have been shortlisted in this year’s Inside program.
Minthis in the Cypriot village of Tsada has been shortlisted for three award categories: Bars and Restaurants, Health and Fitness, and Hotels. The Mediterranean hilltop retreat is designed to celebrate and preserve the natural landscape, with masterplanning, architecture, interior design, and branding and wayfinding by Woods Bagot.
“The interior design for Minthis is all about creating a feeling of place and belonging,” says Woods Bagot Principal and project leader Julian Cross. “Set amongst the rugged beauty of the Trodos Mountains, it is a place of open vistas, clear air and the permeating aroma of wild mint. The interior design connects to nature through the use of raw, natural materials, large windows framing the vistas to the coast, and a herb-filled central courtyard in the wellness heart.
“Natural timber floors, board-formed concrete and handmade tiled walls create a calm backdrop to the natural planting, water features and natural scenery. Woods Bagot enjoyed creating this extraordinary place for mental and physical rejuvenation that’s sits in harmony with the place.”
Recently-completed Smith & Mills in New York’s Rockefeller Centre has been shortlisted for the Bar and Restaurant category. Embracing luxe hues and sultry lighting, the interior design celebrates the art deco style of 1920s and 30s New York.
The designers have incorporated vintage details that imbue the interior space with nostalgic charm, including zellige tiles, wrought iron elevator cabs, and reclaimed timber panelling. Banquette seating is covered in oxblood velvet – a nod to the restaurant’s original Tribeca neighbourhood – and red leather bistro chairs activate the bar with the charmingly intimate feel of a speakeasy. The centre piece, a zinc and walnut island bar, acts as the restaurant’s focal-point, activated by low pendant lights.
“It was very important to us that we created a transition zone off the concourse before you enter the main dining room,” says Wood Bagot Principal and project leader Krista Ninivaggi.
“This would act as a buffer to feel the buzz of the heart of Rock Center diminish, and then be enveloped in our warm amber glow. We achieved this by using old wrought iron elevator cab screens to partition off the entry and lowering the ceiling for a classic design move of compression before being ‘released’ into the carefully crafted atmosphere of the restaurant.”
D. S. & Durga in Venice Beach has been shortlisted for the Retail category, as the luxury fragrance house’s West Coast flagship. Following the successful collaboration on D.S. & Durga’s first two retail locations, the Venice Beach location speaks to a Californian sensibility, featuring the bleached natural tones of the Californian landscape.
The interior architecture pays homage to one of Southern California’s most famous residences, Lautner’s Elrod House, celebrating its organic interior architecture, strong concrete presence, and sunburst sculptural ceiling design. Custom geometric display plinths are striated to resemble the organic layers of rammed earth, displaying fragrances with the clean minimalism of a gallery.
“We were careful to ensure that this first location in California had a personality of its own – bringing in unique design elements and subtle touches like display cases that transcend the physical store through scent and storytelling,” says Woods Bagot Principal Krista Ninivaggi.
Hysan Place Commercial Precinct in Hong Kong has been shortlisted for the Retail category. This commercial hub comprises a high-rise retail mall and office building and 42,000 square metres of integrated retail, dining, leisure and civic space in the heart of the busiest retail district in Hong Kong. Woods Bagot was brought onboard to rejuvenate Hysan Place as a gateway to Lee Garden district and Causeway Bay through a memorable arrival moment, enhanced circulation, and multifaceted visitor experiences.
The once-neglected outdoor space is now a lively urban park with skateboarding facilities, a new central hub on the fifth floor connecting the multi-level retail precinct. The basement levels are transformed into an underground shopping and dining destination, blending retail and F&B seamlessly and extending the transport precinct.
“We strive to transform Hysan into a dynamic urban expression,” says Woods Bagot Principal Billy Ip. “It isn’t just a retail space, it’s a living canvas where urban culture and modern design converge.”
Inside World Festival of Interiors will take place alongside WAF at Marina Bay Sands, Singapore, from 6 to 8 November. For more information visit the WAF website. View Woods Bagot’s 2024 WAF shortlisted projects here.
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