Among the 62 shortlisted projects are two venues in Arrowtown’s Ayrburn complex — The Barrel Room, and restored farm building The Manure Room — both designed by Alexander and Co., and a striking Orient Express-style club lounge in Auckland designed by CTRL Space called The Nightcar. This year, these New Zealand projects will go up against strong representation from Australia’s regions.

Eat Drink Design Awards jury convenor and editor, Cassie Hansen, found that many projects in this year’s shortlist pushed the bounds of the norm to create something unexpected and surreal:

“This year the jury applauded the many restaurants, bars and cafes looking far from the traditional and making a big impact with almost an otherwordly design. Patrons can be transported to fantastical destinations when they visit these venues, whether it’s a slightly alien landscape or a new country.” Also acknowledging the incredible attention to detail displayed in heritage renovations, Hansen adds: “Equally transformative were the heritage buildings that had been expertly updated, or had found new purpose through adaptive reuse, re-envisioned as hospitality venues.”

The 2024 jury had the difficult task of selecting this year’s shortlist from hundreds of entries, with Hansen noting a few notable trends amongst the selected projects:

“The jury observed a move towards dark, moody and intimate interiors in many venues, with low, discreet lighting that makes your dining experience feel very intimate, secret and perhaps a little risqué. In a similar vein of intimacy sometimes we just want to feel like we’re dining at a very exclusive spot — whether it be your friend’s cool house or a private art gallery. We noted many hospitality interiors this year that feel like this kind of private arena, often helped along by an incredible art collection.”

The 2024 jury consists of:

• Di Ritter, jury chair and former Eat Drink Design Awards winner
• Greg Lamb, co-founder, Hogg and Lamb
• Matiya Marovich, principal, Sans-Arc Studio
• Pat Nourse, creative director, Melbourne Food and Wine Festival
• Rebecca Yazbek, co-founder, Nomad Group

The Award categories for the 2024 Eat Drink Design Awards include:

• Best Bar Design
• Best Restaurant Design
• Best Café Design
• Best Hotel Design
• Best Retail Design
• Best Identity Design

In addition, each year one longstanding venue is honoured with induction into the Eat Drink Design Awards Hall of Fame.

View the complete 2024 Eat Drink Design Awards shortlist here.

The winners of the Eat Drink Design Awards will be revealed at 10:00 am, Friday 1 November 2024 in the Eat Drink Design Awards gallery. An official awards report will also appear in the InteriorsAu eNewsletter and ArchitectureAU.com.