The winners of the Eat Drink Design Awards have been named for 2022, representing the most exceptional and visually remarkable hospitality venues in the continent. The Award winners are the forefront of design in the realm of restaurants, bars, cafes, clubs, hotels, retail and temporary hospitality structures and offer surprising insights into the dining and cultural habits in Australia and New Zealand.
Best Cafe Design was won by Brisbane’s Airport’s airside-viewing dining space, The Common. Located alongside the outer glazing line of Brisbane’s Domestic Airport terminal, The Common enjoys outlook over the airside apron and high exposure to the concourse walkway. Bold forms, a saturated colour scheme and a playful energy distinguish the café within the highly stimulative, visually homogeneous airport environment.
Iconic Melbourne cafe Pellegrini’s Espresso Bar (pictured) was inducted into the Eat Drink Design Awards Hall of Fame in 2022. Established in 1954, the espresso bar is said have a simple design – and it’s more like a visit to grandma’s house than a visit to a downtown restaurant.
The current proprietor, David Malaspina, is committed to keeping every atom of Pellegrini’s just as it is right now – which is to say, just as it has always been. No renewal, modernization or renovation plans in sight; and that is just the way that Mr Malaspina, his staff and his adoring patrons like it.
The full list of Eat Drink Design Awards winners comprise:
- Best Restaurant Design: Di Stasio Carlton by Hassell (Carlton, Vic)
- Best Cafe Design: The Common by Sullivan Skinner (Brisbane Airport, Qld)
- Best Bar Design: Music Room by Dion Hall (Melbourne, Vic)
- Best Hotel Design: Ace Hotel Sydney by Flack Studio (Sydney, NSW)
- Best Installation Design: Adelaide Festival Pavilion – The Summerhouse by CO-AP (Adelaide, SA)
- Best Retail Design (co-winners): Baker Bleu Hawksburn by IF Architecture (Prahran, Vic) and Pronto by Via Porta by Studio Esteta (Kew, Vic)
- Best Identity Design – Rocco’s Bologna Discoteca by Congrats Agency (Fitzroy, Vic)
The Eat Drink Design Awards jurors said 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.”
