Australian and New Zealand design projects showcasing the most ambitious and innovative use of colour were awarded at last night’s 2023 Dulux Colour Awards.

The winning projects were selected from 113 finalists by a panel of five industry leaders: B.E Architecture’s Andrew Piva; interdisciplinary designer Brahman Perera; Snøhetta’s Lisa Lee; CTRL Space’s Sarah Carney; and Russell & George’s Byron George.

‘This year’s suite of award winners epitomises the capacity for colour to transform spaces and elicit emotion in everybody,’ Dulux colour and communications manager Andrea Lucena-Orr says.

‘From a tiny apartment to a multi-storey community hub or a modest storage shed to a heritage theatre, the originality and brave employment of colour is outstanding.’

Sibling Architecture won the evening’s top prize of the Australian Grand Prix, in addition to the Commercial Interior award for their work on the Darebin Interculture Centre. The colourful community facility in Melbourne’s north features flexible gathering spaces, lecture areas, and performance zones – hiding bold yellow, orange, and modern interiors inside a heritage building.

‘The idea is brilliant, and the delivery is impressive, with contrasting colours representing the diverse community, balanced to achieve a cohesive, restrained result,’ the judges’ comments explain.

Meanwhile subtly reigned supreme in the residential categories. The winning project — Nightlight by New Zealand firm Fabric — for Residential Exterior featured Dulux Mist Green among the framework of its timber design. While Studio Four’s Alma Road Residence scored the Residential Interior Award for their renovation of a period house, showcasing a sophisticated blend of grey and white, matte and gloss in the ornate design.

Commendations were also awarded to a small-scale apartment filled with changing shades of ‘salmon through to garnet’ by Lintel Studio For Architecture, and Williams Burton Leopardi‘s Mount Mac project was applauded for its ‘hotel-like sleekness’ and colour scheme of deep green and dark grey.

See the full list of inspiring winners below.

2023 Dulux Colour Awards Winners

Grand Prix
Australia Winner: Darebin Interculture Centre by Sibling Architecture
New Zealand Winner: St James Theatre by Shand Shelton

Single Residential Exterior
Winner: Nightlight (NZ) by Fabric

Residential Interior
Winner: Alma Road Residence by Studiofour
Commendation: Lintel Studio For Architecture by Studio Elroy
Commendation: Mount Mac by Williams Burton Leopardi

Commercial Interior – Workplace And Retail
Winner: Postal Hall by Trower Falvo Architects With Alessio Fini
Commendation: Insight Body And Mind by Biasol Studio

Commercial Interior – Public & Hospitality
Winner: Darebin Interculture Centre by Sibling Architecture
Commendation: S’wich Bondi by Studio Shand
Commendation: St James Theatre by Shand Shelton

Commercial & Multi-Residential Exterior
Winner: Phive Community, Cultural And Civic Hub by Designinc Sydney

Student
Winner: Hues Of Mount Kunanyi by Ruby Shields – Royal Melbourne Institute Of Technology (RMIT)
Commendation: The Canopy Bench by Augustina Binyamin – Victoria  University

Visit the Dulux Colour Awards website for more info.