The Interior Design Confederation Singapore’s (IDCS) Design Excellence Awards (DEA) honours the Interior Design industry in Singapore and Asia Pacific, recognising the best designs in commercial, residential, and public spaces by both professionals and students. This year, 243 projects were awarded for their innovations and successes in interior design.
The categories are spread across two competition tracks—Interior Design Excellence Awards (I-DEA) for professional interior designers and firms and Spatial Design Awards (SPADE) for students.
Acknowledged and judged by a professional jury panel, the Awards are considered a seal of excellence and proof of outstanding achievements in the design field, promoting individuals and firms that have contributed significantly to good design philosophy and visualising the future of spatial design.
Each category has a set of accolades, ranked Gold, Silver, Bronze, or Highly Recommended. The I-DEA track further divides certain categories by their project area and type.
In the I-DEA track, the categories are:
- Best Exhibition Design
- Best F&B Design (≤2000 sqft; 2001-5000 sqft; ≥5001 sqft)
- Best Hospitality Design (≤50 rooms; ≥201 rooms; Public Areas)
- Best Public Design
- Best Residential Design (Apartment ≤1000 sqft; Apartment 1001-2000 sqft; Apartment ≥2001 sqft; Private Houses)
- Best Retail Design (≤2000 sqft; 2001-5000 sqft; ≥5001 sqft)
- Best Sustainable Design
- Best Workplace Design (2001-5000 sqft; ≥5001 sqft)
- Emerging ID Firm of the Year
- ID Firm of the Year
- Project of the Year 2024
- Outstanding Contribution Award 2024
In the SPADE track, the categories are:
- Best Exhibition Design
- Best F&B Design
- Best Hospitality Design
- Best Public Design
- Best Residential Design
- Best Retail Design
- Best Sustainable Design
- Best Workplace Design
- Best Student Award
In this article, we would like to highlight a handful of winners from both the I-DEA and SPADE tracks and showcase their achievements in the industry.
DP Design
Singaporean design firm DP Design (DPD) won five awards at DEA: two Bronze and three Silver.
DPD’s Conrad Singapore Orchard was recognised with Bronze in Best Hospitality Design (≥201 rooms), and Singapore Airlines Perth SilverKris Lounge was awarded Silver in Best Public Design; both had Mike Lim as the Lead Designer.
Another Bronze was given to DPD’s LOTTE Terminal 2 Flagship Store for Best Retail Design (≥5001 sqft), and two Silver in Best Workplace Design (≥5001 sqft) were given to A Verdant Workplace and The Work Suite, with Allan Wang as the Lead Designer for all three.
Right Angle Studio
Singapore-based firm Right Angle Studio also received a plethora of awards, winning one Gold, two Silver, and three Bronze.
In Best F&B Design (≤2000 sqft), project Elijah Pies was a Bronze winner and was led by Alex Liu and Jay Liu. Similarly, the pair were awarded a Gold for Gēn Apartment and a Silver for Resting Rights under the Best Residential Design (Apartment ≤1000 sqft) category. Alex Liu and Jay Liu were also recognised in the Best Residential Design (Apartment 1001-2000 sqft) category for their work on Monolith Apartment, receiving a Bronze. Lastly, in Best Residential Design (Apartment ≥2001 sqft), Alex Liu and Jay Liu were awarded for The Rasidence and HS Residence, receiving a Silver and a Bronze respectively.
Peter Tay Studio
Peter Tay Studio, founded by Peter Tay, received numerous accolades, including the coveted ID Firm of the Year award. Peter Tay is a celebrity interior designer and is known for his sleek and luxurious approach to design. This year, including the aforementioned ID Firm of the Year, Peter Tay Studio was recognised with thirteen awards.
In Best Residential Design (Apartment 1001-2000 sqft), the firm received a Bronze for Meyer House. Under Best Residential Design (Apartment ≥2001 sqft), Peter Tay Studio received five awards—Silver for Nouvel 18, and Bronze for Corals Penthouse at Keppel Bay, Leedon Residence, Nassim Park Residences, and Penthouse at Martin 38. For Best Residential Design (Private Houses), the firm was awarded a Silver for Good Class Bungalow at 8 Swettenham Rd, a Bronze for Good Class Bungalow at Swiss Club Rd, and a Highly Commended recognition for Good Class Bungalow at Mount Echo Park.
For Best Retail Design (≤2000 sqft), Franck Muller ION Boutique was awarded Bronze and SHH Boutique at Marina Bay Sands was Highly Commended. V-Zug Showroom ION Orchard was given Silver in Best Retail Design (2001-5000 sqft). For all of the firm’s achievements, Peter Tay Studio was commended with the ID Firm of the Year award, a momentous occasion for the decorated firm.
SPADE Awards
Highlighting the achievements of up-and-coming interior designers, the SPADE track gives honour to the burgeoning designers studying to enter the industry.
Winning Gold in Best Sustainable Design is Dianne Condecido from Coventry University for her project The Green Terminal, reimagining a hawker centre in the former Tanjong Pagar Railway Station. The proposal utilises adaptive reuse to revitalise the historic site into a community space.
Manuel Cynric A. Yee from the University of San Carlos was awarded Gold in Best Hospitality Design for Bambusa Paraiso and overall Best Student Award.
The awards were held on Friday, 6 December 2024 at Shangri-La Hotel, Singapore. The Gala Dinner was a festive night for celebration and networking, invigorating the industry and celebrating the hard work of interior designers in the region.
