Sixty nominees announced for the INSIDE World Interior of the Year 2014

INSIDE: World Festival of Interiors has revealed 60 nominees who will compete for the top-notch World Interior of the Year 2014. From schools, offices, airports, and restaurants, and some renewed interiors of historic buildings, the stakes are high indeed for an award of this caliber.

Nominees will go head-to-head against each other through live presentations and debates during the 2014 INSIDE World Festival of Interiors on October 1-3 at Marina Bay Sands, Singapore. An overall winner will then be announced.

The 2014 "super-jury" consists of David Kohn, the World Interior of the Year 2013 winner along with Joey Ho, Pernilla Ohrstedt, and Festival associate director+head of jury Nigel Coates.

Scroll further down for a glimpse of this year's nominees.

Project: Camper Showroom/Office
Category: Retail
Architect/Designer: Neri&Hu Design and Research Office
Location: Shanghai, China

"Inspired by the surrounding urban environment, this Camper Showroom reassembles the Shanghai ‘nong-tang’ alleyways. An exterior lane extends into the showroom creating a sectional cut in the structure and a skylight heightens the experience by casting long linear shadows across the walls throughout the day. Neri&Hu designed the store as their interpretation of a two-storey house slotted in an old warehouse. The project sees grey brick combined with wood salvaged from demolished lane houses. The salvaged wood reveals a history from the paint, newspaper and wallpaper still attached to the planks."

Project: National Design Centre 
Category: Civic, Culture and Transport 
Architect/Designer: SCDA Architects 
Location: Singapore 

"The National Design Centre Singapore is a regeneration and alteration of a set of three pre-war and one post-war buildings, on the former premises of a convent school built in 1879. The existing structures have Art Deco facades and the site sits within the conservation district and art precinct of Bugis-Bras Basah. Conceptually, the main design feature is a composition of four mesh screens wrapped in aluminum and full-height glass walls, which cantilever and overlap to form the atrium. The central courtyard has been adapted to become subtly visible from street level, with the entire first storey level serving as a pedestrian thoroughfare and piazza to draw in the public. A bistro café links the pedestrian street to the central courtyard, with galleries running the length of the courtyard, opening into an alfresco café area. The school's former chapel has been converted into a flexible space for both auditorium and exhibition functions, with the walls faithfully restored, and a new geometrically folded ceiling introduced. The existing flat roof area has also been opened into a landscaped terrace. The National Design Centre Singapore will house displays and showcases of innovative design."

Project: Architect's office at Kim Yam Road
Category: Creative Re-use 
Architect/Designer: Park + Associates Pte Ltd 
Location: Singapore 

"The original interior of this former school compound is an expanse of column-free long-span spaces with a barrel vault-and-beam roof structural system with cross- ventilation and natural light in abundance. The brief was to create 'an anti-office', celebrating informal space in the corridor, staff office and library. The generous corridor space is now home to a triple-height foyer, containing a meeting room and gallery space. A black steel staircase connects to the guest lounge above and an existing metal screen, restored and retained, marks the opposite end. The strategic placement of objects and furniture in foreground, mid-ground and background allows the full depth of the room to be read while a series of black arcs between two offsets rows of V-section steel posts, accentuate the curvature of the white ceiling.  The social heart of the office is an open dining area where the original vaulted ceiling is accompanied by matt black walls, furniture and accents. A series of gold textured ceiling coves, rough plastered walls, textured timber flooring and the abstract patterns of Mutina Azulej cement tiles by Patricia Urquiola enables it to comfortably host a variety of functions - reception, guest lounge, casual events and informal meetings."

Project: Sales & Exhibition Centre of ZhongShan Vanke Baiyue Wan
Category: Display
Architect/Designer: Mission & Associates Limited
Location: ZhongShan, China

"The designer was invited to create a unique and iconic sales and exhibition hall for a scenic property development in ZhongShan, a southern city in China. Expected to symbolise the culture of the developer, the scheme aims to become a landmark of the region. Sited in front of a picturesque golf course, the interior is an almost rectangular concrete envelope with columns set out in regular intervals. The south elevation overlooks the golf course, which inspires the layout of the scheme. A straight ramp cuts through to the corporate exhibition area and back office to the highest level of the main exhibition area, mediating between the rectangular architectural space and oval shaped platforms. The ceiling design is inspired by the utopia described in the ancient Chinese fable 'The Peach Blossom Spring' by Tao Yuan Ming, with hundreds of linear pearl white aluminum louvers forming giant funnel shapes. Some of the louver contours merge with columns to form arches, while some are suspended from the ceiling to symbolise the vines of a banyan tree and pouring springs."

Project: Johnnie Walker House, Seoul
Category: Bars & Restaurants
Architect/Designer: Asylum Creative Pte Ltd
Location: Cheong Dam, Seoul, South Korea

"The design of the new Johnnie Walker whisky house in Cheongdam, Seoul – the third of its kind in the region – is inspired by luxury, something which is prevalent in this high-end neighbourhood. This six-floor, 16,000 square foot space features an invite-only basement distillery bar, a sky bar, world-class bartending academy and a private blending room. The House provides visitors with an interactive whisky journey, learning about the heritage of the brand and a chance to see sculptures and illustrations by local Korean artists. On the third floor, the World Class Academy provides budding bartenders the opportunity to learn the art of cocktail making and be inspired by the tools, books, images and drink recipes that highlight the history and glamour of the industry. On the exterior, Asylum Creative has clad the Johnnie Walker label in copper, which brands the company’s tagline ‘Keep Walking’. During the day, light catches the copper exterior capturing the colour and reflective quality of the drink itself."

Project: Auriga
Category: Bars & Restaurants
Architect/Designer: SANJAY PURI ARCHITECTS
Location: Mumbai, India

"Transformed from a disused warehouse, Auriga is a nightclub and restaurant that creates the feeling of being within a sculpture rather than looking at one. The nightclub on the ground floor is made up of a series of angular aluminium fins that fold to create the roof, the walls, bar and staircase. On the second floor the restaurant is a more fluid design to contrast to the angular shapes downstairs, thin wooden strips flow freely from the ceiling and walls to the bar and kitchen counters. Auriga has been designed and delivered on a small budget and in a sustainable manner, the lower floor is made from the waste metal left over from the manufacturing of air conditioning units and the upper level is leftover wood from other projects."

Project: The Barbarian Group
Category: Offices
Architect/Designer: Clive Wilkinson Architects
Location: New York, USA

"This radically simplified office concept imagines an endless table that physically connects everyone in the office to each other. With a highly constrained budget, the architects adapted an existing office space for a flexible community of 125 to 175 people, recycling perimeter rooms and services for acoustically controlled spaces and clearing the central zone. The endless table's plywood structure rises from the existing oak floor with pony walls supporting the table, which is lifted to fly over the pathways in the office. By maintaining surface continuity, this results in arches with grotto-like spaces underneath which can accommodate a variety of amenities, meeting spaces, private focused workspace, or bookshelves and other storage. The top surface of the table is an ethereal pearlescent white, with a clear epoxy coating, emphasising its fluid nature. After being initially drawn by hand and then molded in a physical model, the plywood supporting structure was thereafter entirely shaped by computer-aided design. In its final form, the table is made up of 870 unique plywood panels equating to a 4,400 square foot surface."

Project: Abedian School of Architecture, Bond University
Category: Education and Health
Architect/Designer: CRAB studio
Location: Gold Coast, Australia

"The Abedian School of Architecture is located on the Bond University campus designed in the 1980s by Arata Isozaki. The building is a long, airy structure split over three levels articulated by a series of rooms that can be used for casual meetings and ‘crit’ sessions. These casual meeting areas line the central street that gently rises up the hilltop site."

Project: Ganna Design
Category: Residential
Architect/Designer: Ganna Studio
Location: Taipei, Taiwan

"Located in downtown Taipei, Ganna Studio does not only function as an interior design studio but also as a home for the two designers. All the houses in the local community have been preserved for several decades and can be traced back to the ancient Taipei. In keeping with the local area the building structures was left untouched and the interior was transformed. Classic European interior design features are infused with modern styles echoed by the contrast between the old red gate and mitered herringbone flooring."

Project: ANZ Tower
Category: Offices
Architect/Designer: HASSELL
Location: Sydney, Australia

"ANZ is one of the world's strongest banks, with its origins in Australia and New Zealand. Workplace design is acknowledged as one of the keys to its ongoing success, driving greater efficiency and effectiveness and helping it recruit and retain the best people in a very competitive market. Set inside a transparent office tower, HASSELL introduced a series of intimate, three-storey pocket atriums, linked by open staircases. Communal zones with a mix of meeting spaces and work settings invite staff to move up and down the connected floors and interact more widely with other employees. Each floor is divided into four distinct neighbourhoods, with social hubs at their heart and a mix of workspace options. Employees can choose to work in quiet, private spaces, or meet in shared areas for collaborative tasks. Staff work wherever they like, choosing the right setting for the task at hand and using mobile technology. The design is flexible, making it easy to accommodate changes to work requirements or individual transactions and projects that bring together significant numbers of people in temporary teams. Lighter finishes such as limed oak, pale timber flooring and golden marble reflect the Sydney landscape and draw on the features and palette of Sydney Harbour, in contrast to the bolder tones of the ANZ Centre in Melbourne."

Project: Chiltern House
Category: Residential
Architect/Designer: WOW Architects | Warner Wong Design
Location: Singapore

"Set in a tropical residential community in Singapore, Chiltern house was designed as a two-storey bungalow with a basement and an attic space. The concrete finished house is a classic modern structure suspended high above the ground floor to maximise light, cross ventilation and views to the surrounding landscape. The house is organised in clearly defined layers connected by a four-storey teakwood staircase that is offset against concrete, steel and glass. The ground floor is the main communal level of the house, with one large main space comprising of living and dining areas, large panelled doors transform the living room from enclosed chamber into to an open verandah. The tall grey wood panelled entrance hall is enclosed by a vintage brass and glass screen, created in 1963 for a Beverly Hills mansion. Sunlight filters into the basement through air wells, and bespoke full- height steel doors open out onto outdoor sitting rooms. The entire ground level is paved in olive green granite to harmonise with the landscape. The second floor was developed around a central, cross ventilated workplace or family study and is realised in a warm Teakwood and Ivory palette. The attic is a retreat above the activity of the levels below and is dedicated to a bedroom suite overlooking a dramatic rooftop lily pond."

Project: Cultura Bookstore
Category: Retail
Architect/Designer: studio mk27
Location: Sao Paulo, Brazil

"The Cultura bookstore has been designed to be a bookstore for the 21st century, a store where socialising, relaxing and purchasing are all combined. The top floor provides the main area of the store, a large area encased with bookshelves provides an open plan space with lounge chairs where customers can read and discuss. The space also features large tables and can be used for lectures and other events."

Project: Harrods Escalator Hall
Category: Retail
Architect/Designer: Make Architects
Location: London, UK

"Harrods department store, founded in 1849 by Charles Henry Harrod, has become one of the most famous shops in the world and attracts more than 15 million visitors every year. As part of a multi-million pound refurbishment the Basil Street escalator hall has been redesigned with 16 dramatic new escalators spread over the store’s eight floors. In additional to the new escalators Make installed a new rooflight, restored the original listed Edwardian staircase and completed a full interior fit-out of the hall. The new escalator hall integrates the store’s rich history and the values of the Harrods brand with materials, finishes and details that are in keeping with the store’s Edwardian style. Inspired by the understated elegance of Art Deco design, the bespoke escalator cladding is formed from handcrafted bronze-finished fluted casings, which mirror the fluting of the stone columns found on the Basil Street exterior. The beautiful 1920s staircase has been meticulously restored to its original splendour and the faux Egyptian theme removed."

Project: South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute
Category: Education and Health
Architect/Designer: Woods Bagot
Location: Adelaide, Australia

"The South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI) is a research facility housing approximately 675 people, two research labs and a multipurpose seminar room. Woods Bagot worked closely with the clients to include all current and potential needs of the facility. The multiple floors are connected by a large spiral staircase that runs through the building and the two research labs are connected to one another by an internal atrium to the east. The facade allows maximum daylight into the building as well as enhancing the external views, creating a more enjoyable working environment. The unique facade was designed to improve daylight, while reducing heat and glare."

Project: Idunsgate Residence
Category: Residential
Architect/Designer: Haptic Architects
Location: Oslo, Norway

"Idunsgate is located on the top floor of a 19th century apartment building in central Oslo, Norway and sees the lower floor combined with the newly purchased top floor. The refurbishment includes a bespoke kitchen with open fire, a double height bathroom, and a minimalistic floating staircase. The material palette for the home comprises oak flooring and joinery as a counterpoint to polished concrete, grey stone and white Corian."

Project: The Chapel
Category: Civic, Culture and Transport
Architect/Designer: a21studio
Location: Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam

"The Chapel is a community space in a new urban area on the outskirt of Ho Chi Minh city, Vietnam. Lacking of communal centers, The Chapel is designed to be a central point for the local community, especially youths, to participate in activities such as conferences, weddings, exhibitions or simply somewhere to have a coffee. The Chapel is made up of materials from the owner’s previous projects such as the steel frames and metal sheets, which allows it to be produced on a low budget. A tree- shaped steel column is the only structure that appears inside the Chapel, helping to create a spiritual aesthetic whilst also saving more space for different activities. The multi-layer colourful curtains are arranged at either end of the space to add more colour as well as softening the coldness of the metal frames."

Project: Architecture Factory
Category: Creative Re-use
Architect/Designer: CIT
Location: Cork, Ireland

"Created from an existing warehouse, this cost effective education and learning facility uses shipping containers to create lecture offices and studios. An open boulevard creates both easy circulation around the site and acts as an interactive and co-learning area. Prior to designing this project CIT tested the learning outcomes of using shared studio spaces and the results showed that learning improved dramatically when students were directly exposed to their peers work and learning techniques. This outcome saw the design focus on open space and student interaction at the core of the site. Architecture Factory holds 13 workspaces delivered for just €60,000 and accommodates 332 people."

For the full list of nominations, click here.