Take a peek at the 2015 INSIDE: World Festival of Interiors shortlisters

Coinciding with the 2015 World Architecture Festival in Singapore on November 4-6, the just-as-popular INSIDE: World Festival of Interiors highlights the very best projects in the international interior design scene from within the last 12 months.

For 2015, a total of 50 INSIDE nominees across 9 categories will go head-to-head as they compete in the form of live presentations and debates to a distinguished jury throughout the course of the event (just like in the World Architecture Festival). At the end of the competition, one project will win World Interior of the Year 2015 -- and it's anyone's game. In recent editions, Joyce Wang Studio's MOTT32 restaurant in Hong Kong won the title for 2014, and David Kohn Architects’ Carrer Avinyó apartment refurbishment in Barcelona won in 2013.

Scroll down to have a look at some of this year's shortlisted projects.

Category: Civic, Culture and Transport
Project: Exploded, Hong Kong
Designer: One Plus Partnership

Project summary: "A jagged scheme of rectangular elements helps to create a  composition between the movie theatre and the movie itself.  One Plus Partnership brought to life the chaotic and exciting scenes from disaster movies to help bridge the gap between the big screen and viewer."

Category: Bars & Restaurants
Project: Mecha Uma, Philippines
Designer: Jorge Yulo Architects & Associates

Project summary: "The Mecha Uma consists of a raw design approach with concrete, steel, copper, glass and wood used throughout. The design features a stunning copper- clad kitchen counter and a suspended installation made up of multiple squares hanging over the open central kitchen."

Category: Bars & Restaurants
Project: Coastal Private Club, Hong Kong
Designer: One Plus Partnership

Project summary: "Made up of wave-like forms, this high-end private members club uses warm tones and metallic walls to represent the idea of a rough sea. Striped patterns on the carpet mimic the waved motion of the walls and rise in size and directions to represent the uncertainty of stormy waves."

Category: Creative Re-use
Project: Unlimited Boundary, Infinite Vision, China
Designer: Kris Lin Interior Design

Project summary: "The aim for this project was to create a public space for interaction and meditation. The focus was on promoting a coming together of people, as well as people with nature. The intention was to overcome the boundaries between interiors, architecture and landscape and allow these areas to merge. For this reason, the design uses frameless glass windows and integrates a landscape pool, which extends into the interior, while a marble wall inside becomes an exterior wall."

Category: Creative Reuse
Project: Al Jazeera Media Network broadcast studio, UK
Designer: Veech x Veech

Project summary: "The new Al Jazeera HQ in the Shard incorporates a multi-purpose newsroom and revolutionary studio, which breaks the mould of the ‘black box’ studio. The architects were able to turn the biggest design challenge on this project into an asset. Most studios require a minimum ceiling height of 4.5m but at the Shard they were limited to just 2.8m. The problematic low ceilings were transformed into a feature of the on-air appearance with fully automated low-level lighting sitting amongst acoustic panels to create dramatic curved lines that mirror the shape of the news desk below. Creating such media hubs is highly specialised and requires precision design, using the camera as an additional tool as part of the process – the perspective of the studio appears differently on screen as opposed to the real-life experience."

Category: Health & Education
Project: Care Implant Dentistry, Australia
Designer: Pedra Silva Architects

Project summary: "Located in Sydney, the clinic is characterized by a distinct timber frame , which protrudes from the ceiling as a gradual undulating layer at different  heights. Visible from the outside, it not only adds an interesting decorative element but also acts as a filter dividing the space. Internally, the clinic starts with a long corridor that cuts through and becomes the anchor to where the remaining rooms are arranged. Meanwhile, continuing with the theme of openness, glass walls have been used to allow for the maximum penetration of natural light even in the main surgery theatre."

Category: Health  & Education
Project: Melbourne School of Design, The University of Melbourne, Australia
Designer: John Wardle Architects in collaboration with NADAAA

Project summary: "This winning competition entry is for an environment to study the future of sustainable cities and places of inhabitation. Within this building the next generation of architects, urban planners, ecologists, builders and landscape architects will learn to work in a highly connected way. The design, by John Wardle Architects in collaboration with Boston architecture firm NADAAA, is driven by the idea that the building itself becomes part of a broader studio environment. With its many inventive structural and  environmental ideas, the building becomes a live learning tool for students and staff alike. Connecting back into the network of buildings and courtyards, the design operates as an urban gesture reinforcing the workings of the campus."

Category: Hotels
Project: Hotel Hotel Ground Floor, NewActon
Designer: March Studio

Project summary: "Located in NewActon, a diverse new precinct in Canberra, Nishi Commercial is a major new development housing government departments,  a  hotel, private offices, a cinema and cafes. The lobby, designed by March Studio, projects a unique identity through thousands of pieces of repurposed timber, blurring boundaries while directing movement towards a grand staircase that leads to the Hotel Hotel lobby and bar. The stair links Nishi Commercial to Nishi Residential, a multi-storey apartment building, housing two floors of hotel rooms, wrapped around a central courtyard. On the ground floor of the boutique hotel, March Studio was engaged to create  a space that would encourage  residents, guests and visitors to linger in what can be a transient space. The walls in the hotel lobby - and the seating, the benches, the counters - are an attempt to bring the handmade into the rigorous, polished building that surrounds it. Above the seating in front of the bar, large holes have  been punched into the concrete creating glimpses into the courtyard above and allowing natural light to enter the space. "

Category: Offices
Project: Medibank Workplace, Australia 
Designer: HASSELL

Project summary: "This new workplace was part of a major cultural change program for Australia’s largest health insurer, Medibank, who wanted to create better health outcomes for its  members, employees and the community. It was this aspiration that drove the organisation to create one of the hea l thiest workplaces in the world, one that goes beyond conventional Activity Based Working to create Health Based Working – an approach that places the mental and physical health of people at the heart of the building.  Medibank employees have freedom to choo se from more than 26 types of work settings, ranging from indoor quiet spaces and collaborative hubs to wifi-enabled balconies and places to stand and work.

Employees who want a more vigorous workout during the day can also make use of a multipurpose sport s court at ground level. Adjacent to the sports court, an edible garden sits near a demonstration kitchen that Medibank uses to promote healthy eating to staff, not-for-profit organisations and the wider community. A ramp from the main entrance on Bourke Street spirals upwards from street level, allowing Medibank employees easy access to bike storage on their way in to work. Early signs show that the building is already delivering with 79% of employees working more collaboratively, 70% feeling healthier and 66% feeling more productive."

Category: Residential
Project: Little White House, UK
Designer: Stiff + Trevillion Architects

Project summary: "Little White House saw the refurbishment of a dated 1990s interior to create a more contemporary environment for the owner. Relocating the front door and staircase enabled increased usable space and maximize d light within the property. The number of rooms in the property were reduced but increased the size of those remaining. A glass screen was created between the living and dining area, allowing light from the back of house to filter through. A new staircase created the biggest change, providing a sculptural aesthetic complete with a new skylight above. The staircase was constructed using folded metal sheets, adding to the industrial feel of the home."

Find the full shortlist here.