2015 INSIDE: World Festival of Interiors announces first four category winners

Coinciding with the 2015 World Architecture Festival in Singapore, the just as popular and just as competitive INSIDE: World Festival of Interiors highlights the most outstanding projects in the international interior design scene from the last 12 months.

Out of 50 shortlisted nominees, the first four category winners (Hotels, Bars & Restaurants, Residential and Retail) were announced at the end of Day 1 of the two-day competition, and the last five will be revealed tomorrow. By this Friday, one project will be named World Interior of the Year 2015. It'll be anyone's game.

Check out the Day 1 winners below.

Hotels category: Hotel Hotel | Australia
Designer: March Studio

"Located in Canberra, the design for the hotel centred around a welcoming lobby constructed from fractured wood fragments that direct the visitors through the interior spaces and create a stark contrast to the polished walls that surround it. The project by March Studio was awarded the prize for their creative and passionate approach that saw the studio use unorthodox materials to create an unexpected result, a design approach that could have appeared soulless if executed by the wrong designer according to the judges."

Bars & Restaurants category: Vivarium | Thailand
Designer: Hypothesis

"Vivarium by Hypothesis claimed the Bars & Restaurants category for its thoughtful approach and clear connection to the area and the client's brief. The project comprised of the conversion of a warehouse in Bangkok into a vibrant new restaurant. Serving a fusion of Thai and Japanese cuisine, the building honours the industrial heritage of the site and features contemporary additions with a vibrant use of colour."

Residential category: Tree House | Italy
Designer: MdAA Architetti Associati

"Italian architecture practice MdAA won the Residential category for their Tree House. The regeneration of an old stable saw the practice create a statement column in the middle of the living space which has come to define the project."

Retail category: KKi Sweets and the Little Drom Store | Singapore
Designer: Produce Workshop

"Created in the historic School of Arts in Singapore, the project created a direct connection with its parent building and features a series of volumes that form intimate spaces throughout."