The 2007 Dulux Colour Awards winners were announced at a gala event held at Melbourne’s Eureka Tower last month.
Libbi Bennison of Liberati Colour was awarded the Grand Prix title for her outstanding entry, Golden Monkey Lounge Bar and Asian Tapas in Melbourne. A 1930s Shanghai inspired space, Golden Monkey embraced colours of heat, glamour and seduction, using the palette to define these dramatic elements rather than being at the forefront of the way the space felt.
According to the judges, Bennison’s sophisticated application of colour not only worked perfectly with the environment, but fused dramatically with other finishes and surfaces. As a result Golden Monkey was also awarded the winning Commercial Interior category.
Drawing some of the most acclaimed architects and interior designers in the country, the Dulux Colour Awards have a commitment to fostering and celebrating the industry’s creative use of colour, as Dulux spokesperson and first-round judge Andrea Lucena-Orr explains.
“These awards are motivated by one single element in the overall creative process: colour. Clearly at Dulux we’re passionate about colour and these awards enable us to celebrate and showcase those who share our passion,” says Lucena-Orr.
Entrants this year were asked to explore what colour means to them.
“It has been encouraging to see colours used specifically in their particular environmental context rather than following trends and being fashionable. The outstanding projects succeeded in responding to their surrounds rather than trying to force themselves into context,” add the three finalist panel members.
Judges agreed that longevity, livability and looking at the role of colour in complementing the environment influenced their decisions.
The 2007 Dulux Colour Awards introduced an increased prize pool of $25,000, including the overall Grand Prix prize valued at $17,000, and finalist works exhibited at designEX. In addition, as part of Dulux’s sponsorship of IDA’s Colour in Commercial Interior Design and Colour in Residential Interior Design Awards, Dulux Colour Award entries will be automatically entered into the IDA Awards free of charge. Grand Prix winner Libbi Bennison will also enjoy a business class return airfare to, and five-star accommodation in London where she will spend one week working alongside finalist judge Nina Campbell and her colleagues.