Australian designers examine contemporary domestic life for Rigg Design Prize

The Triennial Rigg Design Prize exhibition (Australia’s leading design competition) celebrates the field of interior design and decoration this year with the theme of ‘Domestic Living.’ Embedding their interiors with the ideas and stories that engage directly with the cultural, historical, material and technological aspects of society, Australian interior designers and decorators create environments that range from an intimately tactile golden-hued sanctuary to a fantastical Art Deco-inspired play den (part lounge, part stage) with cosmic lighting.

Design duo Hecker Guthrie scooped the accolade this year with a simple interior universe that centred around the humble table. The ten shortlisted sets are installed at National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne and the purpose-built rooms address a current conundrum: acknowledging that the boundaries between work and pleasure are statically blurred due to our steadfast interaction with digital devices and the dissolution of a structured office environment, how do you distil the values and rituals of contemporary home life?

Hecker Guthrie’s winning interior set

Scroll below for our pick of the shortlisted designers and practices that include Amber Road, Arent & Pyke, Danielle Brustman, David Flack, David Hicks, Hecker Guthrie, Martyn Thompson Studio, Richards Stanisich, Scott Weston Architecture Design and The Society Inc by Sibella Court. §