Australian interior design has three names to follow in this year’s global conversation. The shortlist for the World Interior News Awards 2026 was announced on 21 October, and three Australian projects made the cut: a Melbourne school, a Sydney-designed luxury home and a Melbourne architect’s own family house. The awards, known as the WIN Awards, recognise interiors across hospitality, residential, retail, sports and wellness, workspace and other sectors. Winners will be revealed on Tuesday 17 November.
What the World Interior News Awards 2026 Shortlist Means for Australia
Being shortlisted does not mean winning, but it does signal that a project stood out against international entries. For Australian studios, that visibility matters. The 2026 shortlist covers two quite different areas of practice: education interiors and high-end one-off homes. That range shows how broad Australia’s design output is, from public, community-focused buildings to deeply personal private residences.
The Three Australian Projects at a Glance
| Project | Design studio | Shortlist category | Type and location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Caulfield Grammar School | DesignInc and 3XN GXN | Education | Senior school building, St Kilda East, Melbourne |
| Belle Vue | Kate Nixon | One Off Homes (Over £1M) | Private residence |
| Conrad Residence | Paul Conrad Architects | One Off Homes (Over £1M) | Private residence, Malvern, Melbourne |
Caulfield Grammar School: A Senior School Designed Around Wellbeing
The Education entry is the Senior School Teaching and Learning Building at Caulfield Grammar School, designed by Melbourne practice DesignInc with Denmark’s 3XN and its research arm GXN. It is the first stage of the school’s Caulfield campus master plan and follows the school’s “Mind for Life” philosophy, which treats student wellbeing as the foundation for learning. The building is a vertical, five-storey structure on a suburban site. According to the design team, a river metaphor shaped the interior, with spaces that support gathering, exploring and regrouping, anchored by a light-filled “Learning Living Room” and an atrium. Sustainability was part of the brief: the client asked for a 6 Star Green Star outcome, and the project has been recognised with Gold WELL certification. The interiors favour natural light, planting and social spaces over the corridor-and-classroom model.
Belle Vue and Conrad Residence: Two Takes on the Luxury One-Off Home
Two projects sit in the One Off Homes (Over £1M) category. Belle Vue is by Kate Nixon, the Sydney designer, stylist and long-time interiors editor of Australian House & Garden. Her studio is known for warm, tactile interiors that mix natural materials with an artisanal feel, and the project was photographed by Maree Homer. Public detail on Belle Vue itself is still limited, so it is worth watching for fuller coverage once the winners are announced. Conrad Residence is a different story: Paul Conrad designed it for his own family in Malvern, Melbourne. Reported as a 445-square-metre, four-bedroom new build, it is organised around a northern orientation and long garden views. An elliptical stairwell draws daylight through the plan, and the study has a hand-applied silver-leaf coffered ceiling. Continuous timber flooring and a muted palette link the spaces, and Paul Bangay is credited with the landscape design.
What Designers and Homeowners Can Learn From This Shortlist
Even without knowing who wins, these projects offer practical lessons:
- Wellbeing is now a design brief, not a bonus. Caulfield Grammar shows how daylight, greenery and social spaces can be planned in from the start.
- Light shapes everything. Conrad Residence uses orientation and a central stairwell to bring daylight deep into the house.
- Restraint reads as luxury. A limited material palette and continuous flooring can make a large home feel calm and cohesive.
- Interiors and architecture work best together. Both the school and the Malvern house treat the interior as part of the building’s structure, not a layer added later.
- Personal homes are design laboratories. Architects building for themselves can test ideas without client compromise, which often shows in the result.
With winners due on 17 November, these three shortlisted projects are worth bookmarking for anyone who follows Australian architecture and interiors.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the World Interior News Awards?
The WIN Awards are an international programme from World Architecture News that recognises excellence in interior design across sectors including hospitality, residential, retail, workspace, and sports and wellness.
Which Australian projects are shortlisted in 2026?
Caulfield Grammar School (Education), Belle Vue by Kate Nixon, and Conrad Residence by Paul Conrad Architects (both One Off Homes Over £1M).
When will the 2026 winners be announced?
Winners will be announced on Tuesday 17 November 2026.
Does a shortlisting mean the project has won?
No. A shortlisting means the project has progressed past the initial judging stage. Only the final announcement will confirm the winners.