Dulux has announced the finalists of the this year’s Dulux Colour Awards – a program that recognises innovative and considered use of colour within the built environment.
Selected by a panel of prolific architects from Australia and New Zealand, 88 projects have been selected as finalists from nearly 500 entries received this year.
According to a media communique, the private residential projects in this year’s awards were united by bold palettes with hues of burgundy, gold-yellows and sage greens. Warm whites mainted a consistent presence from past years, and were married with “greiges,” mist greens and soft blues.
Colour and communications manager at Dulux Andrea Lucena-Orr observed, “Year after year, we are presented with an extraordinary array of exceptional colour use that exemplifies the pivotal role colour plays in spatial understanding, placemaking and mood setting.”
The communique notes that this year, finalists challenged architectural stereotypes through palette and application decisions, such as using colour to highlight ceilings, and architectural trims and features. This year’s program also saw a rise in colour-washing as a design device.
The program invites architects, designers, specifiers and students from Australia and New Zealand to submit projects that demonstrate an innovative use of Dulux paints. The categories include Commercial Interior – Workplace and Retail; Commercial Interior – Public and Hospitality; Commercial and Multi-residential Exterior; Temporary or Installation Design; Residential Interior; Single Residential Exterior; Australian Student; and New Zealand Student.
The 2025 jury comprises director of SJB Andrew Parr, co-founder at At.Space Alex McLeod, co-founder of Luchetti Krelle Rachel Luchetti, co-founder and director of Edition Office Kim Bridgland, principal at Kerstin Thompson Architects and adjunct professor at RMIT and Monash Universities Kerstin Thompson, and colour and communications manager at Dulux Andrea Lucena-Orr
The winners of the awards will be announced on 28 May at the National Gallery of Victoria, with Australian and New Zeland Grand Prix awards selected from the category winners (excluding student categories).
On the shortlist are:
Commercial Interior – Public and Hospitality
Auburn High School Senior Centre – Wowowa Architecture
Melbourne Place – Kennedy Nolan
People’s Coffee Studio – Tate
Bar Julius – SJB
Cibaria – Luchetti Krelle
Harbour Early Learning – Danielle Brustman
Island Radio – Etic
The Eve Hotel Sydney – SJB
Chianti – Genesin Studio
Common Bakery – Rezen Studio
Karratha Senior High School – Iredale Pedersen Hook Architects
Burly Bar – Studio Plenty
Cucina Regina – Tom Mark Henry
Whitsunday Anglican School STEAM Centre – BSPN Architecture
YOMG – Pacific Fair – Elvin Tan Design
Netball North Harbour – Kanat Studio
Quinn Bar – Izzard Design
Commercial Interior – Workplace and Retail
Atlassian Melbourne Connection Hub – Craig Tan Architects
Epic Melbourne – M. Moser Associates
GPT SpaceCo 550 Bourke – BVN
Leonard Joel Auction House – Studio Doherty
Menopause Specialist – Nickolas Gurtler Office
Nicholas Hall at Wesley Place – Cox Architecture
Professional Services Firm – Unispace
Sarah and Sebastian Armadale – Richards Stanisich
The Meeting Place at 181 William – BVN
Adrian William – Richards Stanisich
Buon Gusto – Studio Shand
Comma – Byron Bay – Duet
Henne Fiveways – Brahman Perera
Matrix Education – Parramatta Campus – SJB
No Gaps Dental – Span Design Studio
The ACO Workshop – Alexander and Co.
Mosmo Studio – Mosmo Living
Edna Store – Kanat Studio
Commercial and Multi-residential Exterior
Larnangurrak Our Place – Y2 Architecture
Northern Memorial Park Depot – Searle x Waldron Architecture
Double Bay Arches – Stafford Architecture
Hurlstone Memorial Reserve Community Centre – Sam Crawford Architects
Windale Hub – Adriano Pupilli Architects
Blok Three Sisters – Blok Modular in collaboration with Vokes and Peters
Residential Interior
Blue House – Sibling Architecture
Bridge House – Powell and Glenn
Charnwood – Studio Whiting
Claremont – Wowowa Architecture
Clique House – Wowowa Architecture
Cobden Terrace – Matt Gibson Architecture and Design
Elonera House – Studio Doherty
Gable House – Studio Doherty
Hilltop – Flack Studio
House on a Hill – Allison Pye Interiors with Leeton Pointon Architects and Interiors
Kazoo – Alessandra Smith Design
Rosherville House – Kennedy Nolan
South Yarra House – Studio Doherty
South Yarra Residence – Pandolfini Architects and Simone Haag
Stellar House – Robson Rak
Temple House – Golden
The Collectors – Julia.Cox.Co.
Bay House – Arent and Pyke
Balmain East House – Studio Johnston
Kilmory House – Jillian Dinkel
Redfern – Flack Studio
Wharf House – Arent and Pyke
Coronation House – Brunsdon Studio
Heathcote Valley House – Pac Studio
Lava Flow – Pac Studio
Mt Eden Garden House – Pac Studio
The Leather Jacket – Pac Studio
Single Residential Exterior
Dunstan – SSdH
Oval House – Topology Studio
House in Erskineville – Architect George
The Daydream House – Goldie Homes
Lava Flow – Pac Studio
Mt Eden Garden House – Pac Studio
Temporary or Installation Design
Landmark by Lexus – Brahman Perera
Overlay: A New Australian Heritage – CJ Cornish and Locki Humphrey
Carol Jerrems: Portraits – Youssofzay Hart
Kokoda House Teneriffe – Cottee Parker and Carr with Kokoda Property
Australian Student
Fitzroy Creativa – Vicky Licha, RMIT
The Red Centre – Shean Zuriel Eugene, RMIT
Whimsical Piglet – Alexander Ravel Kristono, RMIT
Landscape of Co-existence – Angela Xu and Georgia Reader, the University of Sydney
Need Over Green – Paris Perry, the University of Sydney
The Faith Nungalinya College Accommodation – Dirsten Jude Pornel, the University of Sydney
Movie Theatre Interior – Tao Zou, the University of Adelaide
New Zealand Student
Artistic Activism – Tom Arbuckle, Te Herenga Waka, Victoria University of Wellington
Pātaka Kōrero Fale o Tala: A Storehouse of Narratives in Samoa – Lalitpat Chomchoei, the University of Auckland
Te Anau Downs Outdoor Lodge – Hudson Ross, Otago Polytechnic
Source: Architecture - architectureau
