2024 Dulux Colour Awards winners announced

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The 2024 Dulux Colour Awards Grand Prix New Zealand winner: Seven Colourful Little Houses, Faringdon by COMMON Architecture + Interiors. Image: Stephen Goodenough

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The 2024 Dulux Colour Awards New Zealand Student winner: The Keeper of My Memories by Beth Williams of Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington. Image: Render: Beth Williams

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Beth’s architectural image-story is based on hypothetical reconstructions of her childhood daydreams and rendered using a Dulux colour palette. The cool colours introduce our first characters, the Boat Builder and the Dressmaker in 1851. Their dream home reflects their lives through the ocean-scape where miniature ships sail across the floors. Image: Render: Beth Williams

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The cool colours of the house introduce our first characters, the Boat Builder and the Dressmaker in 1851. Their dream home reflects their lives through the ocean-scape where miniature ships sail across the floors. Image: Render: Beth Williams

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Next, the house is transformed by bursts of warm oranges and yellows as the Lepidopterist
and the Gardner inherit the home in 1911. Their love of nature and butterflies highlighted by the bright colours. — Next, the house is transformed by bursts of warm oranges and yellows as the Lepidopterist and the Gardner inherit the home in 1911. Their love of nature and butterflies highlighted by the bright colours. Image: Render: Beth Williams

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The house is renovated with dashes of pinks and purples in 1965 by the Stargazer. Her love
of astrology adorns the walls with constellations. — The house is renovated with dashes of pinks and purples in 1965 by the Stargazer. Her love of astrology adorns the walls with constellations. Image: Render: Beth Williams

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Finally, hues of green and pink scatter the walls of the Modelmaker’s two workshops in
1972. Here she begins her animation studio. Her workshops are a gateway to a miniature
world. — Finally, hues of green and pink scatter the walls of the Modelmaker’s two workshops in 1972. Here she begins her animation studio. Her workshops are a gateway to a miniature world. Image: Render: Beth Williams

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The house dares to consider the possibility that the imaginary worlds we conjured and
created over our lives, are never lost. The Keeper of My Memories provides hope for the
dreamers. — The house dares to consider the possibility that the imaginary worlds we conjured and created over our lives, are never lost. The Keeper of My Memories provides hope for the dreamers. Image: Render: Beth Williams

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The winners of the 38th Dulux Colour Awards, announced at the Sydney Opera House on Thursday 30 May were selected from 83 finalists across New Zealand and Australia — COMMON Architecture + Interiors’ Seven Colourful Little Houses taking out the Grand Prix Award for New Zealand.

“It is fitting that this year’s awards were presented at the Sydney Opera House, for it is the embodiment of exceptional design and precedent-setting architecture, qualities that the programme epitomises,” says Davina Harper, Dulux New Zealand Colour Specialist. “We aim to identify innovative expressions of colour in the built environment and, in doing so, to highlight the transformative potential of colour when combined with great design.”

The New Zealand Grand Prix winner, COMMON Architecture + Interiors, takes a simple idea and applies it with great care and deep conviction. “Seven Colourful Little Houses, literally a row of low-cost houses in outer Christchurch, prompts a rethink of the possibilities of urban development,” says Harper. “It sets an exciting new precedent for this typology, highlighting colour as a cost-effective, joy-inducing and highly impactful design strategy.”

Dan Sullivan and Kristy Jarman from COMMON, Grand Prix winners with their awards at the Sydney Opera House. Image: Courtesy of Dulux

Similarly, the Australian Grand Prix winner, Alexandria House, was unanimously applauded for its commitment to a singular gesture in the application of Dulux Cumberland Red, a deep burnished red to the ceiling of the home. The unpredictability of this design strategy redefines the genre and demonstrates the strength of an original idea and the power of colour to transform our experience of architecture says Dulux.

Both Grand Prix winners demonstrate the breadth of this year’s offerings, which saw projects of all types exemplifying outstanding original colour usage, from regional schools to inner-city retail outlets, an underground dining establishment, a heritage leisure club and a tiny gelato bar.

“Although all these projects are quite distinct, there are some strong directions that have emerged from this year’s winning projects,” says Harper. “Colour blocking has been used to great effect across several projects in which spatial boundaries have been defined through colour alone. We are also seeing colour saturation in internal and external applications, which requires a level of commitment, and a deep understanding, of colour.”

Beth Williams, poses with her Student Award at Sydney Opera House. Image: Courtesy of Dulux

In an exciting move, this year’s awards programme has been expanded to include temporary or installation design as a standalone category in recognition of this growing area of design. The inaugural winning project, Community Hall at the NGV’s 2023 Melbourne Now exhibition, is a brave, visual feast of colour and testament to the sophistication of this genre.

The carnival-inspired colours of the Community Hall were evident across a number of projects and categories, to varying degrees of intensity, indicating a prowess to designing with fun in mind. By contrast, earthy tones were also embraced, particularly deep rusty reds in external and internal applications, as well as dusky blues, warm greys and browns.

“If there is a dominant theme this year, it is the use of colour in all-encompassing ways, from coating every surface of a room in a single shade to painting an entire building in tonal graduations of one colour,” says Harper. “In doing so, architects and designers are transforming our built environment, enhancing the user experience and challenging what we will accept as the traditional norm, especially once we see the potential of colour used in such ways.”

Due to the high calibre of the 83 finalists, this year’s judging panel of respected design-industry professionals undertook a rigorous process of consultation to determine the results. The panel comprised: Sarosh Mulla, Director of Pac Studio; Shaun Carter, Founder of Carter Williamson; Monique Woodward, Co-Founder of WOWOWA Architecture; Eva-Marie Prineas, Founder of Studio Prineas and Nick Travers, Co-Director of Technē Architecture + Interior Design.

“In awarding this year’s winners, who designed an exemplary range of projects, each of which contributes positively to our built environment in a unique way, we also commend all the finalists for lifting the bar so high and demonstrating what it truly means to design with colour,” says Harper. “It is an honour for us at Dulux to collaborate with such exceptional innovators across both New Zealand and Australia.”