World Festival of Interiors, a sister festival of World Architecture Festival (WAF), has announced its 2021 shortlist, revealing the best interior designs around the world.

For those who have been inside the same four walls over lockdown, this year’s INSIDE shortlist is sure to sate the appetite for fresh ideas, inspiration and beautiful interiors, revealing over 100 of the very best designed bars, restaurants, hotels, workplaces and homes by some of the world’s foremost design and architecture firms.

Bates Smart, Perkins & Will, Populous, Woods Bagot and FJMT Studio are among the world architects and designers shortlisted in this year's INSIDE. 

The shortlist comprises eleven categories, including Education, Retail, Hotels, Public Buildings, Residential (housing more than one dwelling), Residential (single dwelling), Health and Fitness, Bars & Restaurants, Workplace (large), Worksplace (small) and Meanwhile Spaces.

Bars & Restaurants category, Office AIO, Basic Coffee, Beijing, China. Image © Yujie Liu

Whether it’s retail spaces that resemble luxury hotels, schools that echo workspaces or offices that could double as art galleries, entries from across the 11 categories, supported by Miele, in this year’s shortlist subvert expectations and blur boundaries, showing the fluidity in today’s interior design trends. 

Projects in the Public Building category help re-envision the value design can bring to public life, with entries ranging from the bright and bold Memphis Group inspired museum Ya Space by PIG Design, to Russia’s Ivanovo railroad station, refurbished by Faber Group to preserve its unique decorative elements and cultural heritage.

Within the Hotel category, Opus by Zaha Hadid Architects in Dubai goes up against a capsule hotel in a village deep in the forest in Zhejiang province, China, while in the Bars and Restaurants category, Seven Dials Food Hall by Stiff + Trevillion Architects in London goes up against Greek restaurant Ilios in Cancun, by Filipao Nunes Arquitectos.

For those lusting after office interiors following many months working from home, this year’s shortlisted Workplace projects include Goop’s California HQ by Rapt Studio, Arup Sydney Offices by Hassell, a flexible London workspace by Squire & Partners and a readapted industrial building for a multi-disciplinary design practice in NSW, Australia.

Hotels category, ZHA's Opus in Dubai. Image © Laurian Ghinitoiu

"This year’s entries are the strongest we have ever had, and we look forward to seeing the finalists in Lisbon," said WAF programme director Paul Finch.

INSIDE will reconvene this year in Lisbon alongside the World Architecture Festival at the FIL exhibition centre, from 1-3 December. 

This is the first time the event has been hosted in the Portuguese capital, following previous editions in Amsterdam, Barcelona, Singapore and Berlin. 

This year’s awards attracted over 200 entries from over 30 countries, representing a 10% increase in submissions year on year. 

World Architecture Community is official Media Partner of WAF and INSIDE and will be bringing you the latest news about the festivals' speaker line-up, sessions and competitions. WAC readers can receive an exclusive 20% discount over delegate passes for WAF and INSIDE by entering this promo code online: WAC2020. Start your registrations on INSIDE's website.

Scroll down to see the full shortlist for INSIDE 2021:

SWS Group, Qingdao four seasons flowery café, Qingdao, China. Image courtesy of INSIDE

Bars & Restaurants 

Absence from island, Today is Long Cafe, Hong Kong SAR, China
Charrette Studio, Camin Cuisine and Cafe, Bangkok, Thailand
Filipao Nunes Arquitectos, Ilios Cancun, Cancun, Quintana Roo, Mexico
Huiyimingcheng, Hong Japanese Cuisine, Xi'an, China
ISTO, KHLEBNY, Kyiv, Ukraine
NONG STUDIO, The Exchange Bar, Shanghai Blackstone Apartment, Shanghai, China
Office AIO, Basic Coffee, Beijing, China
PIA Interior Company Limited, Gentry Club, Hong Kong, China
PIA Interior Company Limited, Sirimahannop, Bangkok, Thailand
Rapt Studio, Coffee Movement, San Francisco, United States
Stiff + Trevillion Architects, Seven Dials Food Hall, London, United Kingdom
SWS Group, Qingdao four seasons flowery café, Qingdao, China 

Fan Architectural Firm (FANAF), Flowing chapter-Jiangwan City Children's Activity Center, Nanjing, China. Image courtesy of INSIDE

Education

Design Union Studio , NYC Kids Club, Shijiazhuang, Shijiazhuang , China
Fan Architectural Firm (FANAF), Flowing chapter-Jiangwan City Children's Activity Center, Nanjing, China
fjmtstudio, UTS Central , Sydney, Australia
Liljewall, MAF Arkitektkontor, Kunskapshuset (House of Knowledge), Gällivare, Sweden
Rapt Studio, The Schoolhouse, Mountain View, California, United States

Pedra Silva Arquitectos, Maida Smiles Dental Clinic, London, United Kingdom. Image courtesy of INSIDE

Health & Fitness

Atelier Alter Architects., PLLC, BIT Sports Center, Beijing, China
Bates Smart, The Gandel Wing, Melbourne, Australia
Matrix Design, SUNAC Chongqing One Sino Park, Chongqing, China
Matrix Design, Suzhou Yango Tanyuan Sales Center, Suzhou, China
Matsuya Art Works.co.ltd., Midlight Runway, Nishinomiya City, Japan
Pedra Silva Arquitectos, Maida Smiles Dental Clinic, London, United Kingdom
Vermilion Zhou, BodyConcept Pilates Studio, Shanghai, China
Vermilion Zhou, Green Massage, Shanghai, China

line+, Cloud of Hometown Resort Hotel, Tai'an, China. Image courtesy of INSIDE

Hotels

Atelier tao+c, Capsule hostel and bookstore in village qinglongwu, Hangzhou, China
IXI Design, The View from the Well, Yangshuo, China
line+, Cloud of Hometown Resort Hotel, Tai'an, China
Manea Kella, Casa Popeea, Braila, Romania
Montalba Architects, Nobu Hotel Palo Alto, Palo Alto, California, United States
PANORAMA Design Group, MeeHotel, Shenzhen, China
Studio Locomotive, Hotel Gahn, Phang Nga, Thailand
YANG & ASSOCIATES GROUP, Kempinski Hotel Nanjing, Nanjing, China
Yesim Kozanli Architecture & Interior Design, Mercure Hotel Trabzon, Trabzon, Turkey
Zaha Hadid Architects, Opus, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

PIG Design, Ya Space!, Hangzhou, China. Image courtesy of INSIDE

Public Buildings 

a9architects, Fangsuo Fangting, Chengdu, China
Atelier Alter Architects., PLLC, Yingliang Stone Natural History Museum, Xiamen, China
Atelier Global, Shenzhen Longhua Book City, Shenzhen, China
COX Architecture, Sydney Coliseum Theatre, West HQ, Sydney, Australia
DA INTEGRATING LIMITED, KennaXu Gallery, Shenzhen, China
FABER GROUP, A TRAIN STATION AS AN EPOCH, Ivanovo, Russia
INNOCAD architecture, KNOWLEDGE AND COMMUNICATION CENTER LEOBEN, Leoben, Austria
JAC studios ApS, The Museum of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
KLID (Kris Lin Interior Design), Textile, Deqing, Huzhou, China
LSD Interior Design, Xi'an Fangsuo Commune, Xi'an, China
Matrix Design, China Merchants Zhanjiang Cruise Terminal Sales Center, Zhanjiang, China
Matrix Design, Poly Times Sales Center, Chengdu, China
Matrix Design, Yango Nanjing Winner Land Mansion Sales Center, Nanjing, China
Panshine Interior Design Co., Ltd., Pingjiang·Xinzhuyayuan Sales Center, Suzhou, China
PIG Design, Ya Space!, Hangzhou, China
Populous Ltd., Tottenham Hotspur Stadium General Admission Interiors, London, United Kingdom
ST Design, K11 Musea Carpark, Hong Kong, China

PONE Architecture, The Home for a Brand New Start, Shenzhen, China. Image courtesy of INSIDE

Residential (Housing more than one dwelling)

LSD Interior Design, Nanjing VANKE the Noble Garden Heyuan, Nanjing, China
LSD Interior Design, Nanjing VANKE the Noble Garden Xiaoyuan, Nanjing, China
PONE Architecture, The Home for a Brand New Start, Shenzhen, China
WJ Design, Dangui Garden, Hangzhou, China

Wei Yi international design associates, Window of soul, Taiwan. Image courtesy of INSIDE

Residential (Single dwelling)

doT & associates, House ½ , Taoyuan City, Taiwan
Essence Space Design, The Hidden House, Taichung City, Taiwan
Hangzhou Guanghe Art Design Co., Ltd. & Hangzhou Dianshang Building Decoration Design Co., Ltd., Light Mix house, Hangzhou, China
Jorge Yulo Architects & Associates, La Cabaña de Resureccion, Calamba City, Philippines
MUHO Design Studio, Narrative of Stacking, New Taipei City, Taiwan
OHLAB, CASA PALERM, Lloret de Vistalegre, Mallorca, Spain
Studio Arthur Casas, MW Apartment, Recife, Brazil
Wei Yi international design associates, Window of soul, Taiwan
Yu [ i ] Design Studio, Articulation of a White Prelude, Taipei City, Taiwan

Atelier tao+c, JOLOR STORE, Shanghai, China. Image courtesy of INSIDE

Retail

A2M, Endless bookstore, Moscow, Russia
AD ARCHITECTURE, TRONGYEE Boutique, Shantou City, China
AIM-ARCHITECTURE, Harmay Beijing Flagship Store, Beijing, China
Atelier tao+c, JOLOR STORE, Shanghai, China
Benoy Limited, David Jones Elizabeth Street, Sydney, Australia
DAS Lab, Holiland Concept Store, Shanghai, China
External Reference, Presentedby x Level Shoes, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Matrix Design, 1-7 Bread Fangda City Shop, Shenzhen, China
Office AIO, Shop O, Chengdu, China
Russell & George, Sarah & Sebastian, Melbourne, Australia
SH Int’l Design Inc, OLYMPUS PLAZA TAIPEI, Taipei, Taiwan
ST Design collaborate with Strategic Design Department of New World Development Company Limited, Flavour Funhouse, Hong Kong, China
Strategic Design Department of New World Development Company Limited collaborated with 1:1 ltd, Muse Edition, Hong Kong, China
Superorganism Creative and Design Practice, H.N.LIN Design Center JULU758 showroom, Shanghai, China
WJ Design, Liangzhu center of arts, Hangzhou, China
Woods Bagot, Wuhan Greenland 606 Centre, Wuhan, China
www.w-a-a.cn, WeMarket, Beijing, China

Atelier Alter Architects., PLLC, WuliEpoch Culture Center, Beijing, China. Image courtesy of INSIDE

Temporary/Meanwhile Uses

Atelier Alter Architects., PLLC, WuliEpoch Culture Center, Beijing, China
BVN, Re-ply, New York City, USA
doT & associates, Fruitfulness, Taichung City, Taiwan
Fan Architectural Firm (FANAF), Time art museum-Gold Pedestal Group Feiyan Cultural Industry District Investment Promotion, Nanjing, China
Rooi Design and Research, Furniture Pavilion S, Shanghai, China

HASSELL, Arup Sydney, Sydney, Australia. Image courtesy of INSIDE

Workplace (Large)

AI Group, AI Group Office, Taipei City, Taiwan
DAGA Architects, JINMAO CAPITAL J SPACE OFFICE, Beijing, China
Decibel Architecture, Flinders Gate NextHome, Melbourne, Australia
DP Design, Design Headquarters, Singapore
Fan Architectural Firm (FANAF), Refurbishment of International Demonstration School of Architecture, Nanjing, China
HASSELL, Arup Sydney, Sydney, Australia
HASSELL, Transurban Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
HONG Designworks (Xi'an), Chinlink Office, Xi'an, China
maos design, IDEO, Shanghai, China
Ministry of Design Pte Ltd, YTL Headquarters, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Montalba Architects, Headspace SM Campus, Santa Monica, California, United States
Perkins&Will, Treasury Dock, Dublin, Ireland
Rapt Studio, Goop Headquarters, Santa Monica, California, United States
Squire & Partners LLP, x+why, People's Mission Hall, London, United Kingdom
Woods Bagot, CBA Axle South Eveleigh, Sydney, Australia

Smart Design Studio, Smart Design Studio, NSW, Australia. Image courtesy of INSIDE

Workplace (Small)

FR-EE, Kering Mexico, Mexico City, Mexico
J.C.Architecture, Comma Lab, New Taipei City, Taiwan
KTX archiLAB, Toshin Post-Pandemic, Osaka, Japan
Matsuya Art Works.co.ltd., The PolyCuboid, Himeji City, Japan
Perkins+Will, Mansueto Office, Chicago, IL, United States
Smart Design Studio, Smart Design Studio, NSW, Australia
Vantree Design, Guangzhou Good World Plaza Office, Guangzhou, China
WJ Design, Lingdi Office, Hangzhou, China
Woods Bagot, A global information and technology company Shanghai Headquarter, Shanghai, China

During the festival, to compete for one of the eleven INSIDE category awards, and the overall winner of the ‘World Interior of the Year’ nominees will present their projects to a ‘Super Jury’ that includes: Nigel Coates, Director, Nigel Coates Studio; Oliver Salway, Founder, Softroom; Vesna Petresin, Visiting Fellow at Goldsmiths, University of London, and Johnny Chiu, Founder, J.C. Architecture.

> via INSIDE