2025 Gallery
Premier Award for Australian Interior Design
J.AR OFFICE for Central
Central spotlights the artistry and drama of Cantonese cooking while paying homage to corporate-core 1980s Hong Kong. A residue of raucous nights past lines the storied basement tenancy. Like the office towers looming overhead, an illuminated ceiling floods the kitchen-come stage while dinners eagerly await the next culinary act.
Jury Citation
Central is a highly inventive project executed with a level of cleverness that uses constraints to its advantage. The project takes a difficult existing site and makes the compressed ceiling heights the feature by bravely placing kitchen service at the core, illuminating its reduced depth. This creates animation and conviviality and heroes patrons, who are seated at differing levels. The bespoke curtains provide a sense of excitement in terms of what lies beyond and an engaging material feature. Building on the archaeology of the setting, the design narrative of 1980s Hong Kong and the artistry of Cantonese cooking also gives an opportunity to create a theatrical performance around the ritual of eating. The jury highly praised Central for being a superior example of emotive interior design, with everything it brings through its crafting of core principles working to create a space for fun, raucous nights out. It is quite simply a brilliant project.
