The winners of the Staron Design Awards 2019 have been announced across the three major categories of Commercial, Residential and Concept design work. The Awards were established to shine a light on designers, architects and students who have used Staron products in exceptional applications.

Lisa Schiffermuller and Liane Jarvie of Ellivo Architects have placed first in the Commercial design category. The pair have been recognised for their formidable application of Staron Solid Surfaces at The Whistle Dixie Bar and Café. The space is located on the ground floor of Aurizon’s 15-storey office building in Fortitude Valley, Queensland.

Inspired by Aurizon’s business as Australia’s largest rail freight operator, the design concept for the space was distinctly influenced by the form of trains. Schiffermuller and Jarvie have modelled the main counter and bar off derailed carriages and positioned the woodwork above to represent train tracks. As a salient feature of The Whistle Dixie, the main bar counter was made using Staron Solid Surfaces in Supreme Morning Sky because of its functional application, as a bar surface needs to be strong, durable and resistant to staining.

Staron was also specified because the Staron surface can be curved through thermoforming to allow the creation of the train-like form that was envisioned by the designers. To further enrich the connection to the design concept, Schiffermuller and Jarvie chose to have the fabricator use a router on the Staron surface to create a pattern that resembles the pattern found on some train carriages.

Placing first in the Residential category of the competition, Ashley Maddison from AM Interior Studio has been lauded for her excellence in design for a kitchen in a family home in Balmoral, Queensland.

Given creative freedom by her client, Maddison set out to design a beautiful kitchen that still had practical features. Maddison chose to use a Staron Solid Surface in the colour Metallic Yukon because of its seamless and monolithic aesthetic, due to its colour and the fact that it has no open joints. The surface was thermoformed to create curves that wrap around the kitchen island and are clad along the cabinetry, extending up on to the benchtop. Maddison also chose Staron for its functional use in the kitchen area as a surface that is low maintenance and non-porous in nature.

A kitchen design has also won the Concept category for design excellence. The winner, Shilpa Mohan from DDC Architecture + Interior design has been recognised for her outstanding application of Staron surfaces in her clean, minimalistic design concept for a kitchen space.

The curved island features Staron Solid Surface in Supreme Dawn clad on the vertical cabinetry of the island and continuing up on to the benchtop. To create an integrated cooking space that is easily cleaned and maintained, Mohan has also featured Staron in a sleek continuation from the back benchtop, on the splashback and also on the base of the overhead cabinets. The result is a concept that balances the necessity of functionality in the home with the desire for visually pleasing form, which could be easily applied in any contemporary kitchen project.

Program open dates for the Staron Design Awards 2020 are set to be announced soon.