Dulux 2025 Colour Awards Finalists Announced

Eighty-eight finalists from Australia and New Zealand have been named in this year’s Dulux Colour Awards across residential, commercial, installation and student categories.

Bolder palettes, coloured ceilings and trims, tonal graduations and colour washing … just a few of the trends embraced by finalists in the 2025 Dulux Colour Awards. “We should no longer be surprised by the ingenuity we see in this awards program,” says Andrea Lucena-Orr, Dulux’s colour and communications manager. “Year after year, we are presented with an extraordinary array of exceptional colour use that exemplifies the pivotal role colour plays in spatial understanding, place-making and mood setting.”

“Irrespective of scale, scope or program, the palettes and applications evident in each category consistently challenge stereotypes.”

Unsurprisingly, projects by the country’s leading A&D practices feature heavily in the list. These include Kennedy Nolan’s landmark Melbourne Place hotel, Hilltop residence in regional Victoria by Flack Studio, Adrian William offices in Sydney’s Newtown by Richards Stanisich, Matrix Education’s Headquarters in Parramatta by SJB, Tom Mark Henry’s Cucina Regina restaurant in The Star Brisbane and two Sydney homes by Arent&Pyke, Bay House and Wharf House.

Finalists have moved beyond common design tropes in respect to both the colours they’ve chosen and how they’ve utilised those colours, says Lucena-Orr. “Irrespective of scale, scope or program, the palettes and applications evident in each category consistently challenge stereotypes: a sporting complex with a luxe suite of colours more usually seen in high-end hospitality; a community hub finely clad in joyous hues resulting in an intelligent show of place-making; and a depot that turns expectations on their head via nuanced colour graduations, while its industrial origins are still respected.”

“The freedom of expression possible in non-permanent projects is being harnessed wholeheartedly by designers in this genre.”

There are eight categories in the annual awards, ranging from commercial interiors in the public/hospitality and workplace/retail sectors to single residential interiors and student work. A new category, temporary and installation design, was introduced in 2024 in acknowledgement of the interesting work happening across that space, and remains a pivotal inclusion this year.

Brahman Perera’s LANDMARK by Lexus Pavilion at the Melbourne Spring Carnival and CJ Cornish and Locki Humphrey’s Overlay | A New Australian Heritage, presented as part of Melbourne Design Week, are just two examples of “some of the most innovative and exciting works across the entire program,” according to Lucena-Orr. “The freedom of expression possible in non-permanent projects is being harnessed wholeheartedly by designers in this genre.”

Warm whites remain a consistent presence, bolstered by grey-beige tones – ‘greiges’ – misty greens and soft blues.

Burgundies, sage greens and gold-yellows are among the bolder colour choices that dominate residential interiors but warm whites remain a consistent presence, too, bolstered by grey-beige tones – ‘greiges’ – misty greens and soft blues. Colour washing “has been employed as a design device across all elements,” while coloured lighting has “further enhanced the impact of palettes and treatments.”

The six judges, who include architect Kerstin Thompson and Andrew Parr, head of interiors at SJB, have a daunting task ahead and a deadline to meet – the winners of the 39th annual awards will be announced at the National Gallery of Victoria on May 28.