Today we will focus on a short list of the latest award-winning interior spaces and architectural feats that you must not miss.

Index architecture and Design Awards highlights  the Middle East’s best architecture and design projects from the last 12 months. This year’s award winners showcase a diversity of talent, style and depth, bringing together new residential projects, hospitality designs, restaurant interiors, cultural centers and more.

Index is currently the Middle East’s largest interior design event, hosting more than 1000 exhibitors during the 4-day showcase. Here are some of mine favorite picks from the 2018 INDEX award-winners.

Best Café, Bar or Lounge Design Project

Broadway Interior: LSB

Lock, Stock and Barrel was inspired by the trend of casual, industrial and live music venues in trendy cities.

Lock, Stock & Barrel recently won “bar team of the year” at the caterer middle east awards 2017, “best new bar” at the hype awards 2017, “best bar food” at the 2017 time out restaurant awards and was voted dubai’s “bar of the year” at the 2017 time out music & nightlife awards.

Best Institutional, Sports or Educational Design Project

Hoehler + alSalmy: History of Science Centre

The History of Science Centre, an exhibition and conference facility at the German University of Technology Oman (GUtech) in Muscat, designed by Hoehler + alSalmy architects, has been inaugurated recently. The building houses replicas of some of the earliest groundbreaking innovations from the Islamic world.

Best Refurbishment Design Project

S2 Interiors: VX studio

A combination of partially closed and open plan office environments, it boasts flexible workspaces to encourage employee interaction and collaboration and ideal for private meetings, personal time for staff or group discussions and collaborations.

Best Restaurant Design Project

Creneau International Middle East: Cho Gao

As Cho Gao is an existing franchise concept of Creneau International, their main challenge for this location was to redevelop the identity and design, create a higher end style, enhancing the experience and taking the Cho Gao concept on an evolutionary journey; to solidify its status in the market without losing or alienating its existing customers and retaining the key identity that is Cho Goa.

The design inspiration is driven from the Asian rice and street market. This can be seen in the design by the seating layout, how each area can feel quite transient atmosphere, yet still delivers a sense of intimacy with the dividing display shelves, the theatrical open kitchen and sushi counter

Best Residential Design Project

Signature D T Real Estate Development: The 118

Home to an exclusive collection of full-floor residences, the 46-storey apartment Building has been developed by Signature Estates Developers. The Owners, through their vision of a truly unique address, and exploring the prospect of lateral living, collaborated and co-created the interiors of the 118 with design firm Hirsch Bedner Associates (Dubai). The brief was to create a living domain that reflects comforts and conveniences of a pristine private mansion, paralleled with cosmopolitan living.

Best Hospitality Design Project

WA International: Renaissance Downtown Hotel

The hotel boasts 298 guestrooms, including 65 suites each with Burj Khalifa or Dubai Water Canal views. The design, led by Dubai-based interior design firm WA International, entices with its modern, but distinctly local interiors and numerous design features that can be seen in both public areas and guestrooms.

The Renaissance was a study of the growth of Dubai and its basic composition; the building of a city literally ‘out of the sand and water’ to create concrete and glass structures.

Design Firm of the Year

Bishop Design by Paul Bishop

Just uttering the name Bishop Design is enough to concoct vivid mental images of the high class, elegant and 5-star dining environments present at restaurants in the top tier of the Middle East’s F&B scene. The source of this creative magic comes from Paul Bishop, Founder & MD of Bishop Design LLC/Rogue. A seasoned interior designer, Paul’s ubiquitous influence in the hospitality design industry stems from a long list of successful projects; incredibly popular ones include Baxzar restaurant in DIFC and Katana Robata and Sushi Bar at Souk Al Bahar.