The annual Homes & Gardens Design Awards is a recognition of the best names in design. From private homes and boutique hotels to gardens and restaurants, this year’s project winners demonstrate why design excellence transcends boundaries – creating environments that are as functional as they are beautiful.
1. Best UK residential project
Winner: Chelsea Barracks penthouse in Chelsea, London, Studio Atkinson
(Image credit: Design: Studio Atkinson Photography: Christopher Horwood)
For this five-bedroom new-build apartment surrounded by a wraparound terrace, the task was to transform what was a relatively blank canvas with a plain, square layout into a characterful, sophisticated home that tied into the building’s history while feeling contemporary and fresh.
Studio Atkinson combined antiques and traditional fabrics with modern elements and creating a series of intimate areas with their own distinct feel helped to achieve this.
2. Best global residential project
Joint winner: Farmhouse in downtown Nantucket, Massachusetts, McQuaide Co.
(Image credit: Matt Kisiday)
The New York-based firm McQuaide Co. refreshed this 125-year-old home on a narrow lane using a scheme of moody blues, greys, and greens, taking its cue from the island’s foggy sea air.
Joint winner: Canyon ranch in Montecito, California, VSP Interiors
(Image credit: Paul Massey)
A typical Californian home with an open-plan layout was transformed by VSP interiors with an Italian Renaissance-inspired look featuring a jewel-toned palette, rich textiles, and antiques.
3. Best bathroom design
Winner: Montpelier Square in Knightsbridge, London, Christian Bense
(Image credit: Alexander James)
This main en suite in a listed 19th-century townhouse has been designed by Christian Bense to be whimsical yet elegant, with opulent wallpaper and patinated wood, marble, and pearl-toned zellige tiles in a concealed washstand.
4. Best kitchen design
Winner: Woodland estate in the Cotswolds, Hamilford Design in collaboration with Hetherington Newman
(Image credit: Darren Chung)
This nature-inspired scheme by Hamilford Design in collaboration with Hetherington Newmanreflects the rural location with raw oak and moss green-painted joinery, elevated by marble and bronze details.
5. Best sustainable project
Winner: Edge House in Ceredigion, Wales, Hyde + Hyde Architects
(Image credit: Martin Gardner)
This home on a clifftop by the sea was remodelled by Hyde + Hyde Architects to embrace and endure the wild elements. Glazing, a cantilever structure, natural stack ventilation, and insulated concrete boost energy efficiency and durability.
6. Best small space
Winner: Grade II-listed pied-à-terre apartment in Notting Hill, London, Studio L London
(Image credit: Studio L London)
The layout of this 44.2sq m flat in a historical building was reimagined by Studio L London to create an elegant, contemporary bijou apartment filled with restored original details, with ample storage space concealed throughout.
7. Best project by a newcomer
Winner: Victorian terrace in Stockwell, London, Studio Raymond
(Image credit: Rachael Smith)
Formerly a series of flats, this property has been reconfigured into a vibrant five-bed family home with a scheme executed by London-based design studio, Studio Raymond, that celebrates the clients’ Indian and Kenyan heritage with bold use of colour and pattern.
8. Best use of colour
Winner: Townhouse in Notting Hill, London, Studio Vero
(Image credit: Simon Brown)
The interiors of this Victorian property were designed by Studio Vero to be daring, expressive, and playful, while also functional for family living.
The South American roots of the owners are reflected throughout in the generous yet carefully considered use of vividly hued colours, rich textures, and vibrant patterns. The palettes have been curated to tie in harmoniously with the owners’ bold and varied art collection.
9. Best UK hotel design
Winner: The Netty in Oxford, Rachael Gowdridge
(Image credit: Dean Hearne)
An unconventional brief was presented to Rachael Gowdridge for this boutique hotel: to convert a former Victorian public lavatory into two modestly proportioned underground guest suites.
The luxurious results poetically capture the history and character of the area. Bespoke tile designs reflect trees from the Botanic Garden and custom tapestries echo works in the Ashmolean Museum. Traditional glass-block lightwells have been retained, creating a soft, dappled light.
10. Best global hotel design
Winner: Sun Siyam Pasikudah in Pasikudah, Sri Lanka, Studio Sixty7
(Image credit: Tom Fallon)
The inside of this 34-villa retreat was redesigned to tie into the lush coastline surroundings. The studio worked with local artisans on the serene look, formed by warm tones, tactile linens and crafted elements.
11. Best UK commercial project
Winner: The Britannic Explorer, Albion Nord for Belmond
(Image credit: Albion Nord for Belmond)
This luxurious sleeper train taps into the nostalgic romance of rail travel. The bar has a sophisticated yet cosseting ambience created by a warm palette, smart banquette seating and vintage-style lighting
12. Best global commercial project
Winner: The Nest restaurant in Frankfurt, Jolie
(Image credit: Billy Bolton)
A space conducive to relaxation and conversation was the goal for this urban eatery, where the calming effect of green limewash is playfully interjected by the colour pop of a bold red gloss and pink marble bar.
13. Best large residential garden
Winner: The Old Rectory in Kent, Farlam & Chandler
(Image credit: Julian Anderson)
Designed for a Queen Anne-style country home, this garden, designed by Farlam & Chandler, juxtaposes historical features such as original stone walls with the contemporary forms of a swimming pool area and pavilion. Elsewhere are pleached pear trees around a tennis court, an orchard, and wild-planted meadows.
14. Best small residential garden
Winner: A country garden in the city, Barnes, London, Butter Wakefield Garden Design
(Image credit: Alistar Thorpe)
The clients wanted the feel of a remote cottage garden in this suburban site. Butter Wakefield achieved a style that is relaxed and romantic, with a wildflower meadow and two ponds. A meandering path leads past a rose-covered pergola, verdant borders, and a Victorian-style greenhouse.