Andrew Martin’s Iconic Interior Design Award Celebrates 30 Years

The Andrew Martin Interior Designer of the Year Award is entering its thirties, and while styles and trends have changed (although arguably more 1990s trends have made a comeback this year than new ones have emerged), the award has remained a celebration of interior designers and interior design from across the globe.

This year marks the 30th anniversary, with Ben Pentreath named as the new winner. The awards also coincide with the release of Volume 30 of the annual Interior Design Review, which showcases 100 designers from around the world. Dubbed the ‘Bible of Interior Design’, it goes beyond simply highlighting amazing talent; it has become a reflection of design that extends beyond aesthetics to explore political and historical movements and changes. It’s a beautiful book to add to the coffee table, but also an invaluable resource that offers more than just pretty pictures.

‘When we launched the award in 1996, the idea was simple – find the very best interior designers, wherever they happen to be working, and give them a proper stage,' explains Martin Waller, founder of Andrew Martin. 'Our first winner was Kelly Hoppen, and that spirit of discovery has stayed with us ever since. It feels rather fitting that in our 30th year the award comes home to Britain, with Ben Pentreath.'

'The Review has grown up alongside the award. This year’s edition runs to over 500 pages and more than 1,200 photographs, and if you line up all thirty volumes on a shelf, you get a pretty good picture of how the way we live has changed – what we’ve fallen in and out of love with, and who’s been leading the way. It’s a working tool for designers as much as it’s a book to get happily lost in.'

'As for the 100, we’ve never been interested in simply rounding up the usual names. We now have designers from more than 30 countries in the awards’ community, and every year we put emerging talent right alongside people at the very top of their game. Some of the newer names produce the most exciting work in the book.'

Homes & Gardens caught up with four of the 100 designers featured in this year’s review, not only to gain insight into their personal styles and journeys, but also to get a sense of where design is heading. Jo Bee, Kara Childress, Gregory Mellor and Kavita Singh may have very different styles and backstories, and work in different parts of the world, but our conversations touched on some very similar topics.

We have all seen a huge shift away from fleeting trends, fast interiors and cookie-cutter spaces that might look pleasing but lack depth. All the designers agreed that interiors designed for life are where ‘trends’ are heading – homes that reflect the people who live in them, rather than following trends that won’t last until the end of the year.

AI was also a topic of interest, even excitement, with conversations exploring how it can help designers work with clients in ways that haven’t previously been possible. Evolving technology is something everyone approaches with a degree of caution, but its potential benefits lie in how it can broaden the possibilities for both designers and clients.

'I’m a big fan of Jo Bee. She marshals colour and pattern with real courage, and nobody else does it quite the way she does,' says Martin. 'Gregory Mellor follows a long line of wonderful South African designers. You can feel his connection to the African countryside in everything he does, and it’s what gives his pared-back luxury its character.'

'With Kara Childress, it’s all about texture – walls, ceilings, floors and doors, before you’ve even got to the furniture. She captures that quintessentially American balance of relaxed comfort and carefully organised elegance. And Kavita Singh is at the forefront of a generation of Indian designers drawing on the traditions and heritage of their culture to create a distinctively Indian vernacular.’

1. Jo Bee

Jo Bee's interiors are a master class in colour. And not the safe, muted colours we've all been getting braver with recently. Many of her palettes include bright pinks, vivid apple greens, and the brightest cobalt blues. And yet, despite her projects being full of joy and whimsy, they are always refined – the dramatic rainbow shades are sophisticated and surprisingly liveable.

'Growing up in Ilkley, West Yorkshire, within a family utterly captivated by art and property, design was in my blood,' Jo tells Homes & Gardens. 'My formal journey began at the London College of Fashion, immersing myself in the capital's vibrant creative scene, followed by Newcastle, where I studied Interior Architecture. In between, I lived in Milan and travelled the world, collecting inspiration and cramming my backpack with every unique and inspiring textile I could find along the way.'

'After several years of gaining invaluable experience within the interiors industry, and with the encouragement of my husband, I established Design by Jo Bee, my studio in Yorkshire. I successfully navigate the wonderful and chaotic balance of motherhood, with three children and our fourth and final little one on the way, alongside running the studio. Having won several industry awards over the last few years, I feel incredibly energised about the future. The next chapter for the studio will be focused on pushing my creative boundaries and further bringing my design and business dreams to life.'

'Now, I would define my aesthetic as joyful, eclectic, thoughtfully layered, and rich with colour. The evolution of personal style is a fascinating thing to me. Early in my career, my work was naturally guided by the briefs of my clients. Today, however, clients come to Design by Jo Bee precisely for our established, signature look. It has transformed the design process into an incredibly rewarding partnership – a shared, joyful exploration of space, colour and style.'

'What is most thrilling is the newfound bravery we are seeing from clients. People are shedding the fear of colour and are increasingly eager to make bold, expressive choices in both residential and commercial spaces. It is an incredibly liberating time to be a designer, and I am forever grateful to my clients for putting their trust in me.'

'I am thrilled to see homes looking increasingly lived-in and collected, rather than the sterile, perfectly staged interiors we have seen for so many years. Layered and character-rich interiors that tell a truly unique story of their inhabitants are so much more interesting to me, and it is wonderful to see this coming through more and more. I think this is certainly one of the biggest trends I am interested in.'

'I always hope for more pattern, more texture, more bravery, and more perfectly imperfect homes. I hope people fight back against simply following a trend because it exists and stay true to who they are, creating a slower, more collected home. I think it's easy to feel a little lost in the world these days, with social media making it seem so vastly overwhelming at times. Having a collected home feels personal and truly British.'

2. Kara Childress

Sophistication and livability come together in the projects of US-based designer Kara Childress. Her spaces are utterly classic, leaning toward the traditional, but transitional would be a better way to describe them. It's hard to pinpoint an exact style or era; rather, the spaces have a timelessness to them, subtly blending many different aesthetics to create homes that are truly unique. But her projects are never overly precious. She often works with families who want rooms they can actually use and that feel inviting, rather than overly curated.

'I founded my firm in 1985, and for many years I was a one-woman show,' Kara explains. 'As the business grew, I was invited into projects earlier, during the architectural and building stages, and that opened an entirely new dimension of the work for me. Today we are a team of six, and I still delight in the smallest details. They have always been my bread and butter, particularly when they allow us to create something that feels uniquely tailored to a family.'

'It is one of the greatest honors when a client asks us to return for another home. Over time, you come to know a family so well, and it is such a joy to watch their lives unfold in an entirely new setting. Our work now takes us across the country, from mountain retreats to oceanfront homes and ranches, often with several generations in mind. Looking ahead, I am heartened to see more people placing value on comfort and longevity. I have always wanted our homes to be striking, but just as importantly, I want them to be lived in and well-loved.'

'My approach always begins with the setting and the people who will call a home their own. That said, there are certain elements I find myself returning to again and again: classic silhouettes, time-worn materials, and pieces that only grow more handsome with age. I adore decorating with antiques, and I love the soul that reclaimed wood and stone bring to a room.'

'Earlier in my career, my style leaned a bit more formal and traditional. Raising four children, with puppies underfoot and now grandchildren, certainly taught me a few things about what a home needs to stand up to! I still appreciate a refined room, but I believe it should be one that everyone feels welcome to enjoy.'

'The homes closest to my heart are the ones a family hopes to pass down through generations. I love imagining the children and grandchildren who will grow up within those walls, gathering for holidays and summers and every ordinary day in between. Helping to create a place that will hold those memories is a true privilege, and there is no greater reward than seeing a family cherish a home in that way.'

'Right now, something that's genuinely exciting me is AI. I am still discovering all that it can do, but I can already see how helpful it might be in allowing a homeowner to envision a space more clearly before it comes to life. I don’t believe it will ever replace the relationships or the craftsmanship at the heart of designing a home, but I am curious to see how it can support the work we do every day.'

'I am also delighted to see more attention being paid to the bones of a house. It is one of the reasons I so enjoy being involved during the architectural phase, because the architecture and interiors should feel as though they have always belonged together. Reclaimed stone and timber play a wonderful role in that conversation. These materials will be part of a home for generations, so they deserve just as much care as anything else we bring into the rooms.'

'While I have never been one to chase trends, I am really enjoying the return of color. I have always loved neutrals and those wonderful muddy, earthy shades, so for me, color often arrives through a time-softened antique textile or a piece of furniture. You don’t have to change everything to give a space a little more character.'

'I am also seeing clients make room for the pastimes they love most, whether that is a standing mahjong game or perfecting their golf swing. Those projects are such fun because I get to learn something new, too! I always want to understand how a family will use a room so we can tailor it beautifully to them. One principle I always come back to is ensuring a home feels right for its surroundings. Whatever comes next in design, I hope we continue to honor every home’s sense of place.'

3. Gregory Mellor

South African designer Gregory Mellor, who is based in Sydney, Australia, has been appreciating good design since childhood and started his own firm more than 15 years ago. His style, although he is quick to point out that his aesthetic is fluid and dependent on the home and the client, has a clear thread of effortlessly laid-back luxury. His spaces are intricately layered and filled with texture. The colors are rich and the silhouettes intriguing, with antique pieces mixing with contemporary designs to create rooms that feel authentic and elegant.

'My interest in interiors goes back as long as I can remember,' says Gregory. 'At the time, it wasn't considered entirely normal for a young boy to sit on the floor poring over his grandmother's old decor magazines, or discussing the merits of curtain pelmets and wallpaper borders with his mother.'

'I initially studied architecture, which seemed a more respectable pursuit, but my real interest was always in interiors. As soon as I discovered that one could actually study interior design, I changed course. I went on to work with Thomas Hamel in Sydney, Australia, which I consider to have been the ultimate design education. It was there that my eye was refined and my design and decorative vocabulary expanded enormously.'

'I established my own practice in 2010, which has grown gradually over the years. In 2022, the brilliant Marc du Toit joined me as business partner. We remain a relatively small team, but a very happy and focused one, and we'd like to keep it that way.'

'As a studio, we've always tried to avoid developing an obvious signature style. I'd much rather our work be recognised for its sensitivity to place, architecture and the people who inhabit the spaces, than for a particular aesthetic that we impose on every project. Of course, there are inevitably certain hallmarks in the way we approach proportion, architectural detailing, furniture arrangements and the layering of decorative elements.'

'Personally, I've always been drawn to interiors that feel collected rather than decorated, with a sense of history, warmth and individuality. I think my approach has become more instinctive and perhaps less self-conscious over the years. I'm increasingly comfortable with things that don't necessarily match, or that might seem slightly unexpected together. Often it's those combinations that give a room its character.'

'The extraordinary access we now have to suppliers, auction houses, antique dealers and craftspeople around the world is really exciting. It's opened up so many possibilities for creating interiors that feel genuinely layered, individual, and collected over time, rather than sourced from a handful of familiar places. I'm also very excited by the tools that AI is beginning to offer us, particularly in communicating design ideas to clients. Being able to explore and illustrate different possibilities relatively quickly is enormously helpful. It doesn't replace the creative process, but it can make that process more fluid and collaborative.'

'We do try to avoid following trends as much as possible. Our work is largely instinctive, and we prefer to let the architecture, location and setting inform the design rather than looking to whatever happens to be fashionable at the time. That said, I think the growing appreciation for interiors that feel layered and individual will continue. There's an increasing interest in antiques, objects with a history, textiles, pattern and colour, and in mixing things from different periods and cultures.'

'Perhaps it's a reaction to the rather anonymous, homogeneous and overly curated interiors we've seen so much of in recent years. I hope there's a continued move towards rooms that feel more personal, less perfect and ultimately more interesting.'

4. Kavita Singh

Mumbai-based designer Kavita Singh has been in the industry for over 30 years, developing a truly unique style that's a feast for the eyes. Filled with color, texture, and beautiful prints and fabrics, her spaces bring together Indian design with influences from across the globe, creating interiors that are quietly and elegantly eclectic.

'I would describe my style as elegant, timeless, and Classique – defined by a strong sense of aesthetics, an eye for detail, and individuality,' explains Kavita. 'As a self-taught interior designer, my work is deeply influenced by my personal style. Over the years, exposure to different cultures through my travels, reading, and keen observation has allowed my style to evolve. This practice has enabled me to experiment with trends while embracing a more refined and glamorous aesthetic that resonates with current global trends and markets.'

'My favourite project will always be my own home. It is the most personal expression of who I am, reflecting my personality, thought process, and aesthetic sensibilities. Every corner has a story to tell, from the objects I have collected over the years to the art, textures, and details that hold a special meaning for me. Unlike any other project, my home gives me the freedom to experiment, follow my instincts, and bring together things I truly love. For me, it is not just a space I have designed, but the ultimate reflection of my journey, my memories, and my evolving design philosophy.'

'What's exciting me most in the design world right now is moving away from spaces that feel overly designed. I’m drawn to interiors that have a sense of history, personality, and a story of their own, where contemporary pieces can sit comfortably alongside antiques, art, and objects.'

'I’m also very moved by the renewed appreciation for craftsmanship: beautiful stone, aged wood, handwoven textiles, metalwork, and things made by hand rather than mass-produced. Urban homes are developing a growing appreciation for traditional craftsmanship, textiles, and decorative pillars. At the same time, new technology and AI are opening doors to innovation in interior styling. Ultimately, I love interiors that feel collected over time – intimate, slightly unexpected, and very much reflective of the person who lives there.'

'I see old styles coming back, but not literally. We’re not going to recreate a room from the 1940s or the 1970s. Instead, we’ll take elements from those periods and mix them with contemporary pieces. Antiques, dark woods, old mirrors, traditional craftsmanship, and beautiful, slightly imperfect objects will find their way back into very modern homes.'

'I think the real trend for the coming year is personality over perfection. New opportunities are opening up for young designers, thanks to AI and the instant availability of global market research data. Amid all this, I still feel people will value things that are handmade, individual, and carry a sense of history.'

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