What will you be looking forward to while judging the Interior Awards 2021?
CM: I’m looking forward to engaging with the other jury members and learning from them as well as engaging in the interior projects presented. I’ll be searching for an idea, or a series of ideas, that are well-executed, regardless of the budget – a tight budget can be a good constraint – as well as other factors to be considered.
What’d one of your favourite interior spaces (one that’s inspired you or your design thinking) from the past decade? Either here in New Zealand or overseas.
Craig Moller (CM): The New York Cafe in Budapest is located in the base of the Anantara New York Palace Budapest Hotel. It is a completely over-the-top Baroque interior by New Zealand standards, for breakfast, lunch and dinner, on a scale not often seen in typical dining settings. The dining experience is further enhanced by a string quartet playing at one end of the grand space. There is a mix of generous, single-level areas with double-height spaces where the breakfast buffet is located.
If you could design an interior project for anyone, who would it be and why?
CM: A library space, which could be for anyone but, preferably, someone with a large collection of books, such as a well-read US President. But, maybe not the most recent one. It would be similar to the John Soane Museum but for books rather than a collection. And, ideally, this collection would be publically accessible.
