Xokol restaurant named best interior as Dezeen Awards interiors winners revealed

Jessica Smee | 28 November 2023

Xokol has won Dezeen Awards 2023 interiors project of the year following the announcement of all nine interiors category winners, which were revealed at this evening's ceremony.

The nine winners awarded in Dezeen's annual awards programme are located in nine different countries including Canada, Switzerland, Italy, UAE and China.

Xokol crowned interiors project of the year

Xokol by Ruben Valdez Practice and ODAmx won the prestigious interiors project of the year award, sponsored by Moroso. It was also named restaurant and bar interior of the year.

The interiors master jury praised the restaurant in Guadalajara for understanding the distinct characteristics of its environment.

"Xocol understands the place where it lives and the importance of designing in a specific way for a specific location," said the master jury. "The result of this understanding is deep and poetic."

"The restaurant uses an unconventional and beautiful combination of Mexican and European design references to create a cross-cultural dining space that is not gregarious – it is elegant and respectful," it continued.

Photo by Rafael Palacios Macías / Funciono

Winning restaurant Xokol was up against projects that included an office building with a sinuous roof in Abu Dhabi, a minimalist office for an artist in Barcelona and a family lodge with rammed earth walls in South Africa.

View the winning interiors projects on the Dezeen Awards website or read below:

Interiors project of the year and restaurant and bar interior of the year: Xokol by Ruben Valdez Practice

The winning interiors project of the year is a converted mechanic's workshop into an ash-coloured restaurant in Guadalajara, Mexico. Located in the neighbourhood of Santa Tere in Guadalajara, Xokol is a communal dining experience where the boundaries between diners, staff and food preparation are blurred.

The restaurant features dark grey stucco coverings throughout the interiors and black clay comal ovens on full display for guests.

"The use of materials in Xokol is unexpected," said the master jury. "The suspended corn contrasts with the dark walls and softens the interiors."

"The project's low cost makes it very disruptive and innovative, demonstrating an ability to make more with less."

Highly commended: Ikoyi by David Thulstrop

Located in London, Ikoyi is a 150-square-metre restaurant by Copenhagen-based designer David Thulstrup.

Thulstrup drew on spice-making processes when designing the interior for Ikoyi using a material palette of copper, stone, steel mesh, leather and oak.

"The studio demonstrates a tasteful use of materials and detail suited to the environment and the brutalist building in which the restaurant resides," said the judges.

"The delicate choice and material combinations are well-fitted to the high-end cuisine offering."

This category is sponsored by Nude Glass.

Home interior of the year: Tembo Tembo Lodge by Studio Asaï

A family lodge featuring rammed earth walls and an organic colour scheme in South Africa by Paris-based Studio Asaï won home interior of the year.

Located close to the Sabie River on the western edge of Kruger National Park the South African home is informed by the termite nests and natural dolmens of Kruger Park.

The building was made from locally sourced, rammed-earth mixed with a bonding agent to make the material less porous and crumbly.

The judges said: "The variety of locally sourced materials and the humility of the surrounding natural environment make this a wonderful example of a luxury home for a traditional family."

This category is sponsored by Planner 5D.

Hotel and short-stay interior of the year: Six Senses Rome by Patricia Urquiola

Milan-based designer Patricia Urquiola won hotel and short-stay interior of the year for her conversion of a palazzo in Rome. Circular elements and traditional Italian materials are used throughout the earthy-toned hotel and spa.

The master jury hailed architect Urquiola for the "complexity and scale of a project like Six Senses Rome".

"The historic Palazzo Salviati Cesi Mellini is a very special piece of architecture and Patricia and her team have completed a superb restoration, creating a hotel which differs from the usual Roman and Italian hospitality building offerings," said the judges.

Highly commended: Som Land Hostel by RooMoo Design Studio

Chinese design studio RooMoo was highly commended for its construction of a hostel in Shanghai using reclaimed materials found on-site including recycled bricks and bundles of sticks.

The hostel surrounded by national forests and rivers nods towards the natural landscape and local traditions.

"The offering of Som Land being a hostel is improbable and fantastic," said the jury. "It is important to identify and recognise new innovative projects such as this one, with a typology so different to the rest of China."

Workplace interior (small) of the year: Studio Reisinger by Isern Serra

A pared-back office to reflect digital artist Andrés Reisinger's minimalist aesthetic in Barcelona won workplace interior (small) of the year.

Spanish architecture and interior design studio Isern Serra kept to a material palette of concrete, quartz and stainless steel to create Reisinger's workspace.

"Reisinger's studio is functional and gives importance to rough architecture," said the jury. "The use of concrete tonality is very enveloping and warm."

"The design details give the studio a work and comfort-balance, with the outside lighting softening the interior spaces," they continued.

Workplace interior (large) of the year: Government Office by Agata Kurzela Studio

Dubai-based Agata Kurzela Studio redeveloped a heritage building with an undulating roof in Abu Dhabi to create offices for an Emirati government bureau.

Designer Agata Kurzela restored the building's original features and accentuated local materials throughout the project such as rough plaster, patinated mild steel and woven palm mats known as "safeefah". The master jury thought the project was "unexpected" given its location.

"The radial distribution of the working space is reminiscent of an Italian city, creating a clean intuitive layout," said the master jury.

"The use of platforms interconnected by staircases creates new spaces without suffocating the existing ones."

This category is sponsored by Woven Image.

Retail interior (small) of the year: Gallery Shop at the Art Gallery of New South Wales by Akin Atelier

An immersive curved resin installation designed by Akin Atelier in collaboration with surfboard designer Hayden Cox won retail interior (small) of the year.

The earthy hues of the translucent bio-resin were achieved by pouring layers of colours into custom moulds.

"It is such a challenge to design a space which can stand on its own and break away from the larger space in which it lives," said the master jury.

"Akin Atelier took cues from materials such as sandstone, a natural material which maintains enclosure and natural light, and stainless steel, informed by the building's structure," they continued.

"The earthy hues give a sense of warmth and luxury. The curved bookshelf is a simple and delicate response to what could have been a cold space."

Retail interior (large) of the year: ToSummer Beijing Guozijian by FOG Architecture

A fragrance store with exposed wooden roof trusses and columns in Beijing won retail interior (large) of the year. FOG Architecture revamped the 500-square-metre courtyard house using clay brick to clad the interior walls as a contemporary interpretation of the old brickwork in the original building.

"With online shopping becoming more common it is great to create a physical space which is connected," said the judges

"This project refurbishes a deep urbanistic Chinese structure in Beijing, championing history and preservation."

Health and wellbeing interior of the year: Paste by Studio Author

A dental practice in Toronto with warm burl woods, coloured marble and velvet-upholstered seating won health and wellbeing interior of the year.

Modelled on a hotel lounge, Paste Dental uses digital technology such as 3D printing to provide a more luxurious dentist experience.

"This high-tech dental practice changes the everyday perception of a healthcare space," said the judges. "The studio took a risk and proved that you can make healthcare warmer and welcoming, and put patients at ease."

The Golden Age of Grotesque by Didier Fiúza Faustino / Mesarchitecture — Photo by David Boureau

Exhibition design (interior) of the year: The Golden Age of Grotesque by Didier Fiúza Faustino / Mésarchitecture

French-Portuguese architect Didier Fiúza Faustino won exhibition design (interior) of the year for his shrink-wrapped display for the late artist Paula Rego.

Named The Golden Age of Grotesque, the scenography emphasises Paula Rego's contemporary work and echoes the world's violence she describes.

"This exhibition design is a brilliant idea which can be used for other installations and projects, clearly created by designers without stealing the limelight from Paula Rego's artwork," said the master jury

"The design decisions make the paintings and the protruding scenography shine symbiotically."

Dezeen Awards 2023

Dezeen Awards celebrates the world's best architecture, interiors and design. Now in its sixth year, it has become the ultimate accolade for architects and designers across the globe. The annual awards are in partnership with Bentley Motors, as part of a wider collaboration that will see the brand work with Dezeen to support and inspire the next generation of design talent.