SIT Furniture Awards 2025 – Australian winners

Published 1 February, 2026 by Melanie Gardener

Celebrating Incredible Furniture Design

The SIT Furniture Awards celebrate incredible furniture design around the world. Winners are selected by a hand-picked panel of industry experts across a wide range of categories, differentiated between student and professional entries.

Australia has traditionally performed well at these awards and 2025 was no different. Here are the top 3 Australian entries – all amazing projects and quite different in their own way.

Scimitar Stool (Winner in Stool)

Company/Firm: Olek Furniture & Lighting

Designer: Alex Lesniowski

Photo credit: Thalia Carter

The Scimitar Stool is described as being inspired by the iconic “blade” symbol from Central Asia to create the unique profile of each leg. With a focus on simplicity and eco-sustainability, the stool utilises three identical components to streamline the manufacturing process and make economic use of the materials. Waste is minimised by using standardised wide boards and short offcuts.

An innovative kerf technique is utilised to form a conical knee bed that chambers the seating element inwards. Cleverly, a carrying handle is created by the triangular void in the centre. The detailing of the stool exposes the kerf knee joint, highlighting the texture of the timber and creating visual light and shadow to enhance the effect of the design. The stool can be made from a selection of sustainable timbers as needed.

Spindrift Table (Winner in Low Table)

Designer: Marnie Allan

Photo Credit: Matt Biocich

School: University of Western Australia

Inspired by reflections on the ocean floor created by sunlight passing through rippling waves, the Spindrift Table has no repetitive elements in its visual form. This makes it unique when viewed from any angle. Designed as a bespoke furniture piece, the Spindrift Table is intended to be produced in small production runs or as a one-off item.

Functionally, the table can act as a coffee table, side table or as a sculptural centrepiece in the room. It is constructed from a 6mm-thick sheet of clear, toughened glass and supported by a 3D-printed fibreglass base. The 3D printing process created 14 individual parts from PLA plastic which were then joined with dovetail joins. Then automotive body filler was used to fill-in imperfections and highlight the harsher edges, then sanded and sculped before being coated with metallic cobalt automotive paint.

Hillside Residence (Winner in Residential Design)

Company/Firm: Rob Mills Architecture & Interiors

Designer: Rob Mills

Construction Company: Joss Construction

Photo Credit: Dan Preston

The Hillside Residence was informed by the environment in which it sits, with lush gardens and a beautiful natural setting. Inside, high-quality Australian and Italian furniture sit comfortably side-by-side within a palette of natural neutral tones. A layered approach to textures and colours focusses on richness and depth and helps to showcase the owner’s collection of Australian and Indigenous art.

The interior design highlights the materiality of the space utilising American oak crown-cut timber, engineered timber and solid timber to create a balanced aesthetic. Onxy is featured in the main ensuite with quartzite used for the kitchen benchtop and splashback. Undyed yak wool carpet was selected for bedrooms.