Presented by Houses magazine, the Houses Awards is an annual program celebrating Australia’s best residential projects. Excellence is rewarded in ten categories, with the best house receiving the premier award of Australian House of the Year - which Cult has proudly sponsored for over a decade.

It was an absolute pleasure to host the Houses Awards 2023 Shortlist Reveal at Cult Melbourne last week, with over 100 design industry leaders in attendance. Congratulations to all shortlisted designers! Read on for a gallery from the event and some of our favourite shortlisted projects. 

Explore the Houses Awards 2023 Shortlist, in pictures. 

With projects from every state in the country, the Houses Awards 2023 Shortlist is a celebration of Australian design ingenuity, many of which reflect an attunement to the changing environments these homes are built within. 

Winners will be announced at a gala presentation will be held on Friday 28 July 2023 at the Art Gallery of New South Wales.

To peruse some of the houses that made the list—here, we’ve focused on some of the nominees from five key catgeories: New House (over 200 sqm), New House (under 200 sqm),  House Alteration / Addition (under 200 sqm), House Alteration / Addition (over 200 sqm) and Apartment / Unit. 

Shortlist Highlights: New House (over 200 sqm)

Merricks Farmhouse, Michael Lumby with NIELSEN JENKINS 
Merricks, VIC
Photography: Tom Ross 

Bronte House, Tribe Studio Architects
Bronte, NSW
Photography: Rory Gardiner

Curl Curl House, Trias
Curl Curl, NSW
Photography: Clinton Weaver

Quarry Box, MCK Architects
Bronte, NSW
Photography: Brett Boardman

Bass Coast Farmhouse, Wardle
Wonthaggi, VIC
Photography: Trevor Mein

Stumpy Gully Road, Markowitz Design with Stavrias Architecture
Balnarring, VIC
Photography: Pier Carthew

M House, Rama Architects
Clareville Beach, NSW
Photography: Anson Smart

Black Vespa Home, Stafford Architecture 
Bellevue Hill, NSW
Photography: Anson Smart

Deepwater House, AHA Studio
Perth, WA
Photography: Robert Frith

Glen Iris House, Pandolfini Architects
Glen Iris, VIC
Photography: Rory Gardiner

AB House, Office MI—JI
Barwon Heads, VIC
Photography: Ben Hosking

Enclosed House II, MORQ
Claremont, WA
Photography: Glenn Russell

Shiplap House, Chenchow Little Architects
Vaucluse, NSW
Photography: Rory Gardiner

Local House, Zen Architects
Mount Eagle Estate, VIC
Photography: Derek Swalwell

House in the Dry, MRTN Architects
Tamworth , NSW
Photography: Anthony Basheer

HA HA HAUS, FIGR Architecture Studio 
Alphington, VIC
Photography: Tom Blachford

Blairgowrie House, Eastop Architects 
Blairgowrie, VIC
Photography: Rory Gardiner

Casa Bobbanarring, Branch Studio Architects
Point Leo, VIC
Photography: Peter Clarke

Armidale House, Richards Stanisich
Armidale, NSW
Photography: Felix Forest

Shortlist Highlights: New House (under 200 sqm)

Watsons Bay House, Ian Moore Architects
Watsons Bay, NSW
Photography: Clinton Weaver

19 Waterloo Street, SJB
Waterloo, NSW
Photography: Anson Smart

Farrier Lane House, MDC Architects Pty Ltd 
Perth, WA
Photography: Dion Robeson

Blok Stafford Heights, Blok Modular with Vokes and Peters
Stafford Heights, QLD
Photography: Christopher Frederick Jones

Butterfly House, Dane Taylor Design
Thirroul, NSW
Photography: Daniel Mulheran

Shortlist Highlights: House Alteration / Addition (under 200 sqm) 

Somerville, COY YIONTIS ARCHITECTS 
Somerville, VIC
Photography: Peter Clarke

Monty Sibbel, Nuud Studio
Melbourne, VIC
Photography: Tom Ross

A House for Grandma, Brcar Morony Architecture
Upper North Shore, NSW
Photography: Justin Alexander

HAWTHORN I, Agius Scorpo Architects
Melbourne, VIC
Photography: Tom Ross

Rosso Verde, Carter Williamson Architects
Camperdown, NSW
Photography: Pablo Veiga

Steel House / Stone House, Retallack Thompson
Sydney, NSW
Photography: Ben Hosking

Fitzroy North House, Therefore
Fitzroy, VIC
Photography: Rory Gardiner

Union Street House, Prior Barraclough
Northcote, VIC
Photography: Ben Hosking

Shortlist Highlights: House Alteration / Addition (over 200 sqm)

Fitzroy Laneway House, Andrew Child Architect
Melbourne, VIC
Photography: Tom Ross

Palm House, Leeton Pointon Architects & Karyne Murphy Studio 
Palm Beach, NSW
Photography: Lisa Cohen

Fitzroy North Terrace, Clare Cousins Architects
Melbourne, VIC
Photography: Tess Kelly

Helvetia, Austin Maynard Architects
Melbourne, VIC
Photography: Derek Swalwell

Spring House, Myers Ellyett
Spring Hill. QLD
Photography: Cathy Schusler

Northside House, Wellard Architects
Clifton Hill, VIC
Photography: Derek Swalwell

Shortlist Highlights: Apartment / Unit

Darling Point Apartment, Studio ZAWA
Sydney, NSW
Photography: Anson Smart

Doria Apartment, Studio Prineas
Double Bay, NSW
Photography: Felix Forest

STUDIO ELROY, Lintel Studio 
Sydney, NSW
Photography: Luc Rémond

Fenwick, Edition Office
Melbourne, VIC
Photography: Timothy Kaye

Event Gallery. Houses Awards Shortlist Reveal 2023 at Cult Melbourne 

It was an absolute pleasure to host the Houses Awards 2023 Shortlist Reveal at Cult Melbourne on Thursday 4 May, with over 100 design industry leaders in attendance. Thank you to everyone who joined us, and congratulations to all shortlisted designers!

Photography by Tom Hutton / Blue Tree Studios.

Presented by Houses magazine, the Houses Awards is an annual program celebrating Australia’s best residential projects. Excellence is rewarded in ten categories, with the best house receiving the premier award of Australian House of the Year - which Cult has proudly sponsored for over a decade. Winners will be announced at a gala presentation will be held on Friday 28 July 2023 at the Art Gallery of New South Wales.