Award winning design Gold Coast: the record behind the words

The house that won

The Ashbourne House is a five-bedroom waterfront home at Carrara, on a north-east facing block with 22 metres of frontage to the Nerang River. Jared Poole Design was the architect. Kenins Group, led by Martin and Dina Kenins, was the builder, the developer and the client. Luxxe Interiors designed the interiors, and AmazingArchitecture's feature on the house credits the studio for that work alongside the architect and builder. Design began in 2020 and the house was finished in 2025.

The International Property Awards for Asia Pacific, presented in Bangkok, named it Best Architecture Single Residence Australia in the 2025 to 2026 cycle. The same cycle named it Residential Property Australia. It was also put forward as a regional nominee for Best Architecture Single Residence Asia Pacific. Closer to home, the Housing Industry Association gave it the inaugural Gold Coast and Northern Rivers People's Choice Home of the Year for 2025. That award is decided by public vote.

The awards belong to the house and to the team that entered it. Kenins Group entered the house as its builder and developer, and the winners database lists it under that name. Luxxe Interiors did not receive a trophy of its own, and this page will not pretend otherwise. What the studio can say, and what the published credits support, is that the rooms the judges walked through and the public voted for are rooms it designed.

What award winning means, and what it does not

Two things decide whether "award winning" tells you anything. The first is the category. The International Property Awards judge architecture, interior design, development and marketing as separate categories. The Ashbourne House won in architecture and residential property. Its interiors were judged as part of the whole house. A studio that says it won an interior design award should be able to name the category. The second is the entrant. The developer or the builder enters most property awards. Every collaborator shares in the result without holding the certificate. That is the ordinary shape of a building award, and it is how this one was won.

So when a Gold Coast studio calls a design award winning, ask which house, which body, which category and which year. If the answer comes back quickly and the awarding body's own records confirm it, the claim is worth something. The International Property Awards publish a winners database and the Housing Industry Association publishes its regional results, so every claim on this page can be checked in a minute.

The rest of the record

Recognition without a trophy matters too. It shows what other people chose to publish. AmazingArchitecture featured The Ashbourne House with Luxxe Interiors credited for the interior design. Domain told the story of the fire that cleared the site and the house that rose on it. Kollosche called it Australasia's best designer house when it was listed for sale in 2026. Hettich Australia and Rapid LED have each featured its joinery and lighting.

Beyond Carrara, the studio has designed four homes on the Sovereign Islands, among them properties valued above $20 million. It also designed the interiors of Duddingston Guest House in Edinburgh, a Category A listed Palladian house by Sir William Chambers. The full body of work is on the portfolio, and the Gold Coast practice is described in the interior designer Gold Coast guide.

What to ask any studio that says award winning

• Which project won, and can I see it?
• Which awarding body, which category and which year?
• Who entered it, and what exactly did your studio do on it?
• Where can I check the result myself?

A studio that has genuinely been part of an award winning design will answer all four without pausing. The answers for Luxxe Interiors are on this page.

Frequently asked questions