FOUR Mornington Peninsula projects have been named finalists in the 2026 Dulux Colour Awards, which celebrate the use of colour in Australian and New Zealand architecture and design.
This year marks the 40th anniversary of the awards, which drew more than 540 entries across eight categories. A panel of five leading interior designers and architects from Australia and New Zealand selected the 94 finalists.
The local projects shortlisted are Point Nepean House by SJB (Residential Interior), Portsea Treetop House by Studio Esteta (Residential Interior), Joy Haus in Mount Eliza by Studio Shields (Residential Interior and Single Residential Exterior), and Crescent House in Mount Martha by Studio Bright (Single Residential Exterior).
Point Nepean House sits on a cliff, with its palette drawn from the coastal environment and ocean views. SJB director Andrew Parr said the homeowners’ Italian heritage also shaped the scheme.
“It was exciting to find that the colour palette – pale lemon, pale spearmint, sky blue, and faded fuchsia – provided a dynamic contrast within the neutral scheme,” he said.
Parr described the practice’s approach as “minimal, textural and everlasting”, and said the owners had commented the home felt “very serene and calm”.
Portsea Treetop House, a two-storey, five-bedroom weatherboard home, was designed by Studio Esteta while the clients were based overseas throughout the design and construction phases.
Studio Esteta director, Sarah Cosentino, said the palette of sandy neutrals, soft blues and earthy tones was chosen to complement rather than compete with views of the sea and treetops.
“A gentle contrast emerges between spaces: the open-plan areas invite light, air and connection, while the clay-toned master suite offers a more intimate retreat, enveloping and warm,” Cosentino said.
Joy Haus in Mount Eliza was reworked by Studio Shields to suit family life with young children. The home features more than 13 colours throughout.
“From the beginning, we moved away from neutrality and leaned fully into warmth and generosity. Colour wasn’t something we layered on at the end, it became the structure of the space,” Studio Shields principal Ruby Shields told The News.
Shields said the tones shifted throughout the day as light changed, with some softening in the morning and deepening by the afternoon.
Crescent House in Mount Martha is a renovation of a 1970s beach home on a bush-edged site. Rather than demolishing the existing structure, Studio Bright removed poorly constructed additions and wrapped the home in a new timber veil shaped by three subtle crescent geometries.
Dulux Ecology Green was used across the external elements, including timber posts and beams, powder-coated metal screens, bushfire screens, window frames, gutters and rendered walls. The colour, drawn from coastal vegetation, was chosen to unify the retained and new work, and ground the house within its landscape. Studio Bright principal and design director, Melissa Bright, noted the strategy used colour “as a tool of cohesion and integration” rather than relying on contrast.
The Dulux Colour Awards will be announced at a gala event at the Sydney Opera House on 27 May.
First published in the Mornington News – 28 April 2026
