Adam Markowitz Wins The Object at the 2025 INDE.Awards

Melbourne designer–maker Adam Markowitz, in collaboration with craftsman Simeon Dux, has won the Object category at the INDE. Awards 2025 for A Cabinet of Curiosities — a work of exceptional craftsmanship and adaptability that redefines how we live and work in a post-COVID world.

The INDE.Awards presented by Indesign Magazine are recognised as the premier architecture and design awards across the Indo-Pacific, honouring designers who challenge convention and merge form, function, and human experience.

The Object category, presented in partnership with the American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC), celebrates design excellence that embodies purpose, beauty and technical mastery.

A Poetic Response to a Changing World

Originally commissioned for an East Melbourne apartment designed by Markowitz in 2019, the cabinet reflects the shifting boundaries between domestic and professional life.

What began as a tranquil residential interior now doubles as a workspace, a response to urban densification and post-pandemic adaptation. When a new tower replaced the once-open city view, the clients sought a solution that would screen the neighbouring building, display their growing collection of curiosities, and function as a concealed work-from-home station.

Designing for Lightness and Flexibility

The resulting piece is both sculptural and adaptable. Through elegant tambour doors, the cabinet transitions seamlessly — solid and private one moment, open and translucent the next. When fully retracted, the doors disappear entirely, leaving a light-permeable, glowing object that maintains a connection with the outside world.

Every detail showcases the dedication to craft and precision that defines both designers’ work.

Made by Simeon Dux, the cabinet features:

• Hand-cut dovetail drawers

• Continuous grain quartersawn American walnut veneer tambour doors

• Hand-turned 10,000-year-old ancient redgum drawer pulls

• Handmade brass fittings

• Integrated power, lighting and bespoke hardware

The entire piece disassembles just enough to fit in an elevator — a testament to ingenious design thinking and technical excellence.

A Celebration of Craft and Evolution

“It is not simply a piece of furniture, but a reflection of how design can respond gracefully to change, redefining the home as a place of beauty, meaning and evolution.” Jury

Through A Cabinet of Curiosities, Markowitz and Dux merge traditional joinery with modern function, creating a contemporary wunderkammer that celebrates the enduring artistry of the handmade.

Design: adammarkowitzdesign.com @adammarkowitzdesign
Craftsmanship: @simeondux
Photography: Charlie White @charliewhitewhite
Award Partner: American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC) @AHEC_anz