Former Caesarstone Kitchen of the Year Winners Promote Competition

With just under 2 months to go until the closing date, previous winners of the annual Caesarstone Kitchen of the Year competition have called upon their fellow designers to enter.​ 

Former Caesarstone Kitchen of the Year Winners Promote Competition

With just under 2 months to go until the closing date, previous winners of the annual Caesarstone Kitchen of the Year competition have called upon their fellow designers to enter.

By entering in partnership with their homeowners, designers stand a chance to win R50,000 for themselves and R50,000 for the homeowner, with a total of R200,000 in prize money up for grabs across the 2 categories. The finalists in both categories will also enjoy coveted coverage on The Home Channel for their efforts and supplementary online exposure as well.

The original competition winner in 2010 and one of the esteemed competition judges for 2016's competition, Philip Richards of blu_line kitchens strongly encourages designers to enter. "It's a wonderful way to showcase the collaboration between designers and clients. I also think it's incredibly exciting to see how local and international companies are designing kitchens in our modern, South African homes," he says. "I would definitely encourage designers to enter this competition, as it will give them weight in the industry".

Last year's winner and runner up, Adolf Conradie of Optima Kitchens, agrees that designers need to invest in themselves by taking part, "The win attracted similar, design-minded clients to seek me out and also gave legitimacy to my work with my existing clients. It creates a lot of trust with your clients and peers in terms of your design abilities and allows you to guide your clients towards good design," says Adolf.

Adolf's winning client's house has been featured in numerous magazines as well as other media. He says that winning the competition has shown Optima Kitchens that they are on the cutting edge of design and trends. Adolf's advice to this year's contestants: "You are only as good as your last project. It’s important to think about your designs and always aim to do something special for every client whether it’s a big or small project. Build good relationships with reputable suppliers like Caesarstone. Watch international trends, aim to be think out of the box when doing design, and enter the Caesarstone Kitchen of the Year competition!".

The winner from 2011, Katja Lichey (formerly of Alpine German Kitchens Cape Town), still strongly supports the Caesarstone Kitchen of the Year competition as a tool for designers, "As professionals we should use opportunities such as this competition to raise our profile. Engage with the respective players in the industry in order to gain further knowledge and monitor current trends. Evolve and be passionate about your work, for your clients and your own benefit!"

This year the competition has 2 categories, local and imported kitchens, which competition organisers hope will attract a wider variety of entries. "We want to attract South Africa's best kitchen designers to showcase their excellent design abilities," says marketing director, Trevor King. "As a designer you have to operate within your client's budgetary constraints, but the new local and imported categories should create a platform for more kitchen companies to showcase their best design talent and products to the whole southern African region".

Designers and their homeowners can enter online via the Caesarstone website before 31 July.