Second CaesarStone awards given

The prize for the winner and the consultant is an all-expenses paid trip to the Abitare il Tempo in Verona, Italy, valued at R30 000. The second prize of R5000 was awarded to Stefan Marais of Optima Kitchens, with the CaesarStone representative being Malissa Barnard.

The company, a global icon for quartz products, invited South African kitchen designers to showcase their completed kitchen designs that had to feature the company's product in the design, though no percentage allocation was stipulated.

Winning designs met expectations

A record number of entries were received, which made the judging process an arduous and challenging process for the judges. Commenting on the entries, Bester said, "Unfortunately, the standard of this year's entries was not as high as we had expected. It was rather disappointing for us as we are well aware, from last year's entries, that there is a vast amount of design talent in our country. This being said, the two winning entries were of a high standard, befitting such a prestigious competition and showcased some innovative and inspiring design.

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"Selecting the ultimate winner was a difficult task; however the deciding factor was asking ourselves, as a panel of judges, where we would prefer to see the kitchen design industry progress to in the future. We felt that the winning entry encompassed this collective vision.

"We are aware that South African designers draw inspiration from international trends and we encourage the adaptation and enhancement of technological advancements in both material use and the production processes. However it is equally important for us as South African designers to cultivate and nurture a design language and aesthetic of our own.

"As designers, we are often faced with the challenges and limitations of the brief as set out by the client. It is our role to guide and direct our client to the best possible solution, which is why we felt the winning entry was a well-honed design that not only answered the client's brief but captured the balance between aesthetics and functionality. A solution we are sure both the client and the designer were satisfied with."

The third competition will be launched shortly.