SA designer places third in regional 2011 LG Conceptualife finals

Second runner up in the LG Conceptualife 2011 regional finals, South Africa's Karyn Schott.

In its second successful year and under the theme of 'Green and Futuristic', Tolga Tekin from Turkey's Marmara University in Istanbul was awarded first place by amalgamating basic interpretations of sand and water with innovative energy solutions. In addition to winning a fully-paid one-month internship at Dubai-based design firm X-Architects, Tekin also received $5000 (R35 000) in cash and an LG Optimus smartphone.

In second place was Serdar Soyal, also from Turkey, from Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University in Istanbul. South Africa's, Karyn Schott from the Greenside Design Center in Johannesburg, took the third spot for her 'Cooking Pod' design. Both designers were awarded an LG Optimus smartphone, with Soyal winning a $3000 (R21 000) cash prize and Schott - $2000 (R14 000).

The excited 20-year old Schott said, "It was a great experience to meet contestants from different parts of the region and I thank LG for this opportunity. I have never participated in an event of this scale and I am confident that it will add tremendous value to my future career. To be shortlisted as the top two from South Africa and the top three from among several hundreds of participants is a huge achievement."

Judging process

Each of the 12 finalists were invited to present and explain their kitchen design concepts to the panel who evaluated their work based on uniqueness of design and integration of innovative green features, for optimum utilisation of kitchen space, that is environmentally friendly in terms of its materials and functionality. The panel of judges comprised K.W. Kim, President of LG Electronics, MEA Region; Ahmed Al Al, the Founder and Executive Chairman of X-Architects; and Annie Cudmore, the Editor of InsideOut Magazine.

"It was a difficult task to pick the top three designs. We had a powerhouse of talent and LG is proud to provide a forum for these gifted students to showcase their skill," said Kim. "Most of the designs were presented as concepts but it is only a matter of time before these futuristic green kitchen solutions are recognised and adopted. I am pleased to see how well our aspiring designers of tomorrow understand the importance of environmentally sound kitchen designs and appliances which is also one of LG's key objectives."

"Even though the contestants were from six different countries, it was very interesting to see similar themes running through all the designs, such as indoor gardens and integrated appliances with functionality being key," commented Cudmore.

LG Conceptualife was established in 2010 as an annual event to provide up and coming design students with an outlet to demonstrate their talent and harness their creativity by showcasing the future of kitchen design and appliances.