The winner of the 2nd Caesarstone Kitchen Competition is:
Company: Alpine German Kitchens Pty (Ltd)
from Cape Town
Designer: Katja Johnson-Wright
Caesarstone consultant: Lize Collins
The Caesarstone material was a natural choice for the environmentally conscious
family who likes to entertain in their spacious holiday home. The naturally hygienic
qualities of the product and the low maintenance and high durability of the
Caesarstone material was as important to the clients as the aesthetic aspect.
This complex kitchen features a successful combination of four vastly different Rational
door style ranges called tio, Cambia, Plano and Neos. The majority of the kitchen
cabinetry was supplied in Rational’s Arctic White high-gloss lacquer which forms a
neutral base to the Graphite high-gloss lacquer accents. All the Siemens appliances are
built-in or fully integrated in order not to distract from the beautiful surroundings. A solid
American Walnut bar entices you to have a cappuccino and some nougat. ‘Nougat’
6600 is the name of the 20 mm thick shaded white Caesarstone material the client
chose. The classic grain of the stone offers a lovely contrast, reflecting the surrounding
stones of the mountains – and, in addition, is echoed in the chosen door front
combinations.
JUDGE’S COMMENTS
DARREN BESTER from IT IS DESIGN:
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.
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 adaption 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.
We would like to congratulate the finalist and winner of this year’s competition for design solutions that were well conceived and expertly executed. We would like to encourage all South African designers to rise to the challenge and we truly look forward to seeing how our industry will further grow through competitions such as this one.
The 3rd Caesarstone Kitchen Competition is due to be launched shortly.
For further information contact the Facilitator Office, Emporio Communications,
Tel:
011 485-2680/1 or email emporiocomm@mweb.co.za
