“I just want to say a massive thank you for the sponsorship from Private Property for the Win A Home apartment and show. I still can’t believe my luck and how blessed I am. I’m so amped to move in and make some great memories in there. You guys are legends! You have honestly changed my life and given me a huge head-start on things.”
Josh Gloak (23), Win A Home apartment winner
Twelve weeks of construction, décor challenges and competitions culminated in an exciting Win A Home grand finalé last week, in which the winners of our three incredible prizes, as well as the winner of the decorating challenge, were revealed.
Out of over one million entries, both online and SMS, three finalists were drawn with SABC representatives, an SABC auditor and the production company’s legal adviser present on Friday, 7 November, following the closing of the competition at midnight on Thursday, 6 November.
The three finalists drawn were: 54-year old Ilona Figgins from Vanderbijlpark; 67 year-old Ursula Haslam from Paulshof; and 23-year old Josh Gloak from Morningside.
House wife and Yorkshire Terrier lover Ilona Figgins chose the gold safe, that was holding the two gold bars; book-keeper and grandmother of two, Ursula Haslam chose the platinum safe, winning the Mercedes Benz C-Class; and investment banker Josh Gloak chose the charcoal safe with the keys to the grand prize apartment.
For Josh, who is originally from Cape Town, and turned 24 on 16 November, this was a great surprise and the perfect birthday present. This is what he said about his win: “When I opened the safe, it took me a few seconds to realise what I’d actually won and what was actually in the safe. But when I did, it was an unreal feeling, absolutely incredible.”
“My first home. I think that’s something special,” he added. On opening the apartment and being asked what his first impressions were Josh said he loved every part of it, “right down to the intricate detail of the mining theme.”
Design competition
Not only were the winners of the three prizes revealed at Saturday’s Grand Finale event, but also the winning contestant in the interior design competition that was held in collaboration with Steyn City.
Over six weeks, four aspiring designers – Jason Sandows, Jonathan Avnon, Donald Nxumalo and Liza Scholtz – were paired with four established designers – Stephen Falcke, Ditau Interiors’ Nthabi Taukobong, Head Interiors’ Abilene Brodie, and Design Collective’s Amanda Elliott – who would act as mentors, and each given an element theme (earth, air, fire or water) to interpret when using the R250 000 to furnish their Steyn City apartment. Each week, the aspiring designers were given a room décor challenge on a budget determined by their mentor. At the end of each four-day décor challenge, we invited our judges – Kim Hutton of Kim H, Steyn City’s Head of Marketing Tammy Menton, and Win A Home presenter Maps Maponyane – to determine their favourite designer.
We then engaged our viewers to have their say by voting online each week for their favourite designer.
In a very close competition, 26-year old Donald Nxumalo took pole position with backing from the judges and viewers for his lateral thinking and creativity in decorating his air-themed apartment with the help of mentor Abilene Brodie from Head Interiors.
Donald was awarded with R100 000 from Steyn City, the incredible opportunity to become one of the estate’s preferred interior designers, as well as receiving a three-month internship with Kim Hutton of Kim H Interiors, who designed the prize apartment.
“I’m just absolutely floored, grateful and humbled,” Donald said when he was announced as the décor challenge winner. “I’d like to applaud Abilene Brodie, my mentor.”
Of the exciting new lifestyle and décor show and its outcome, executive producer Patience Stevens said: “We are very proud of this first series of Win A Home. And very thankful to our sponsors for their enormous contributions and for Steyn City for hosting us, as well as to SABC3 for giving us the platform to broadcast. A huge congratulations to Josh. I’m sure he will enjoy the beautiful apartment at Steyn City and all that the lifestyle estate has to offer.”
The show’s sponsors included Private Property, Nedbank, Steyn City, Mercedes Benz, PPC, Plascon, Samsung, Telkom, Cobra, Tile Africa, Cordev, Kim H and ISS.
