Win a Home, South Africa’s premier interior design reality TV competition is back for its fifth season, proudly brought to you by Capitec and Private Property.
This year, Win a Home will be broadcast live as a standalone show every Thursday evening at 19:30 on SABC 3, from the 20th of September.
Over 13 weeks, three competing pairs of designers face off as they transform three white-box penthouse apartments into dream homes in a bid to claim the title as South Africa’s best emerging interior designers.
At the end of the series one lucky viewer will walk away with the biggest prize on South African television - a brand-new designer decorated apartment at Balwin Properties’ Paardevlei Lifestyle Estate in Somerset West valued at more than R3 million.
Design Duos competition format
Win a Home is a fantastic opportunity for local up-and-coming-talent to show off their skills and make a name for themselves as interior designers.
Design Duos will battle it out for two prizes. The first will be the Judges' Choice Prize. A panel of expert judges will decide on a winning design duo who will receive a R100 000 cash prize. In addition, viewers will be able to have their say, and vote online via the Private Property website for their favourite Design Duo and apartment. The team with the most accumulated votes at the end of the competition will win R20 000.
The Design Duos will have world-class products available at their disposal to create amazing apartments, like cutting-edge appliances from Samsung, furniture and homeware from Weylandts, smart paint by Duram, original Oggie Hardwood Flooring and signature quartz surfaces from Caesarstone.
Viewer’s competition
By voting for their favourite Design Duo, viewers stand a chance to win amazing weekly prizes live on air, such smartphones and appliances, local getaways and shopping sprees.
By entering the weekly giveaway, viewers automatically stand a chance to win the Grand Prize, a three bedroom penthouse apartment at Balwin’s Paardevlei Lifestyle Estate in Somerset West, Cape Town, worth over R3 million.
Meet the Design Duos
Team Contrast Control:
Having met at design college, Kehumile Mate and Nicholas Smit have always been eager to join creative forces.
Kehumile was raised in the township of Mabopane in Pretoria and at 23, has already accumulated a wealth of experience which is evident in his brave and dynamic approach to his artistry. He has worked as an interior designer at DHK for 2 years and has made his way to Cape Town determined to win.
Kehumile says; “I have always been so fascinated at how the spaces we inhabit affect our well-being directly and indirectly. I left the office-interior design industry for this one chance at making a mark in the residential design-scape so '150 % or nothing' is the mantra.’’
Nicholas Smit, was born in Johannesburg, raised on the Garden Route and now resides in Cape Town. In 2010 he quit a finance degree to pursue his career in interior design and has since spent 2 years working at ARRCC Interior Design Firm.
Nicholas says, "I am incredibly honoured to be a part of this opportunity to push local design and collaborate with young creatives while establishing ourselves as influencers of authentic, impactful design.’’
Their combined presence and varied skill set make Nicholas and Kehumile formidable competitors. They believe in trusting processes, learning from others and maintaining their youthful inquisitiveness when expressing their creativity through design. They share a love for local design and this coupled with their combined experience gives them a unique Afro-industrial perspective that will be tough to beat.
Team R&K:
Rekopile Belebesi and Koketso Marole (aka team “R&K: The Dynamic Duo”) met at the Design Joburg Expo in 2018, only 3 months prior to being selected as a Design Duo. They connected instantly through a common passion born from their love of design.
Koketso is originally from the small town of Bronkhurstspruit 50km east of Pretoria. A part-time model and full-time interior designer, she relocated to Cape Town after completing her B-Tech in interior design at the Tshwane University Of Technology.
Koketso’s design is a combination of minimalism, vintage, industrial and contemporary modern design. Koketso says, “Simplicity is my everyday aesthetic, but it’s the significance in the simplicity that brings my designs to life.”
Hailing from the Eastern Cape, Rekopile was raised in Durban but now resides in Johannesburg where she started her furniture design company; Belebesi Décor. Her interest in furniture design and the curation of spaces with bespoke pieces came after she identified a gap in the market for quality furniture for the middle class. She describes her style as compelling, creative and inspiring.
Rekopile’s unique trait is that she has an innate ability to connect with people thus enabling her to understand things that her clients desire, but struggle to articulate. “I take opportunities seriously,’’ she says. ‘’Being given an opportunity to express my creative license on a platform as great as Win a Home is amazing! It’s the universe saying you’re on the right path; inspire, empower and make things better.”
Rekopile and Keketso’s narrative as a duo is quite simply the meeting of sophistication and minimalism, with an urban approach to design. Viewers can expect tons of personality, carefully constructed designs and ultimately a unique design story waiting to be told.
Team Perma Peeps:
Melissa Oosthuizen and Sinead Turner met seven years ago when they studied together at Greeside Design Centre. The duo bonded instantly through their shared tastes in design and life goals.
Melissa is the owner and designer at her own company; East Haus Interior Design and Custom Furniture, and is an avid design enthusiast who’s always up for a creative challenge. Inspired by the meeting of design and psychology, along with a soft spot minimalism, Melissa also always had sustainability on her mind, along with job creation, equality and economic growth.
Always willing to get her hands dirty, Melissa has a strong connection with Permaculture principles and has made it her life’s work to influence the design industry, the public and leaving a lasting impact on the environment. “It’s an incredible experience being able to partake in the Win a Home Design Challenge,” says Melissa. ‘’My promise is permaculture, and I look forward to the opportunity to express and further develop my design language.’’
Sinead comes from a background in corporate design, gaining hands-on experience in the industry by working on projects such as The Woman’s Jail at the Constitutional Court in Johannesburg. Inspired by how great design bridges the gap between functionality and beauty, Sinead’s life mission is to enhance built environments in order to uplift and promote sustainability.
Passionate about her feminist views, people and nature, Sinead is an activist at heart and an advocate for tolerance. ‘’It’s been a life-changing experience to move down to Cape Town and be a contestant on the Win a Home series,’’ explained Sinead. ‘’I am excited to showcase my design flair while also creating awareness about alternative design and the importance of local sourcing.”
With their combined intellect, humour and obsessive love for design, this dynamic duo is determined to empower and create change within the industry and society as a whole.
Win a Home is proudly brought to you by Capitec and Private Property, Thursdays from 19:30 to 20:30 on SABC 3, starting on the 20th of September 2018.
