Caesarstone Kitchen of the Year

After an incredible three-month journey of selecting the top 8 finalists, and visiting South Africa’s best kitchen designs in person, the Caesarstone Kitchen of the Year competition culminated in a sumptuous awards lunch at The Restaurant at Waterkloof Wine Estate. 

The Caesarstone Kitchen of the Year competition is judged ‘blind’ by a diverse panel of experts. Bradley van den Berg, executive producer of Cardova; Bielle Bellingham, former editor of Elle Decoration; Mor Krisher, head of product design for Caesarstone International; Philip Richards, original winner of the Caesarstone Kitchen of the Year competition and brand director for blu_line kitchens; and celebrity chef, Karen Dudley, were the five judges who were tasked with selecting the finalists and winners.

Imported Kitchen of the Year:

A unanimous decision during the second round of judging saw the panel recognise Sam Edmeades and Paul Raymer from Inside Living (Garden Route) as the imported kitchens category winners:

Designer Sam Edmeades is quite emotional about the win, “This is the most incredible feeling and actually quite surreal. I can’t believe that we’ve won! I’ve been following this competition for a few years now and so just to be a finalist, let alone the winner of our category, is just amazing. I’m so proud of Paul and I for what we have achieved with this design”.

Local Kitchen of the Year:

Michele Throssell and Amy Kidger of Michele Throssell Interiors took first place in the local category.

Local kitchens category winner, Michele Throssell of Michele Throssell Interiors, was delighted, “We were incredibly passionate about this project from the beginning and for 27 months poured over every minute detail of the design – not because there was potentially a prize at the end of it but because we fell in love with the space and the vision we had for it, and there was no other option than to see that dream realized,” she says.

Michele continues, “For us, the beauty of this kitchen is that it is not only fantastically functional but also blends beautifully into, and complements, each element in this amazing space: a true example of the whole being greater than the sum of its parts. We are so excited and flattered that our love for this project has been rewarded this way. This was truly any designer’s dream job!”.

Design competitions help to lift the industry and elevate designers’ profiles in the media and in the eyes of the public. According to Caesarstone South Africa’s marketing director, Trevor King, the vision for the competition is a big one, “We are exceptionally passionate about design because we believe in the intrinsic value of beauty and excellence. Bringing South Africa’s top kitchen designs to the world is in our DNA – we just hope we’ve helped to inspire the industry as a whole and challenged designers to keep pushing the boundaries.”

If you’re renovating or building a new kitchen, make sure you visit www.caesarstone.co.za to pick out your perfect Caesarstone countertops for the kitchen design of your dreams!