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All the Award Winners – Decorex Joburg and 100% Design Africa announce 2022’s best!

The year’s top designers have been revealed! Announced at a gala event at the Sandton Convention Centre on 28 July 2022, the winners of the Decorex Joburg Stand Awards and 100% Design Africa Awards were chosen by an independent panel of judges. The awards highlight industry innovation and excellence.

For the Decorex Joburg Stand Awards, there were eight invited judges, chosen because they are specialists in their field, and particularly in the stand design sector. Two judges were allocated per hall, spanning the four halls of the show, namely, Kitchens, Build, Decor and 100% Design Africa.

A Best Stand Award was allocated per hall. The aim of this accolade is to reward stands that represent good design, considered layout, branding and product display. The stands were judged according to the following criteria: First Impression, Layout, Design Impact, and Staffing. In addition, one Sustainability Award was made across all four halls of the show, and a Best Overall Stand was chosen based on the highest overall score achieved.

The judges for the Kitchens Hall were Tracy Maritz, who is the owner of Setbuild, a company which creates exhibition and retail displays, and Charlene Le Roux a Showroom Specialist for Blum. The Build Hall was judged by Frans Dekker, MD of The South African Institute of Architectural Technologists (SAIAT), and architect Michael Zietsman from Nico van der Meulen Architects, specialists in high-end residential architecture. For the Decor Hall, former decor magazine editor and fashion designer Tiaan Nagel lent his expert eye to the adjudication. He was joined by Dawn Olivier owner of DC Dzines, which specializes in building exhibition stands. The stand design judges for 100% Design Africa were Cassandra Twala from Moea Design and Anita Mathias owner of Seatworks, a go-to for the design and/or turnkey project management of exhibition stands, interiors and brand activation sets. 

And the winners of the Decorex Stand Design Awards are:

Build Hall Winner: Blaw

The stand displayed the product well and was highly functional because you could see the scale, heaviness and feel of the doors. The staff were very knowledgeable about the product.

Special Mentions were given to Quartz Carpet Seamless Flooring, and herspective.

100% Design Africa Winner: Wolkberg

For the judges, Wolkberg’s “immaculately built stand looked stunning and displayed a clever use of product. You immediately knew what they were selling. The new breeze blocks are innovative and the people manning the stand were approachable.”

Special mentions were given to Ergoform & Tandem.

Sustainability Award Winner:

Sapien Stone was chosen as their product is made in a zero emission factory in Italy, and because it is a product that can last a lifetime.

Decor Hall Winner: Décor Identity

The designer was chosen because the use of materials, lighting, and circulation space was very good. The stand created an intimate experience of space that made the visitor feel transported. It was consistently curated with wonderful, considered textures.

A Special Mention was given to Aura.

Kitchen Hall Winner: blu-line

According to the judges, the “stand is monumental and draws you in. It is immaculately built with high attention to detail. They went beyond the norm with their use of materials and unique products. The passionate staff are incredibly knowledgeable and display visible pride in their products and services.”

A Special Mention was given to Sapien Stone.

Overall Stand Winner:

Based on an impressive score of 98%, blu_line was chosen as the Best Overall Stand for 2022.

Alongside the Stand Design awards, 100% Design Africa announced separate awards focused on acknowledging advances in local product design. The independent judging panel for the 100% Design Africa awards comprised Carl Ascroft, Interior Design Lecturer at Greenside Design Center; interior designer Thuli Mahlangu; Storm Ross of House and Leisure magazine; and architect and lecturer Silindzile Shongwe.

The categories and winners are as follows:

Best New Talent - Neimil

Keneilwe Mothoa and Lubabalo Mxalisa combine interior design, fashion and art to tell authentic African stories. Their well curated stand portrayed a suggestion of a lifestyle and offered a distinct point of view. Launched in 2018, Neimil is threaded with entrepreneurial drive. In 2021 the lifestyle brand launched their locally-made collection of handcrafted homeware for H&M Home.

Gamechanger - Always Welcome

Always Welcome’s stand concept embodied innovation by integrating motion sensor technology with a hanging curtain system to create the ability to interact with product and space. The curtaining not only creates a sense of home but also provides an ethereal experience and dynamism. They have built something that is not just for the show, but can also be used afterwards to create a pop-up space within a store, or a stand-alone activation. In addition, Always Welcome’s business model allows for evolution, collaboration and support, which has changed the possibilities and opportunities for a design service.

Best Product Design - Ergoform

Ergoform’s cleverly designed office pod system is locally designed and developed, and is beautifully made in Ergoform’s Cape Town factory. The product is a response to the post-Covid times and the changing needs of corporate work environments.

Designer of the Year - Dokter and Misses

This award is given to the designer who has produced consistently outstanding, original and impactful work throughout 2022. Dokter and Misses presented several all-new products at the show, including desking, lighting, a coffee table, dining table and rug design, all in their unmistakable style.

Special Mention: Ronel Jordaan

Stewardship - TheUrbanative

Mpho Vackier is notable not only for her willingness to mentor and collaborate with a younger generation of designers, but also for the enabling internal work environment she creates, that allows for the upskilling and development of staff.

The winners each received a specially designed trophy created by Pedersen and Lennard. Both the Decorex Joburg Stand Awards and the 100% Design Africa Awards are made in the interest of furthering the industry.