Interior Design student earns top honours for innovative kitchen design
- Gerrit Bester
- 1 day ago
- 4 min read
by Gerrit Bester
Zaworita Sekepe (22), a third-year Interior Design student at the Tshwane University of Technology’s Faculty of Arts and Design (Department of Interior Design), firmly believes that the kitchen is the heart of the home. She was recently named among the Top 5 finalists in this year’s student kitchen design project: Paving Your Way to a Future in Kitchen Design, by the Kitchen Specialists Association (KSA).
Sekepe’s project earned her a four-month internship working with a KSA registered kitchen company, along with valuable social media coverage and other features, including KSA articles in Designing Ways and To Build magazines. In addition, she received a one-year license for ArtiCAD’s kitchen design software and complimentary training on the software.
The aim of the project was to give students real-world experience of what it would be like to work in the kitchen industry. The project not only focused on design, but also required the students to consider budget constraints, learn about materials, their applications and costs, think about manufacturing and installation costs and value their own time by working out what their services as designers would be worth.
The design brief challenged entrants to revamp a kitchen for a real-life client, Tracy Hicks, a past KSA employee, her husband and their two children, aged 17 and 4. They used the space for more than cooking: it was a place to chat, do homework and plan their days. While their kitchen was functional, it was not practical.
Sekepe and seven other Interior Design students from the Department, rose to the challenge and submitted their design ideas factoring in the budget of R250 000 and several must haves required by the client, such as a large pantry, a kitchen island, specific storage solutions for key kitchen items and the repurposing of their reclaimed parquet flooring.
Sekepe’s project is titled A Place in Autumn.
“It was evident from reading about my client and her family that they enjoy spending time together and bonding. This reminded me of autumn and freshly brewed coffee in the hands of parents as they talked to their children about their school days, with calming rain outside. I wanted the kitchen to be a place that made the Hicks family value spending time at home; a space that brings all together,” says Sekepe.
Asked what this accolade means to her, she responds as follows: “It is a testament to say that I can bridge the gap between inventive expression or creative expression and human-centred design. It is through this project that I came to understand the principles of interior design; I understand what it means to design a space for people.
Comprehension is the foundation of any project; understanding materiality and functionality and knowing how to implement them is crucial when it comes to meeting the requirements of a client or, in this case, a family.
I am bewildered and proud to have achieved such an accomplishment. This has inspired me to grow and continue bridging the gap between inventive expression and user-friendly design,” Sekepe adds.
Stephanie Forbes from KSA describes the standard of this year’s entries as follows: “We are always excited to receive the project submissions and grateful for the overwhelming number of submissions. The standard of aesthetic design was high this year, but we did struggle to find students who excelled in all areas of the project, which makes the achievement that much more impressive. To come in the Top 5, you need to have shown proficiency across the board – a good aesthetic, ergonomic design, good renders, elevations and plans, as well as understanding of standard cabinetry sizing, basic design principles, a clear understanding of materials and the ability to draw up a good mood board. Most importantly, we wanted to see that the students had listened to their client, Tracy, and given her what she was asking for. This is particularly important as Tracy will be pulling elements from the top projects for her real-life kitchen revamp. It was also important for us to see that the students had really engaged with the resources we had given them,” says Forbes.
In congratulating Sekepe, Inge Weber, Interior Design lecturer who oversaw the project, says: “The care Sekepe invested in understanding the users before designing truly set her work apart. That empathy shaped a design that felt thoughtful and connected to real people.”
As a national association the KSA represents the country's reputable kitchen manufacturers and associated suppliers with a view to facilitating solution-driven resolutions between members and consumers and facilitate growth and education within the industry.
Zaworita Sekepe 1 and Zaworita Sekepe 2
The kitchen design, titled A place in Autumn, that secured Sekepe the honours.
