Samsung announced the winner of the Bespoke Home Challenge, closing the curtain on the interior design competition that ran from October 2022. Zwelibanzi Nzuza’s design took the honours after seeing off stiff competition from his three fellow finalists. Zweli, as he’s affectionately known, won a cash prize of R100 000 that will help him kick-start his interior design career and propel him into his future of creativity.

Coming all the way from Kwa-Zulu, Zwelibanzi’s design philosophy is based on vision, inspiration and a leap of faith. He is very adventurous in his designs and often looks at results that inspire people beyond the norm. What sets him apart is his willingness to explore, expand himself in every project and produce something fresh at all times. “I perceived a high-spiritedness in the Bespoke fridge, which is the centrepiece of the design. That inspired sophistication and playfulness in my approach and I tried to use that as an anchor and a common thread in everything else in my space. I wanted something warm, welcoming, relatable, easy on the eye, and not overbearing or intimidating,” said Zwelibanzi.

For the first time, Samsung opened the Bespoke Home Challenge to young designers. The challenge was made to encourage the creators to design an integrated kitchen and living room space with the Bespoke Refrigerator as the centrepiece of their space. Being in a class of its own, the Samsung Bespoke Refrigerator range brings a kaleidoscope of colour, innovation, and unparalleled customisation to life.

The four finalists had to each put their best foot forward and do their designs at the new Samsung Lifestyle store at Design Quarter in Johannesburg. The other finalists were:

• Maresa Maartens (Gauteng) – Won second place in the Bespoke Home Challenge and walked away with R50 000 cash prize. Maresa was adamant that when designing, it is important to create rooms that feel like sanctuaries, where people can find ease of use, comfort, durability and low maintenance, she believes in design solutions and spaces that make users feel good mentally and physically and want to slow down.

• Keneilwe Mothoa (Gauteng) – Inspired by African heritage and culture and marrying this with modern and western inspirations. Her designs are based on African research and focus on the history for the future. She designs for both functionality and aesthetics, capturing all the senses: touch and feel to name a few.

• Mbali Maseko (Gauteng) – Mbali believes that going forward design should be minimalistic with a touch of Africa. She would like to add a touch of Africa to any beautiful, personal and Bespoke home.

The challenge focused on up-and-coming young designers and was a way to give them a unique platform to test their skills and an opportunity to design and give their own interpretation of a perfect Bespoke Home. After being identified for the final round at the end of September 2022, the four finalists had a chance to showcase their creativity and skill at the brand new Samsung Lifestyle at Design Quarter.

Media entrepreneur and International Speaker, Jo-Ann Strauss, who formed part of the judging panel, said the bar had been raised in this edition of the competition. “Samsung is renowned for always going big in everything they do and it is exciting to see that the My Bespoke Home Challenge competition was no exception. It’s amazing how this competition has grown bigger and better. It is such an excellent platform for young up-and-coming designers and I’m proud to be part of it for the second time. A competition like this is important to celebrate what the young designers learn as it prepares them for the real world and the work environment. The designs of all four finalists were absolutely beautiful and made it tough for the judges. I was particularly impressed by how the contestants brought their own personalities to the fore through their designs. I also enjoyed hearing the personal stories from the contestants about their individual journeys and we all thoroughly enjoyed Zweli’s personal story.”

Zweli said he is over the moon at being crowned the winner and takes it as a reminder that he is on the right track in terms of following his passion and love for interior design. “This is like a dream. Never in a million years would I have imagined I would win such a competition. I have learned a lot more than I thought I would in this competition. I feel grateful and absolutely humbled by the entire experience.  The fact that my family is also here to celebrate with me makes it extra special. I will be investing the prize money towards realising my dream and growing my business,” said Zweli.

“The My Bespoke Home Challenge competition is Samsung’s effort to invest in young designers and youth as part of our design and concept store. These post-COVID times have highlighted the importance of our personal spaces and the role they play in our overall wellbeing. It is what inspired this challenge as well because our homes have become multifunctional as spaces where we need to work, relax and entertain ourselves, so they need to be optimal for all those purposes and more. Our vision at Samsung is to allow our consumers to be able to make their spaces look and feel the way they want that also reflects their own personalities and tastes,” said Mike van Lier, Vice President for Consumer Electronics at Samsung.

Samsung proudly supports Busan’s bid for the World Expo 2030.

with an exciting new focus on young designers

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa – 06 July 2022 – The Samsung South Africa #MyBespokeChallenge will return on 1 October. The 2022 iteration of the popular design challenge was announced at Decorex in Cape Town. This ultimate home challenge, which captivated South Africans in its launch last year, will once again see four designers compete to conceive and build their own Bespoke Home “Space”. However, for 2022 instead of using influencers as the designers, Samsung has placed a focus on harnessing and testing the unique perspectives of youth.

The entrants will be responsible for designing around a Bespoke colour and creating their own Bespoke space, from a kitchen, living area, study – transforming any home space with the highly-customised BESPOKE Refrigerator range.  What sets a BESPOKE refrigerator apart from every other appliance is that it has a customisable and interchangeable front panel design, modularity that allows you to choose and add the optimal storage configurations to suit your needs, and a sleek, modern look that fits seamlessly into any kitchen.

Samsung will soon announce the selected contestants who will be mentored by influencer and media personality, Jo-Ann Strauss and #MyBespokeChallenge 2021 Winner, Cassandra Twala. Joining them as part of the judging panel in 2022 is Anita Bloom, Creative Director at Decorex Africa with more judges still be unravelled to the public for #MyBespokeChallenge 2022.

Samsung is excited to announce that for this year’s challenge, entries will be open to young up-and-coming designers. The young designers that make it to the final round and take part in the #MyBespokeChallenge will design their own kitchen and living space. The winner this year stands a chance to win R100 000 cash prize and so much more¹. All spaces will be showcased in the Samsung Bespoke store, Design Quarter, for one year after completion. Samsung is looking for enthusiastic, motivated, and hardworking designers to participate in the #MyBespokeChallenge. Only four designers will make it to the final round.

Samsung has also recently announced the addition of the BESPOKE French Door Refrigerator to a range that has captivated those seeking out living spaces that truly reflect their tastes and aesthetics. The contestants will have access to the full BESPOKE in their quest to win the #MyBespokeChallenge 2022.

Entries for contestants are open until the end of July.

¹Terms and conditions apply

See how Mary-Anne Gwayanya designed a bespoke space that honoured the African aesthetic

Inspired by the theme of “Under African Skies” Mary-Anne transformed her Bespoke Refrigerator colour of Glam Navy into a simple, modern, minimalist, contemporary aesthetic with brave pops of colour and neutral walls. She used bold colours to seemingly conjure up a space that felt as alive and vibrant as the continent she was inspired by. Already enhanced by sustainable materials such as marble, wood, stone, leather with accents of aluminium black, Mary-Anne seamlessly combined navy and orange in her unique space, and added white to bring a balance to her creation. For her the Bespoke Refrigerator Challenge was an opportunity to be bold with a twist that was uniquely hers.

Check out Mary-Anne’s showcase video

Each of the four passionate creative minds brought a unique perspective and dimension to the #MySamsungBespokeChallenge, which included a host of partners including Le Creuset, Consentino, TOP Carpets, SHF Decorex Africa, Versus Paints and Design Quarter, who joined forces with Samsung to inspire the contestant’s creativity and spark new ideas. All the challengers received cash cards with funds to spend at sponsors stores, to enhance and complete their allocated living spaces.

Your chance to view, vote and stand a chance to win R50 000 e-store Samsung vouchers in the amazing Samsung Bespoke Refrigerator Challenge has been extended. Voting is now opened until midnight, 19^th January, 2022.

Does Mary-Anne get your VOTE?

How to Vote:

• Visit our Bespoke Home showroom at Design Quarter, and vote for your favourite space^* to stand a chance to win Samsung and Design Quarter vouchers; or
• Visit the Samsung Bespoke Refrigeratorand complete online form to vote and stand a chance to win Samsung and Design Quarter vouchers.

You now have until the 19^th January 2022 to experience these incredible influencer-designed living spaces at Design Quarter in Fourways or view them online.

^*TS & Cs apply.

Discover the inspiration and thinking that led to Cassandra Twala bringing her love of Africa home.

Designing from the heart, Cassandra started her BESPOKE journey by pulling together all the things that she loves and finding a way for them to exist in harmony. Armed with her Satin Taupe Bespoke refrigerator hero colour, she crafted a mood board that represented a collection of ideas that became uniquely South African and completely Cassandra. Her ultimate aim was to inspire others to boldly showcase their personality in the spaces they inhabit.  As Cassandra says, “there is only one you, and that deserves to be translated into your living space. With the BESPOKE Refrigerator I had a canvas for innovation, creative ingenuity and absolute fun.”

Check out Cassandra’s showcase video

Each of the four passionate creative minds brought a unique perspective and dimension to the #MySamsungBespokeChallenge, which included a host of partners including Le Creuset, Consentino, TOP Carpets, SHF Decorex Africa, Versus Paints and Design Quarter, who joined forces with Samsung to inspire the contestant’s creativity and spark new ideas. All the challengers received cash cards with funds to spend at sponsors stores, to enhance and complete their allocated living spaces.

Your chance to view, vote and stand a chance to win R50 000 e-store Samsung vouchers in the amazing Samsung Bespoke Refrigerator Challenge has been extended. Voting is now opened until midnight, 19^th January, 2022.

Does Cassandra get your VOTE?

How to Vote:

• Visit our Bespoke Home showroom at Design Quarter, and vote for your favourite space^* to stand a chance to win Samsung and Design Quarter vouchers; or
• Visit the Samsung Bespoke Refrigerator and complete online form to vote and stand a chance to win Samsung and Design Quarter vouchers.

You now have until the 19^th January 2022 to experience these incredible influencer-designed living spaces at Design Quarter in Fourways or view them online.

^*TS & Cs apply.

Discover how Shelley Mokoena created a showcase of Wabi Sabi in a contemporary style

Wanting to incorporate natural textures which create beauty from imperfection, Shelly complemented her BESPOKE vision with clean and sophisticated elements to create a harmonious space. She played around with opposites: masculine and feminine colours, rustic and smooth textures as well as comfortable and minimal pieces to create a warm and inviting space. Drawn to Glam Pink as her BESPOKE Refrigerator colour she was able to incorporate her unique style into a natural and muted space. This gave her the freedom of adding seamless accent colours to a holistic space that felt like warm and inviting. For Shelley, it was a vision that instantly felt like home.

Check out Shelly’s video:

Each of the four passionate creative minds brought a unique perspective and dimension to the #MySamsungBespokeChallenge, which included a host of partners including Le Creuset, Consentino, TOP Carpets, SHF Decorex Africa, Versus Paints and Design Quarter, who joined forces with Samsung to inspire the contestant’s creativity and spark new ideas. All the challengers received cash cards with funds to spend at sponsors stores, to enhance and complete their allocated living spaces.

Your chance to view, vote and stand a chance to win R50 000 e-store Samsung vouchers in the amazing Samsung Bespoke Refrigerator Challenge has been extended. Voting is now opened until midnight, 19^th January, 2022.

Does Shelly get your VOTE?

How to Vote:

• Visit our Bespoke Home showroom at Design Quarter, and vote for your favourite space^* to stand a chance to win Samsung and Design Quarter vouchers; or
• Visit the Samsung Bespoke Refrigerator and complete online form to vote and stand a chance to win Samsung and Design Quarter vouchers. You now have until the 19^th January 2022 to experience these incredible influencer-designed living spaces at Design Quarter in Fourways or view them online.
• ^*TS & Cs apply.