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Kopanya Wins Second Place

We have had a very exciting time at HOMEWOOD over the last week as our furniture design came second in the DTI Furniture Design Competition!

The design theme centered around MULTIFUNCTIONAL FURNITURE

The number of single and two person households is on the rise, resulting in an increased demand for small and portable furniture. Consumers have also been looking for furniture that is multi-purpose, foldable, and technology-driven, especially when it comes to living in smaller spaces.

It was with this in mind that we set to work creating a bespoke design that could revolutionize the way we live/cook.

On the 12th of March, HOMEWOOD had the opportunity to showcase their incredible design that was chosen to be in the final of this year’s South African Department of Trade and Industry Furniture Design Competition. Surrounded by fellow designers, HOMEWOOD quickly stood out when they started the process of displaying their design.

After the final round of judging, HOMEWOOD landed in second place over all, making us now an award-winning furniture design company. A phenomenal feat for our first entry into this competition.

The Kopanya Kitchen unit has the following configurations all wrapped up with 6 barstools into 1 unit 1200 x 1000 x 950 mm in size.

  • 6 Bar stools
  • Kitchen Centre Island
  • Breakfast Table
  • Server/Sideboard
  • Full 8 seater Dining table
  • Social bar counter

DTI FURNITURE DESIGN COMPETITION

The theme for this year’s DTI Furniture Design Competition was “Living Space”, and entrants had to design and create a piece of household furniture that was both multi functional and a space saver. The furniture piece had to reflect current trends and had to respond to the way people live and how they use their space, providing a solution for constantly changing household needs, as well as be appealing to the export market. They had to design this furniture piece for a space no bigger than 3×2 square meters.

THE BIRTH OF THE KOPANYA KITCHEN UNIT

Luckily, Homewood love a good challenge. They took to the drawing boards and came up with a piece that would not only be a multifunctional space saver, but a definite conversation starter for any household. And so, the Kopanya was born.

 

Why the name Kopanya? Homewood is known for their passion behind keeping things local. From only employing people from the surrounding community to join their dynamic team; to the names of their furniture ranges; they always search for ways to celebrate their country. It’s no surprise then that they found their inspiration for the name from the Sesotho word Kopanya, as it means to unite, mix and con

solidate. And that is exactly what the Kopanya kitchen unit is designed to do.

When asked how they came about this incredible design concept, they shared the following, “In the world of entertainment – reality TV is booming. With singing leading the way with programs like Idols to a surprising evolution of cooking content! But is this surprising? Is cooking really that boring as a form of entertainment? Apparently not! Homewood and its designers have noticed this trend and have come up with a remarkable idea to ‘kopanya’ the cooking and entertainment experience right in your very own kitchen! You can now cook with guests and make this whole process part of the entertainment experience when people come over. No longer are you left out busy slaving away in the kitchen whilst your dinner guests drink your best wine, leaving you miss to out as you focus on preparing the meal. Now everyone gets to socialise during the process – it becomes part of the evening entertainment!”

If you’d like to know more about KOPANYA, please feel free to contact Ian for more info. As always, HOMEWOOD is on hand to help you design and craft the perfect piece to fit your space!

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