My Design Rules (2020): Season 1, Episode 1 - Episode #1.1 - full transcript

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(xylophone music)

(upbeat music)

- Welcome to My Design
Rules, Season Five.

The interior design
reality series

that changes the lives of
the contestants involved

as they vie for the accolade

of best new interior design
talent in South Africa

and a cash prize
of 100,000 rand.

My name is Danilo Acquisto,

join me over the
next 13 episodes

as we follow all the drama



of three competing design duos

as they work to transform

three identical
white-box apartments

into luxury homes,
in the glorious

Winelands region of
Cape Town, South Africa.

Hosted here at the magnificent

Paardevlei Lifestyle Estate.

(guitar music)

On the southernmost
tip of Africa

sits a city that
is constantly voted

as one of the most beautiful
in the world, Cape Town.

Built on a historic site,

the spectacular Paardevlei
Lifestyle Estate

has won two International
Development Awards



and incorporated a variety
of property offerings.

The Heritage Houses dating
back to the early 1900s

were originally built
by esteemed architect

Sir Herbert Baker
and lovingly restored

by developers Balwin Properties.

The duplex units each have
wood burning fireplaces

and their own private
garden with swimming pool.

The three bedroom
apartments offer vistas

over the strand golf course

and the majestic Hottentots
Holland mountain range,

while a part of the
square development

has views over the wetland
teeming with bird life.

The estate has the
beach on its doorstep,

as well as the incredible
Cape Winelands,

making it a truly
idyllic location.

The stage is set, it's time now

to meet the three dynamic duos

who will be decorating
three identical

white-box penthouse apartments,

room challenge by
room challenge.

These three teams will be
competing for the title

of South Africa's "Best
New Interior Designers,"

and the grand prize
of 100,000 rand.

(light guitar music)

- [Narrator] This
dynamic duo met by chance

through a shared love of
design, where it was furniture

that was the
conversation starter.

- My name is Koketso Marole,

currently known as
Koke here in Cape Town.

Ever since I moved like
my name just changed.

I'm an interior designer by
profession and part time model.

- My name is Rekopile Belebesi,

and I am an artist
and entrepreneur.

I'm formerly from Johannesburg
but currently enjoying

all that Cape Town has to offer.

- We met at Design
Joburg three months ago,

literally that's how long
we've known each other.

It was a random occurrence
because I was manning the stand

and she came up to
me and she smiled

and I smiled back (laughs)
because smiles are contagious.

- I mean, you can
see, as you can see.

Addictive she is.

- [Koke] I moved
to Cape Town right

after graduation from
varsity and for me,

it has been the best
experience of my life.

I mean, I've loved it since
I've got here, you know,

It's just the scenery, the air,

like you just take everything in

and it humbles you
and it's just this

majestic beauty that
you get from Cape Town.

My boyfriend always said,

"Babe, you need to go into
modeling" and I was like,

"Ah, yes I will, like
eventually I will."

And then he's like,
"No, let's do it now."

But he also had an issue
'cause he never drank water,

so I was like, "Okay,
here's the deal,

if you drink water, I'll
sign up with an agency."

And then he started
drinking water and then

I had no choice but to sign
up (laughs) for an agency.

- That story of yours, darling.

Your boyfriend just
needed to be hydrated.

(upbeat music)

- [Rekopile] I have a small
business in Johannesburg

where I reinvent and
up-cycle pre-loved furniture.

It really just started
with my love for collecting

eclectic furniture and bespoke
pieces for my own apartment.

My friends then started
wanting to poach from me

and I said, "No no no,
we're not going to do that,

I have to find a way
to do the same thing

at commercial value."

Also, I collected
so many pieces that

my apartment cannot
contain them anymore.

So it just dawned on me,

why don't you
actually find people

who can do great craftsmanship
and great upholstery,

find the right fabrics, so
that these pieces become

the bespoke elements
of people's homes.

So that's just how my
love for design, furniture

and interior design began.

It really is amazing
to start something

from the heart and
to see just how

much happiness it brings
in people's lives.

- [Koke] When I got the call
from the production team of,

"You were selected as
one of the three duos",

I was like, "Reko,
it's time to move."

- [Rekopile] Yeah, it
happened so quickly.

I mean, I had to neatly
pack my life in a box

and take my car and a
train and fly to Cape Town

and it's the best decision
I've made, So exciting.

(laughs)

- We're here.
- We're here. (laughs)

- [Danilo] Now that
Rekopile has relocated

to Cape Town, the
duo is sharing in all

that the vibrant
city has to offer.

- First Thursday's
in Cape Town is like

really amazing, all the
galleries are open and

they're like on one street,

which makes it easy to
move from one to the next.

Also, this free wine.

That's the thing
about first Thursdays,

there's always free
liquor but I mean I really

appreciate the art
and I appreciate

just what the
space has to offer.

It's really stimulating and
while looking at some of

the work we've already
seen who we want to

collaborate with and bring
some of that to our house.

- We are, gallery hoppers,
ideally would like to own one.

- Yes

- It would be nice.

- I mean, it's just a
different way to look at art

and have it within our space.

- [Koke] What gives us
the edge is the fact

that we don't know
each other long,

so this is gonna be a
journey for both of us

to get to know each
other in this process.

- Yeah, I love the
fact that we don't know

each other for long,
because something about

time also can create a sense

of complacency.
- Yes.

Here we get to
appreciate and respect

each other's creative people.

And what make us
amazing, I mean,

I mean, I mean, I mean.

- I mean there's
so much personality

(both laughing)

- Yeah I mean hello
- You left me hanging

(laughing)

- Sorry

(upbeat music)

- My name is Kehumile Mate

and I'm an interior
designer, I'm a photographer,

and fine artist and I
hail all the way from,

Johannesburg, the
crazy concrete jungle.

- My name is Nicholas Smit,

I'm an interior architect,

I've been practicing
for last two years now,

and originally from
the Garden Route,

but been living in Cape
Town for five years now.

- My love for photography
began when I was a child

and I've always had
a camera in my hand,

and I fell in love with
the ability to capture

a moment to pause
a moment in time.

Besides photography,
I'm a fine artist

and I enjoy sketching,

I enjoy print making

and just me living in Maboneng,

I just love how drenched

I am in the creative
scene in Johannesburg.

The grunge and the creatives

just all messed up together.

As much as I love Johannesburg,

after receiving the
confirmation to be a part

of this great opportunity,
I just had to pack my bags.

I just sent him a text like,

"Dude, like I need
a design partner,"

and all he said was,
"My bro say no more."

(laughing)

"Legit," that's what he said.

- We're staying now
together and it's epic,

we get all the time
we need in the studio,

we can work through the night

and yeah we're just
pushing it everyday.

- That's amazing,
that reconnection

of also about our friendships
through the design

also happening, so it's amazing.

(upbeat music)

- I have a passion for
restoring motorcycles and

vintage scooters, and
I think that was born

from having access to a
workshop from an early age,

and being able to engage
and work with my hands,

and kinda explorative play,
and that sort of thing.

Yeah, and I think that
connects to interior design,

where you've kinda taken
something old and you

start to with a set of
constraints and you work with

those two to build
something new,

kinda add a bit
of personality and

really engage with the
piece and give it new life.

I used to do a whole
bunch of other,

working with timber
and that sort of thing,

but I've recently
like reconnected with
mechanics and that

and I think that's
got a big connection

with both my grandparents coming

from a mechanical background,

so reconnecting with that
and engaging with that,

it's been really
exciting ark here for me.

When I first moved here it
was a lot about skateboarding

and now it's been a bit more

of scootering 'cause I
need to get further on

and get to things, but
I think for both of us,

it's just being on the streets.

- [Kehumile] We love
being free and not being

restrained, and I think skating,

that's the point
where we truly join,

because we free
spirits, that have been

in this industry and this
industry is not really free.

So us getting the air
through our hair is (mumbles)

- [Nicholas] It's kinda of
an expressive form you know,

you don't have to be good at it,

it's just you're up
there, you're doing it,

you're challenging yourself
and exploring for yourself.

And just enjoying it,
essentially it's that passion

that draws that 150% commitment
that we have as a team.

That we're not here to play
games, we are here to --

- No games to play
here, that oomph,

we're bringing the
competition this time.

- To smash it.

- 150% or nothing.

(screams)

Smashed it, that's
how we gonna smash it.

- Confident indeed, you've
met two of our dynamic

duos, next we introduce
you to the third

and later our teams
get to take a look

at the blank canvases that
are the empty apartments.

(upbeat music)

(upbeat music)

Welcome back to My Design Rules,

we've met two of
our contestant teams

who will be battling
it out for the title

of Best New Designer
and the cash prize

of 100,000 rand.

Now it's time to meet our
third and final design duo.

(guitar music)

Having met seven years ago,

when they were
studying together,

this duo bonded through
their shared taste in design

and life goals.

But until recently, they were
living 1,400 kilometers apart.

- I'm Sinéad Turner,
I'm an interior designer

and I hail from Joburg.

- I'm Melissa Oosthuizen,
and I'm an interior designer

and owner of a business focusing

on interior design
and custom furniture.

- And we are besties.

- And we recent house mates.

- [Melissa] We met in
Joburg, both studying

at Greenside Design Center
and very quickly clicked

over our mutual design values

and numerous all nighters

- [Sinéad] Lot's of coffee.

- [Melissa] And lots of
coffee and giggles and

yeah we maintain a long
distance relationship,

lots of voice notes and

Memes
- Memes.

- And
- FaceTimes.

- When we found out
about this opportunity,

it sort of became quite
a serendipitous thing,

and we used it as an
opportunity to pack up our life

and get here down to Cape Town.

- For two years, worked
in the corporate world,

in corporate design,
and while it was lovely

I found that it
wasn't what I wanted,

so I moved from there into
the Exhibition Design world,

worked there for a
year and the fast pace

of everything, really
got my blood pumping.

So then I decided to
move away from there

and I started freelancing and
I built an entire studio up

for myself in my house,

and I offer full
turned key services

from design up until project
management up until completion.

- [Melissa] I am an
interior designer

and I have to do a lot of
custom furniture pieces.

My passion for interior
design and bespoke furniture,

stems from the fact that
we engage with furniture

and interior spaces,
all day every day.

And they need to be
well considered to be

both functional and
aesthetically pleasing

to make people feel good
and to make life easier

and better for
people on a whole,

if we can have an affect
even on the way people use

and function with
furniture and in spaces,

hopefully we can use that

to positively affect the way
human beings behave in spaces,

and with each other
at the end of the day,

try and make the
world a better place.

Our passion for permaculture,

it started in college and it
was inspirational learning

about permaculture which
is essentially designing

with nature and designing
closed systems to try

and reduce waste and make
for healthier spaces,

and people in the
best way possible.

- What sets us apart
as the design duo

to watch in this season,

is our passion for
permaculture and.

- And our minimalistic
design style,

bringing plants and
nature into spaces,

in ways like you've
never seen before.

- We've met our
three design duos

it's now time to meet
the critical eyes

that will scrutinize every
inch of their completed spaces.

The main judges will follow
the journey of each design duo

and at the end of the road,

they will decide
who is most worthy

of that 100,000 rand cash prize.

(upbeat music)

- I was really honored
to have been asked

to be a judge and with
my design background,

I really hope to bring
some fresh perspective,

to the judging panel,

and see what these
design duos can bring.

Private property is
an online platform,

where you can come to look
for any type of property,

across South Africa.

Everyday hundreds of new

listings are added
to our website.

So we see many, many
properties and we start

to understand the trends

of how design can genuinely
affect the property values.

Things like kitchens
and bathrooms,

making sure they've
renovated beautifully.

Fixtures, design elements,
bringing in a touch of color.

So there's an
absolute corelation

between well designed rooms
and the price you can ask

for an apartment, and the price
people are willing to pay.

(guitar music)

- Hi I'm Steve Brookes, I'm
the CEO of Balwin Properties,

deeply passionate
about this industry,

been doing it for 22 years,

started off with a fantastic
German grandmother,

who used to send us these
big parcels full of Lego,

and I was obsessed
with building,

and I'll never forget I
used to get very upset

when one tile didn't match
the rest of the house.

So my friends said that
started the pedantic side

of my passion for this business.

As a judge I believe
I bring 22 years

of deep experience doing this.

I've owned over
25 personal homes

and sold them all
very successfully.

I also have an
exceptional passion

for interior decorating.

I like seeing good architecture.

I am fairly outspoken, and I
really do believe in what I do.

- [Danilo] Sharing the
judging responsibilities,

when Steve is not available
is his son Slade Brookes,

who has inherited
his fathers passion

for well designed spaces.

- My name is Slade Brookes,

and I'm Property Executive
for Balwin Properties.

I sell apartments on
a day to day basis.

I make sure we put a
roof over people's heads.

Make sure we find someone,

a quality well built apartment.

I'm also a Director of
the Balwin Foundation,

that's a non profit
organization that assists

in financing students in
order to get their education

in other for tertiary
education, high school,

we're just there to enable
the future of South Africa.

We're there to enable
the future abilities

of South Africans.

(upbeat music)

- My name is Buhle Mathole,

I'm an architect ,the
director and founder

of Kabu Design Architects.

We love the concrete
work, the robust work,

and now we've moved as well
from small scale to big scale,

we do all sizes of
buildings and it's been fun,

10 years working on this,

and we learn a lot,
each and everyday.

What qualifies me as a judge,

I believe I've worked a lot
with young people over 7 years

of experience in teaching
and over 15 years

as an architect, and I
think what I've learned

is through my own struggles,

how to deal with structure,
how to make things work,

how to deal with budgets,
that makes me understand

or becomes part of what goes
on in the mind of a designer,

and be able to
articulate what a viewer,

or a recipient is looking for.

- Talk about intimidating,

when adjudicating
each room space,

our main judges will be
joined by a guest judge,

a top industry professional.

So our design duos
better get cracking

on some incredible design,

which they do, after the break.

(upbeat music)

(upbeat music)

(rock music)

- Welcome back, we've met our
three competing design duos,

as well as the judges who
will be deciding their fate.

Now the fun truly begins,

let's kick off My Design
Rules, Season Five.

(upbeat music)

- Arriving at Paardevlei
Estate is exhilarating,

it's just game time
now, we're ready.

- It's real, it's happening.

- [Rekopile] Surreal, it's
absolutely unbelievable.

- Yeah, we are here, we're
excited, a little nervous,

but we're ready to get it.

- [Nicholas] Immediately pulling
in, we've been surprised,

with how neat this estate is

and yeah just homey feeling.

- But now it's game time and
we have to smash this one.

- Now we're ready to bring it

150%
- 150%.

(upbeat music)

- Hello season five design duos,

and welcome to Paardevlei,

inside this hard
hat are the keys

to three identical white
box penthouse apartments

at the new
development next door.

These are the units
you'll be decorating

over the next 10 weeks,

room challenge by
room challenge.

I'm sure you're dying
to get stuck in,

so let's draw keys to
decide which apartment

you'll be decorating.

Please nominate one
member from each duo

and come and select a key.

- Feeling very nervous
about the key picking,

I hope we get the best
apartment, with the best view.

I'm sure we will 'cause we
got good luck like that.

- Reko, I'm trusting you're
gonna do best with those keys.

- Magic fingers right here,

you know it's going to happen.

(laughing)

- This is literally
the key to our success.

- Legit.

- Right, contestants
the key in your hand

could represent the
key to your success

in this competition.

But first, do you have
design team names?

- The team name
we have chose is,

- Contrast Control.

Look at us we are in contrast
but controlling it quite well.

- Do you know we've decided
to go with Team R & K.

- Our names are too long,

people always get it wrong,
so were just like, you know,

we're gonna simplify it for them

and she's gonna be R
and I'm gonna be K,

and together R and K.

- And we are, Perma Peeps.

Our team name comes
from mutual love

for permaculture and
wanting to bring in

that movement and really
showcase to society

what we can do with it.

- Like artist at an easel,

I'm sure you're dying to
see your blank canvases

for the very first time.

It's time to open the door,
to your design future.

Design contestants,
go forth and decorate.

(upbeat music)

- Running up there, I'm so
excited to just see everything,

the ceilings, what does
anything look like.

How are the walls,
what are the doors,

are there even doors there?

You know.

- [Nicolas] Yeah we can't
wait to get our hands dirty.

- Adrenaline is rushing,
my hat almost falls off,

and I mean I can't wait to see

how our units look.

I'm excited.

- Panting for my breath and
I'm like there's a house

to see, there's interior to do.

Let's go.

- I am just pumped to the
max, dying to get in there

and to start bashing ideas out
and just having fun with it.

- Oh my, look at this.

- [Sinead] wow.

- [Melissa] This double
volume is amazing.

Double volume for the win.
- Double volume for the win.

(laughs)

- [Melissa] And that concrete
slab is just phenomenal.

- Oh this will make
a snugly spare room.

- There's so much room
for activities in here.

Love it.

Our instant desires to change
is to simplify the place.

So there's a couple of
things here and there

that are coming down
and being changed.

But you'll have
to watch and see.

(laughing)

(upbeat music)

- Wow oh my.
- This is so amazing.

- Oh my goodness,
the natural light

like look at that.
- I know there's

so much light.

- And that oh my
- And the space, I love it.

I just love.

- We can do whatever we want.

- My goodness, the view is
amazing, it's incredible.

- The light is everything,

I think it's so
much natural light

we can play with so many colors,

and everything is
just gonna pop.

- You wanna create heaven
in this space, this is

(screams)

- This is stunning.
- That's what I wanna do.

(laughing)

- Lets see what's in here.

- Oh wow, this is
the master bedroom.

- I think this is a
well designed bedroom,

we can definitely
work with this.

- Beautiful en suite as
well, lot's of space,

again lighting,
that's very important.

And you know the
canvas, all right?

The splash of color.
- The splash of color.

(laughing)

- We have the same thinking.

Lots and lots of color.

- Yeah I know, I think you can.

- I see it, it's beautiful.

- We really could (mumbles)
- We're working

from nothing to everything.

(guitar music)

- Whoa.
- Whoa.

- Look at the lights,
look at the ceiling.

- [Nicolas] This volume.

- [Kehumile] This is so high.

Yo and the view.

- We're blown away by the
volume we have to work with.

- It's quite amazing
working on such

a high volume industrial space.

It's a dream.

- Yo, and there's three rooms.

This is nice.

- Ooh, oh wow.

This is Big.

This right here is big,
look at that, look at that.

The three words basically
that would sum up

what we have planned
is firstly, delicious,

afrolicious, and beautiful.

Also functional, that's four.

- That's four. (laughing)

- Clearly seeing those
blank canvases unlocked

some creativity and the ideas
are already starting to flow.

Next time, on My Design
Rules, the duos get to meet

the people we've appointed
to act as their clients.

Creativity and planning
are going to be key.

As they are tasked with
their first challenge.

All I'll leave you with
is that they're going

to need as much energy
as they can spare,

if they're going to
deliver on those ideas.

Until then, goodbye.

Tune in for all the design
inspiration and all the drama.

To kick things off with a bang,

we're gonna be throwing you
right into the deep end,

With a double challenge.

- That's the deep end.

- Two, in two weeks, uh-uh, no.

- The amazing race,
painters edition.

- You see had we
done this yesterday,

we wouldn't have
this problem today.

- Argh (laughing)

- We don't even know what to do

with ourselves right know.

- This looks like chaos.

Oh my word.

You guys worked two hours,
why is this place such a mess?

One hour, one hour to go guys.

Go, go, go, go, go.

Go, go, go, go.

You go.
- You go.

- No you go.

Watch all the
design drama unfold

and see who rules supreme
at the end of the day.

Only on My Design Rules.

- Another feel good production.