Wickes launch home office awards with Phil Spencer and Ben Hillman
The home improvement retailer has teamed up with celebrity property experts to celebrate remote working
Image: Ideal Home Show
After more than a year of ‘you’re on mute’, ‘can everyone see my screen?‘ and less-than-perfect connectivity, many of us have mastered the menace of working from home.
And whilst we’ve squeezed a desk in one room and added a chair to another, Wickes have also been on the lookout for savvy and stand-out ‘wow’ setups. But rather than just admiring from a distance on social media, the DIY store have decided to reward the most creative concepts with an awards launch.
For example, whether you’ve built a dedicated luxury outhouse office or made clever use of space under the stairs, the aim of the awards is to applaud the efforts and help five hard workers transform their multifunctional space even more. Because, we’re sure you can agree, remote working has truly been a role in itself!
So read on to find out more about the competition, what’s to be won, and also how to enter…
Read more: Q&A with Zoe Perks, winner of the Under the Stairs Project
Competition details
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Wickes Home Office Awards will have two rounds which will see five shortlisted winners and one overall winner. After this, each of the shortlist awards (and a £150 voucher prize) will be given to one entrant. Finally, one winner will be crowned the creator of ‘The Nation’s Best Home Office’. This winner will additionally receive £1,000 Wickes vouchers to put towards their next project.
- The Minimalist Master Award – A working from home set up that makes the best use of minimal space. Perhaps in a bedroom wardrobe, under the stairs, or an innovative use of pull-down desks
- Best Interior and Mindful Design Award – An office space styled with colour/fun accessories whilst being mindful of comfort and wellbeing
- Cleaning Up in the Kitchen Award – A tasty space concocted in the kitchen
- The Sensational Shed Award – Located within a garden outbuilding, converted shed or outside of the home
- The Savviest Set-Up – A functional working space, designed and created with a small budget
Read more: Wickes launches first ever fitted home office range
Competition judges
Ben Hillman
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Judging the awards will be ‘Location Location Location’ star and developer Phil Spencer, TV presenter and interior designer Ben Hillman. As well as judging, Ben has also caught the DIY bug in lockdown as he is also in the process of creating his own outdoor home office, whilst documenting the microarchitecture process on Instagram.
Phil Spencer
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A familiar face, Phil Spencer is an ambassador of our sister exhibition, Ideal Home Show. Commenting on the awards, he said: ‘If lockdown has taught us anything, it’s how to make the most of the space we have. For many, that has meant getting creative to provide a suitable place to work and separate it from our home life. I’ve seen some amazing examples of this and as homeworking continues to increase, a home office space is likely to become as sought after as an en suite or garage. I’m looking forward to seeing some of the innovative designs and spaces and helping five winners enhance their space further.’
Mandy Minichiello, Head of Marketing at Wickes said: ‘Homeworking has evoked that great British spirit of making the best of any situation. We’ve seen some amazing home improvement projects. The Wickes Home Office Awards will celebrate and reward the best of these home office ideas, whether it’s the drop-down desk in the bedroom, to the brand-new purpose-built garden office – with shortlist awards catering for all styles and budgets, we want to see them all.’
How to enter?
Visit Wickes Facebook, Instagram or Twitter page and follow the guidance*, using the hashtag #WickesHomeOfficeAwards. Entries open from 07:00 on Monday 19th April and close at 23:59 on Monday 17th May (inclusive). Entrants must live in the UK. Must be over 18. T&Cs apply.
Terms and conditions
*Entrants will automatically be entered into the awards by uploading an image of their working from home space with them in it. On Facebook, entrants must upload an image as a ‘comment’ on the competition launch post. This will be posted on the Wickes Business Facebook page on Monday 19th April. On Instagram, the post must be uploaded on the user’s profile as a grid post. All imagery must be shared with #WickesHomeOfficeAwards and from public social accounts.
Will you be entering the competition? Tweet us at @goodhomesmag or post a comment on our Facebook page!
