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TheBuzz
Erika Engle
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HomeWorld partners with Chaminade in promotion
HOMEWORLD on Sunday will kick off a promotion right out of Home and Garden Television -- with an educational twist. Retail stores have promotions and contests all the time, but it's not every day they team up with an institution of higher learning to benefit both the school and the contest winner.
The HomeWorld/Chaminade Design Invitation will award one Oahu homeowner a home makeover plan and gift certificates for furniture, accessories and other items.
The winning plan will be selected from three to four choices developed by competing teams of Interior Design students at Chaminade University.
"We think this is a great way to encourage and showcase young local talent," said Mike Wo, president of HomeWorld, in a statement. Wo is also a director of Oahu Publications Inc., publisher of the Star-Bulletin.
HomeWorld Marketing Coordinator Pui Heng Tang hopes the contest will generate interest in both the store and the design program at Chaminade, she said. Students frequently visit the store while working on school projects under the direction of Deborah Lowry, assistant professor of Interior Design.
"We're all in the same industry: design for the home," Tang said.
Entry forms, which require a bit of work by homeowner-contestants, will be available on the HomeWorld Web site and from its two locations, in Honolulu and Aiea, starting Sunday.
Entrants are invited to submit pictures of their homes and a brief essay explaining why they need or want a home makeover.
Entries will be accepted from Sunday through Jan. 21. Judging will be done by a core group of promotional partners who no doubt will be torn between heart-tugging tales and academically challenging house-potential.
Design teams will visit the winner's home Feb. 9 to get a lay of the land and establish the foundation for their plans. The teams' presentations will be made March 9. Starting March 18 the designers' presentation boards will be displayed at HomeWorld stores.
The prize includes a $3,000 gift certificate from HomeWorld and gift certificates of $1,000 each from co-sponsors Window World and Pacific Home Furnishings.
The winning homeowner will choose the student-conceived plan they like the best and will keep the project design portfolio with all its plans, renderings and swatches. The actual implementation is up to the homeowner.
Erika Engle is a reporter with the Star-Bulletin. Call 529-4747, fax 529-4750 or write to Erika Engle, Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., No. 7-210, Honolulu, HI 96813. She can also be reached at:
eengle@starbulletin.com