A dream kitchen for Iris Louw
Pascal Hlongwane is a successful businessman – the founder and Managing Director of Pascal Holdings, established in 2013, investment company with interests in mining, chemicals, manufacturing and information age technologies. To celebrate the launch of the new cutting and edging factory and showroom for Pascal Interior Design and Carpentry Services in Midrand, Pascal wanted to give back to the local community. The company ran a kitchen makeover competition where those who had been affected by COVID-19 could enter to win a complete kitchen renovation.
“We had more than 150 applications,” Pascal says. “It was really difficult to pick a winner. We wanted to choose someone whose story touched our hearts and was also representative of many South Africans’. That’s why we chose Iris Louw. She is a mother and a breadwinner working to take care of her family.”
In her entry, Iris explained that she inherited the kitchen from her grandmother, including an old stove with an oven that no longer works at all. She has not had the funds to fix it up.
“I am the bread winner at home. My dad passed on and soon after that I lost my job and it’s been downhill all the way,” she says. “I have been struggling to secure a job since then. I saved some money in 2019 and bought appliances – a chip cutter, chip fryer and a free-standing 3-plate gas stove. I started selling fast foods like chips and bunny chow until October 2019. All went well until Covid affected my business, which I used to run from home. Times were really tough. I had to sell my appliances to care for my family in 2020.”
When Pascal and his team visited Iris’s home to plan the kitchen renovation, they decided to do more than install new cabinetry. They identified several areas that needed attention, from replacing the worn-out and old-fashioned steel cabinets to sorting out the dilapidated ceiling, addressing the electrical connections, replacing the flooring and sourcing new appliances.
Pascal approached several business partners who agreed to help sponsor a complete kitchen overhaul. PG Bison sponsored the boards for the cabinetry, Blum took care of hardware and fittings, and Defy supplied brand new appliances, including a new stove and oven unit and a fridge.
The handover of the new kitchen takes place on 23 July 2021. “I’m ecstatic!” says Iris. “I love cooking and baking and now I have a fully functional kitchen! My daughters are just as happy.”
She says she’s most excited about all the “new technology” in her kitchen, such as soft-close hinges on the cabinets and the colour of the cabinets that she selected from PG Bison’s range. “It’s a beautiful, modern colour,” she says. “I can also see the quality of the products used is very good and I’m excited about my appliances!”
She says this experience gives her hope for the future, and a new pride in her home. With the new kitchen, she will be able to continue baking and selling muffins and cookies to schoolchildren to bring in funds, and she hopes to save up enough funds to re-start her fast-food business from home again.
“We think Pascal is doing something very special here and it’s a privilege to be part of this project, especially during ‘Mandela Month’ in South Africa,” says Thabile Dikobe, Enterprise Development Manager at PG Bison. “I love the colours Iris selected for her cabinets. The crispness of the colour makes the space quite airy and modern.”
Iris chose Caraz™ Peen and Vardo™ Natural Touch cabinets, with Torra™ Formica LifeSeal Worktops.
Iris says she’s wowed by the generosity of Pascal and the sponsors. “I cannot thank them enough for choosing me,” she says. “I’m blessed and I’m very lucky and they are truly a great team. I am praying that they are blessed in return for what they have done here.”
Not only is Iris’s new kitchen a heart-warming story of giving back – it’s also a beautiful showcase of what Pascal and his team can offer through their turnkey solutions they provide to clients, which includes 3D Interior designs, in-house manufacturing and installations.
“Our aim is to add value to our client’s homes, and we believe we have been able to do this for Iris,” says Pascal. “We want to contribute positively in the recovery of our economy.”
Visit Pascal Interior Design and Carpentry Services at Riversands Incubation Hub, Unit 120, block 5, 8 Incubation Drive, Midrand. Or check out the company’s Facebook and Instagram pages to see their latest projects and news.
