RANGE REVIEW: PAINTING & DECORATING


ULTIMATE WALLPAPERING CHALLENGE CHAMPION CROWNED


Dulux Academy has proudly crowned Nicola Lewis of Mrs Lewis’ Decorating Company from Matlock the winner of the third annual Dulux Academy Design and Decorate Challenge.


A cclaimed for


her unique craftsmanship, eye for design plus expert wallpapering skills, Lewis will


now receive the ‘money-can’t-buy’ prestige of her wallpaper design being made into bespoke rolls by wallpapering specialist, Graham & Brown.


Her prize also includes the opportunity to have a guided tour of the Graham & Brown factory in Blackburn, further complemented by a luxury stay at the Dunkenhalgh Hotel and Spa with a meal for two. Not to mention, the recognition of being crowned UK champion.


Stand out entry


Lewis was shortlisted after standing out from the exceptional competition posed by experienced decorators from across the UK. Head judge, Mark Rigby, skills development consultant at Dulux Academy praised her outside the box interpretation of the brief, and commented: “I was


impressed


by the time and effort that had obviously gone into Nicola’s design, particularly her clever use of the eyes of friends, relatives and fellow decorators to create a design that represented the watchful eyes of


people on social media.” The Dulux Academy Design and Decorate Challenge was created to celebrate International Wallpaper Week which this year fell on 7-13 October. To take part, entrants were asked to design their own wallpaper inspired by social media and trends and submit along with a description explaining their inspiration, and the functionality of their concept. Lewis then joined other finalists at the Dulux Academy in Slough on 11 October for the second part of the challenge, where her wallpapering skills were put to the test. The daylong challenge was designed to test all aspects of wallpapering including cutting, measuring, product


application


and matching skills. The finalists’


designs and


wallpapering skills were assessed by an expert judging panel, with Mark Rigby being joined


by


Louise Stevenson from Graham & Brown, as well as Matt Gray and Nicola Holmes, skills development consultants at Dulux Academy. Rigby added: “Nicola backed up her eye for design on the day of the final with fantastic attention to detail and impressive preparation, as well as neat cutting in and positioning of the wallpaper design.”


The Dulux Academy Design & Decorate Challenge 2019 judges


DULUX ACADEMY’S


Springboard for success Lewis sees this achievement as a real springboard for her business. She explained: “I have been in business for two years now, so to receive this award is a major achievement. I’ve taken a number of courses to


improve my skills, including training at the Dulux Academy, so it’s great to see this pay off. The award will help me to showcase my experience to current and new customers.” Vickie Mather, Dulux Academy lead, said: “We initially created this competition to celebrate the amazing talents of the skilled and accomplished professionals in our industry. The unique craftsmanship on show has impressed us every year and this year was no exception. “All of our finalists showed expertise and dedication that make them a fantastic example for the next generation of professionals to


Dulux Academy Design & Decorate Challenge runner-up, Alan Dunster


aspire to. Nicola stood out with her simple but very clever design, as well as her impressive application skills and we are proud that she is our 2019 champion.” Alan Dunster from Cardiff and


Karen Julien from Huddersfield were named runners up. Launched in March 2016, Dulux Academy is the UK’s first dedicated training academy for professionals in the domestic and commercial decoration industry. It offers a range of courses designed to help decorators up skill and build their business including wallpapering courses Introduction


to Wallpaper Advanced Wallpapering.


For more information, visit: www.duluxacademy.co.uk


Winner of the 2019 Dulux Academy Design & Decorate Challenge, Nicola Lewis


such as and


Karen Julien, Dulux


Academy Design & Decorate Challenge finalist


18 DIY WEEK 08 NOVEMBER 2019 www.diyweek.net


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36