This year I went to the third Ideal Home Show at Christmas. Based at Earls Court in London, the show takes over both levels of the exhibition halls and fills it with food, accessories, homeware, beauty and lifestyle products, and tops these up with workshops. What’s more, there’s an ice rink and posh restaurant right in the middle, making it a great destination for the whole family.
The ice rink was illuminated in colourful lights and coloured shapes, and reasonably empty which is great for ice skaters who like to have a bit more space and freedom. This, after all, was the only place you could get space as the rest of the show was completely packed.
There were rows and rows of stalls, although getting from one to another proved difficult due to the sheer number of people. I went on a Sunday and it took a long time to get around the show, and nearly impossible to get close to the stalls to see what was on offer. However what I did see looked very festive. Despite of this only bought food which was annoying as I was hoping to get a few Christmas presents too.
There was even a stall by Candy Kittens, founded by Jamie Laing from Made in Chelsea. He was there doing a signing on one of the days too.
My favorite stall was by All The Jazz. Selling only nail polish, it was decorated like something out of Chicago the musical. Very glittery, mysterious and VIP-esque.
Believe it or not, this cosy and festive table set-up was by Tesco promoting their homeware range.
From decorations to food, the Ideal Home Show at Christmas is nice for introducing a festive spirit, but that was ruined by the huge number of people there. Whilst it’s great that the show was so well supported, it didn’t make the experience enjoyable. If I were to go again – and I’m unsure I would – I would try to go on a weekday morning. However, unless I get more free tickets (Money Saving Expert), I wouldn’t pay to visit.
