Now, if I say the Ideal Home Show in London’s Earl’s Court is iconic, I’m not kidding. It’s on its 106th year! The Show has grown into a massive exhibition on all things home, from the garden and outdoors to the latest technology gadgets for your home. I cannot believe I had never visited before, but armed with my fabulous Ideal Home Show guide (I bought one for £5.00 at the show entrance) I set out to see what’s hot in interiors at the moment. The show is easy to navigate. The floors are color coded and divided into 8 sections: Interiors, Home Improvements, Gardens, Food & Housewares, Technology, Woman, Shopping and Show Homes. I’m n not much into DIY so skipped that section and went exploring for some fabulous accessories. In the pic above are some vintage suitcases in gorgeous pastel colours, you could even stack them up to be used as a side table! And on the right, a gorgeously sparkling gold pillow. Very glam with the neutral/beige interior.
How’s this for a gazebo?! If you had that in your back garden, it would feel like being on a Hawaiian holiday! If my back garden was big enough, I would definitely love to have this for summer entertaining. Best of all, it comes with a sturdy roof so some light summer showers won’t even stop you from having that al fresco dinner. I would string fairylights on all the support posts for extra glamour.
This was the most adventurous and popular exhibit at the exhibition. It looks like an alien spaceship straight out of Dr. Who, but it’s actually a tree house. More like an additional house on your property! It is called The Quiet Treehouse and it utilises the latest in low-noise innovations and the latest sound insulation and noise absorbing technologies. A nice quiet retreat.
This was the kitchen of my favorite Show Home. I love the neutral and comfortable color scheme, and how it combines living space with the kitchen. The stove fireplaces seemed very popular, every show home had at least one. And that furry bean bag chair…how fabulous!!
This is the same kitchen from another angle. One thing I would definitely add would be a big screen television on the wall.
This was the living room in a Show Home Cottage. I love the warm color scheme here and of course the stove fireplace.
A really cool idea – to display your LP covers as art! I had that Eurythmics and Tears For Fears albums back in the day. Still two of my favorite bands!
For some kitchen accessories…The SMEG fridges come in shiny eye-popping colours. My favorite was that big lime-green fridge. And the Kitchen Aid brass coloured mixer is pretty enough to display on your kitchen counter top!
The upstairs at the Ideal Home Show is dedicated to Women, Food and Accessories. The one big purchase I made from the Ideal Home Show was that Lotus Grill. It is a smokeless barbecue grill that is portable and very easy to use. It can also be used on patios and balconies as the outside of the grill stays cool, so you can even use it as a table top grill!
The Moroccan inspired lanterns also caught my eye. How to choose a colour?! They are all so pretty!
The fab afternoon at the Ideal Home Show ended at the upstairs Champagne Bar (yes, those are washing machines, the bar was sponsored by Miele) with an ice-cold glass of bubbly. If you’ve never been, it really is worth a visit, for ideas alone! The Ideal Home Show is on at Earl’s Court until March 30th, until 6pm every day and late night opening on Thursdays until 9pm. Tickets are £12.00 during the week and £14.00 during the weekend.
Photos: Marthafied
