Favourite Finds At The Ideal Home Show

For the first time in 106 years (!) the iconic Ideal Home Show exhibited at Manchester's Eventcity.  If you've visited the event at London's Earls Court, you'll know it's a pretty grand affair and a chance for many designers to exhibit new gadgets and concepts. Although the Manchester event wasn't perhaps as grand a scale as its London counterpart I didn't come away disappointed or drained!  These shows can turn into an all day event and with so much to take in and with a lot of ground to cover, you can feel pretty tired from it all.

I managed to cover most of the show, although with eight dedicated sections I skipped the insanely long queue for the Ikea goody bag, which I'm a little bit gutted about!  The main sections which interested me were the Interiors, Home Improvement and Show Home sections.  With over 10 years in the property development industry and with a few show homes under my belt I was interested to see which design trends we'll be seeing more of.

Here are my Top  Five Favourite Finds...

1wall

Although mural wallpaper isn't actually new this stand was crawling with visitors!  I suspect the price has something to do with it as most of their wall murals were priced at £25.  The one which really caught my eye was this comic book inspired wallpaper.  It measures 1.58m x 2.32m however I would guess you can cut this down to size or buy more sheets for a larger area. This would be perfect in my sons room and see him well into his teenage years.

If comic books aren't your thing then other designs are available such as stunning cityscapes or brick effects.  If you're looking for a feature point in your room or perhaps a subtle backdrop then I would highly recommend checking these guys out.  Here's an added incentive with a discount code, GD2014.

Img: 1wall

Img: 1wall

 

Img: 1wall

MagPaint

It does exactly what is says on the tin, it's a magnetic paint.  The great thing about this company is that you can combine their paint with their sketch paint, thus creating a magnetic whiteboard anywhere you want!  Home or office this ingenious paint is perfect for busy homes, children's rooms or to help you stay organised at work.  I had a quick go on their board and I can tell you the magnetic strength is quite strong and more than capable of holding your paperwork etc to the wall.  Check out their site for more technical details and range of products.

Jam Jar Lights

These handmade, custom lights certainly caught my eye.  They're not the kind of thing you'd find on the high street which is exactly how the designers of these quirky lamps want it.  Their lighting is an eclectic mix of iconic Kilner jar lights to fabric cables and hanging pendants.  If you're looking for something unique and handmade these lovely folk are perfect for you.

 Img: Jam Jar Lights

Img: Jam Jar Lights

John Lewis 150 Years

For those of you who live in a cave, John Lewis are currently celebrating 150 years in the business.  I love the colour palette they're currently using to mark their anniversary.  This room set, appropriately named The Anniversary Room, has been inspired by their heritage and uses a combination of retro prints and modern day living  They've come a long way since 1864!

George Clarke

Of course I had to include the swoonworthy George Clarke in all this! Lovely bloke, incredibly tall and I managed to form at least one sentence without drooling. Winner!

So there you have it. My top 5 picks from the show. Did you manage to get to the Ideal Home Show this year?

* Just so you know although I had courtesy tickets to the show all thoughts and favourite finds are my own!