Last weekend, my Sister and I were invited along to Grand Designs Live, Birmingham at the NEC, by Ekornes Stressless. I have been to the show in London a few years back, so was looking forward to seeing how the event in Birmingham would shape up. I love watching Grand Designs so was excited to see new ideas, the latest designs and perhaps even spy a celeb or two. Unfortunately for me, I didn’t spot any celebs but I did see lots of fantastic ideas for the home and garden and my home wishlist is now considerably larger.

We stopped by the Stressless Ekornes stand and took the weight off our feet for a few minutes by testing out some of their amazing reclining chairs and sofas. They are seriously comfy and do make relaxation simply effortless.

There’s lots of photographs coming up of lots of design ideas and products that caught my eye. I went to the show with a budget and wanted to treat myself (or the house!) to a few things if I spotted them. I wasn’t sure what I would end up buying but that’s the beauty of the show. There’s so much to look at; interiors, kitchens and bathrooms, gardens and build ideas.

What I loved

How clever is this under stairs storage by Smart Storage?

I love this wall mural by 1Wall

Illustrations and prints by Clint Banbury really caught my eye – such a talented artist.

I fell in love with these appliances from Smeg, they’d look great in my kitchen

I really love these lights from Jam Jar Lights. I’m currently plotting where in my home we could have these especially the lights in Kilner Jars with different coloured wires, they’re awesome!

I feel like this is such an older person thing to do but as a homeowner, I was really interested in looking at new front doors. We need a new front door at some point in the near future so enjoyed looking through the keyhole of this lovely doors from Solidor.

I was very well behaved at the show and although the food smelt absolutely amazing, I didn’t touch any of it.

What I bought

The show is a great place for on the day offers so I’m glad I was armed with some cash to snap up the following bargains.

 

Yankee Candle had a stall with some brilliant offers. I bought 9 votives and a couple of votive buckets because they smelt divine and I’m a bit of a sucker for Yankee Candles.

These collages are from David Shields Photography. Hubby and I are big football fans and although we follow different teams, we’ll be proud to hang these on our wall at home. I bought collages of The Banks Stadium (Walsall FC) and The Hawthorns (West Bromwich Albion).

Finally, when I saw these Spacer Frames on the wall, I was instantly sold. They’re so easy to use. The clear acrylic pockets stick to the wall with re-positional adhesive so the way you organise your favourite photographs on the wall is completely up to you. There’s also a clever spacing tool which allows you to perfectly match up the space around your chosen tile. I can’t wait to get some photographs to fill mine and put them up on the wall.

My Sister and I had a fantastic day at Grand Designs Live, Birmingham. We picked up lots of ideas for our homes and I was really pleased with my purchases. Thank you Ekornes Stressless for inviting us, we can’t wait to visit again next year.

Disclaimer: We were given free tickets and a budget to spend at the show in exchange for this review. All thoughts and photographs are my own and this forms an honest review.