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Impressive luxury products showcased at Grand Designs Live

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WORDS: SARAH BACON ¦ IMAGES: ANTONY NEWTON

If you love spectacular designs, luxury interiors and innovative ecological home initiatives there is only one place you should be this week.  Grand Designs Live has arrived in London and it is currently home to some of the world’s leading products and experts.

Grand Designs Live is hosted by Kevin McCloud

Grand Designs Live is hosted by Kevin McCloud

The event is celebrating its 10th anniversary and is hosted by design guru, Kevin McCloud. Based on the Channel 4 TV series, Grand Designs Live boasts over 500 exhibitors, across seven different sections. The event includes interiors, gardens, food and housewares, kitchens and bathrooms, home improvement, self-build, renovations, technology and shopping.

Yesterday I visited the ExCel with fellow feature writer Antony Newton to cover Grand Designs Live for The Sloaney. As we walked along the red carpet that lay on the various alleyways inside the big hall, we could barely prevent ourselves from stopping at almost every exhibit.

The show includes exhibitors from many different sectors

The show includes exhibitors from many different sectors

Beautiful table-top fireplaces, stylish kitchens, deep marble baths, striking contemporary art, impressive swimming pools, high performance knives, aristocratic-themed furniture, delicious olives and cheeses were just some of the highlights. There is so much to see at the expansive show that you will need to make sure that you have your walking shoes on. The Laurent Perrier Champagne Bar does provide a welcome resting place for those who need to put their feet up for a bit!

Aside from admiring a host of goodies on offer, we also attended two special launches. The Miele press breakfast was the perfect start to our day. This year’s show is bigger than ever for Miele with two stands featuring freestanding appliances, including the new W1 & T1 laundry collection and the Fashionmaster. There is also a built in stand that showcases the new Miele downdraught extractor, Knock2Open dishwasher and a wide selection of Generation 6000 appliances. Miele has also opened ‘The Taste for Design Restaurant’ by Nigel Smith for the first time with a live demonstration kitchen. The restaurant is open to all visitors of the show for lunch and you can also enjoy afternoon tea here.

Live kitchen experience

Live kitchen experience by Miele

It was only last week that our editor was a guest at the John Lewis 150th Anniversary Party and it was apt that the brand was celebrating again. John Lewis launched an updated collection of built in cooking appliances yesterday. We bumped into buyers Matt Thomas and Vic Sinclair at the stand, as well as the designer behind the collection of appliances, Bruno Lizotte.

Those of you who follow The Sloaney on Twitter and Instagram will already have seen some of our highlights. If not, you can see what caught our eyes here…

Porterhouse Stone

Traditional furniture from Porterhouse Stone

 

Garden Furniture by Regatta Garden

Garden Furniture by Regatta Garden

Luxury summerhouse by Breeze

A luxury summerhouse by Breeze

Elegant staircases by Smet

Elegant staircases by Smet

 

Fair trade furnishings by Myakka

Fair trade furnishings by Myakka

John Lewis Kitchen

A brand new John Lewis Kitchen

Chandeliers by Classic Chandeliers

Chandeliers by Classic Chandeliers

Flint and Flame's luxury knives

Flint and Flame’s luxury knives

Flint and Flame knives

Flint and Flame knives

Grand Designs Live runs from the 3rd of May until the 11th of May. More information can be found here: http://www.granddesignslive.com/