Grand Designs Live a hit with home improvers

Thousands of home improvement enthusiasts flocked to the NEC over the weekend for the return of TV design guru Kevin McCloud and the Grand Designs Live show.

Over 500 exhibitors, including a number from the West Midlands, showed off their own products and expertise across the six different sections featured this year, including gardens, interiors and new technology.

And there were a wealth of experts offering advice to those interested in improving their homes, as well as talks from TV stars such as the Restoration Man George Clarke, 60 Minute Makeover presenter Alison Cork and, of course, the face of Grand Designs himself – Kevin McCloud.

• See more pictures from the show in our gallery

McCloud opened the three-day event with the first seminar, where he relived one of the most famous episodes of the show with grand designer Lucie Fairweather and her architect Jerry Tate to discuss the highs and lows of the project.

Lucie and her partner Nat McBride began the project full of excitement about building a home for themselves and their two children.

However, before work even begins, Nat is diagnosed with cancer, and a few months later, he dies.

Eighteen months later though, Lucie decided to go ahead and build the house herself, with a revised budget and the help of her architect who pulls out all of the stops to ensure that project is a success.

Also on the bill were the 'house of the future' which showcased the latest gadgets and home entertainment innovations and the 24-hour garden - a walk-in pod which transformed from day to night to show how to make the most of your garden as winter draws closer.

And the kitchen section allowed visitors to taste some unique flavours from across the globe, as well as boasting live cookery demonstrations from celebrity chefs including Something for the Weekend star Simon Rimmer and Head Chef at Malmaison Birmingham, Brian Neath.

Midlands companies were particularly well-represented at the show, with a large number taking the opportunity to give their products some exposure in front of potential buyers.

Among the firms representing the region at Grand Designs Live were Black Country Metalworks, who specialise in quality garden furniture and displayed their stunning handiwork.

Clive Knowles, the Managing Director, said: "Today, we're showcasing a huge Victorian gazebo that has taken us about three weeks to create with three blacksmiths.

"We wanted to come to Grand Designs because we are particularly proud of this item - we wanted to increase our profile so we decided to create something that is a little bit larger than life."

As well as the Royal Alexandria gazebo, which has been featured on ITV's Love your Garden show with Alan Titchmarsh, Black Country Metalworks showed off benches, postboxes and even lampposts created in their Wolverhampton and Shropshire workshops.

Meanwhile, over in the kitchen section, Shifnal company Heart of Stone displayed their bespoke stonework to a wider audience.

General Manager, Henryk Gromadzki told us: "This is our third year here. It brings exposure – our workshops are based in the middle of the country so passing trade is non-existent.

"We're in the quality end of the market – our fireplaces and stone have the wow factor. Grand Designs is a good place to show our products."

And as well as taking in the latest designs and home improvement advice, visitors could also sample culinary delights from around the world in the Grand Food section.

Among the food and drink exhibitors were Wolverhampton-based liqueur company Straight Up Drinks, who were offering a taste of their own premium range of Sambuca or original mix named Samburetto - a combination of, you guessed it, Sambuca and Amaretto.

Darryl Piper, the director said: "We're here promoting the brand, letting people try it and then hopefully they'll buy it in the bars and clubs that we supply in our normal day-to-day business."

Inspirational, educational and informative, Grand Designs Live proved to be an essential trip for anybody planning a building project of their own – or just in need of some fresh ideas for a little spot of redecorating.