Let's never lie that one of the best things about blogging is the events you get invited to. Out of all the events I've been invited to the Ideal Home Show was one of the best, and someone clearly listened to my prayers and I was invited back for the 2015 show.
This year myself and the other bloggers were given our own private talk from Emily Rose Vintage, Zero Waste Scotland, Revolve and interior designer John Amabile of Amabile Design on how to upcycle our older furniture. Emily Rose Vintage (and her beautiful home) were already on my radar and she gave us a talk through her process for updating old furniture in her shabby chic style. Zero Waste Scotland were also there to talk about the Revolve trademark: a seal of approval second-hand shops can get to ensure customers that the 50 year old second-hand chair they are buying is of high quality.
TV interior designer John Amabile then took us into the main show and had a chat about each of the show rooms he had designed. They were all predictably beautiful and John talked through some of his thought process for each design. I also took away some interior design tips, like spacing and also cupboard handles (minimal handles are better in kitchens as there can be over ten handles in one kitchen - too many bright handles would be overpowering). Also, who wouldn't love bath right at the end of their bed?
Amy McGregor design
After our chat we were left to wonder at our leisure. This was also the same day as Eurovision and I'd be jetting off to Edinburgh later that afternoon so I had a quick sprint round. I didn't stop to buy anything but obviously still tried a few nibbles and chatted to a few owners, and picked up leaflets to consider at a later date. Some brands that did catch my eye were Amy McGregor, Boulevard Cuisine, Gin Bothy, Radiance London, Jaw Brew, Cochrane Cottage and MaRobert's. In the gardening section there was plenty of solar panels to be found. Being a renter I obviously can't install a solar panel but if I owned a house I'd be looking at alternative ways to source energy (my full time gig is in the utility industry, in case you were wondering why I was nosing at electricity products). Antaris Solar, SolarKing and Solar Electricity Systems are three brands to nosey at if you own and are thinking about solar panels. A more conventional gardening brand I came across was Glasgow Wood Recycling, who sell some really nice small and large wood products.
And finally I have to give a shout out to the organisers and brands who provided me and the other bloggers with a very generous goody bag. For me the most exciting product was the grow your own chilli pot from The Eden Project which will be added to my little balcony garden in the near future. Alongside that I also got a packet of chilli hot (vegan) chocolate. You'll also spot the gin from Rock Rose - an independent gin company in Scotland. I'm more of a rum girl myself but my mum is a gin drinker and her verdict is it has a natural/herbal taste to it but it's a very easy gin to drink (she took it with bitter lemon). I also received some Root Candles, which are made from beeswax but they also included some seeds to plant bee-friendly plants with. The artwork you see is by Betty Bay Design and is now sitting up on my bedroom windowsill, and the wooden heart from White Rose Creations is hanging off a shelf in my bedroom. Finally I received a sample from Stur to add to my water (it taste a lot more natural than most diluted juices).
Thank you for a great day Ideal Home Show and for the very generous goody bag!
