Homes & Property

Grand Designs Live

Grand Designs Live returns to the huge exhibition halls of ExCel in Docklands for nine days from Saturday 3 May until 11 May. It is packed with inspiration and information for the home and garden, plus shopping opportunities from more than 450 exhibitors.

Expert property and design abounds, underpinned by a crammed seminar programme. Visitors, celebrities and even the British cycling team will try to pedal enough energy to run the Power House. See the building of a dry-stone wall complete with arches and bridges, and learn "dry-straw baling" - a cheap way to insulate. A "face fabric" will be printed from images captured by visitors on a new camera activated by a smile alone, and this will then be upholstered onto a sofa.

The House of the Future has interactive demos of the latest hi-tech home products. Leading UK magazines have transformed shabby sea containers into their own inspirational "Contain-a-Room". Enjoy live demos from celebrity chefs in three very different top-of-the range kitchens.

The "Garden Market" is a recreation of a traditional Covent Garden street flower market. And "Living off the Land" shows how an average family can grow fruit and vegetables all year round from just 4sq m of garden. Outside, in Royal Victoria Square, explore four eco-houses, and see Kevin McCloud building yet another one – live.

Weekday tickets booked in advance cost £10, or £15 on the door. Weekend and Bank Holiday Monday tickets cost £13 booked in advance, or £18 on the door. Under-15s get in free. Weekday tickets on the door after 3pm cost £10, including 20 per cent off a three-course meal between 6pm and 7.30pm. The exhibition closes at 6pm.

Ticket offer

Homes & Property readers can buy special-offer weekday tickets for £7.50, and weekend tickets for £9, when booking in advance by phone or on the web, at least the night before: quote GRANDSTANDARD.

Rosemount Wine is sponsoring the Grand Kitchens area (with daily wine tastings, and seminars on 5 and 9 May) and is giving away pairs of tickets (to visit the show after 6 May) to the first 25 readers to email eveningstandard@publicasity.co.uk.

Grand Designs Live is at ExCel, 1 Western Gateway, Royal Victoria Dock, E16; call 0871 230 5577; www.granddesignslive.com


Published: 28 August 2008
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