Grand Designs Live hit Sydney today, and while the host of the British TV program Grand Designs, Kevin McCloud, hadn’t emerged from the filigreed woodwork yet, there was still plenty to look at. Even on a Friday morning there was a healthy queue to get into the show, and once inside, attendees were treated to life-sized installations of every possible interior and exterior renovation design imaginable.
Here’s our wrap-up of the highlights at the show…
Fisher & Paykel’s stand, previously rolled out at the Good Food & Wine Show, was a hit.
UnderCurrent was amused by these prop wine bottles that F&P had used as a sort of point of sale.
Unlike other food-focused shows, Grand Designs Live gives brands such as F&P a chance to shine a spotlight on their laundry range.
Black & Stone’s stand was very eyecatching – the demonstration models were in full working order and drawing plenty of attention from passers by.
Although a bit hard to make out in this image, Bora’s in-cooktop extraction system was very impressive when seen first hand. The extractor draws cooking vapours and steam sideways away from the pot and down into a ventilation system below the bench.
A cross-section showing the inner workings of Bora’s extraction system.
As a major sponsor, Masters had a large stand at the show.
One of the demonstration kitchens set up at the Masters stand.
Well-placed endorsement for the Zip HydroTap – Jamie Durie appears to approve.
One of the few retailers to have a presence at the show, Parramatta’s Life Style Store (located in Western Sydney) had a full set-up showing its range of high-end audio products, including Sonos and Bose. Although it was too dark to take a picture, there was a full home theatre set up inside the stand, complete with giant screen, luxury seating and a twinkling ceiling. According to Life Style managing director Vinod Christie-David, the store’s niche focus on the high end and providing solutions for whatever the customer needs has helped it achieve record year-on-year growth, despite a tough retail market.
Life Style’s Vinod Christie-David said this dedicated Bose stand, set up to the left of the Life Style Store stand, really appealed to the demographic that attends the Grand Designs Live show.