Majjie's Blog

If you're looking for somewhere to go this weekend, I can recommend Grand Designs Live at the NEC. I went today but the show is also on tomorrow and Sunday. I spent most of my time in the Grand Kitchens area - naturally - but there's loads more stuff to see, including a seminar programme.

I did go to one seminar (above), where Kevin McCloud was talking to Helen and Chris Seymour-Smith - whose Passivhaus, built largely undergound, featured in the Grand Designs programme this last week. The main reason I went was because I wanted a sit down ... but actually it was extremely entertaining stuff!

I would have gone to the show anyway - but I was intrigued to receive an invitation to breakfast from IKEA - who arranged a press pass for me. So - actually, I was there as your intrepid reporter!

IKEA are becoming more and more prominent in the UK kitchen market but I believe this is the first time they have exhibited at a show. Paul Kenney, sales team leader for kitchens (UK and IE), gave us an enthusiastic tour of the stand, which all looked very impressive. I've designed a few IKEA kitchens recently and I'm planning to write a couple of blogs in the near future about designing with IKEA units ... but before I do that, I'll come back and tell you all about their Grand Designs displays (for those who don't get to the show).  I do have a few issues with the design flexibility of IKEA units ... but there's absolutely no doubting that they're great value for money ... and there was also no doubting that the IKEA staff were proud of their kitchens (the designers there were from the Wednesbury store).

This is one of IKEA's new kitchens ... looking good at the show
Ramsjo - in black-brown here - was launched this year
The doors have solid beech frames (stained - obviously) with veneered centre panels

There were two other kitchen companies, that I know, who had stands at the show: Alpha Interior Designs from Nottingham, and Ascot Bespoke Kitchens from Derby. It was also the first time that Dave Hewitt from Alpha had taken a stand at such a big show and I think there was a bit of a last minute rush to get it all finished. When I first arrived, there were a few tools and wires strewn about. Everything soon got tidied up, though, and the display looked really impressive:

The Alpha Interior Designs display featured Kesseler cabinets,
Kitchen Stori doors and Minerelle worktops

The Pipes family, on the other hand, who own and run Ascot Bespoke Kitchens - Ian, his wife Christine and their son Nick, were at the show today - are old hands at shows. They also go to the Grand Designs Live show in London. Ascot make their own doors and cabinets  and have perfected a high gloss finish which I've talked about before. Their latest innovation is a pearlised finish to the gloss doors - very impressive indeed. It gives the doors a sort of textured look ... but they are in fact completely smooth (and easy to clean).

The doors at the back are the pearlised ones - but the curved high gloss units in front
- with the lights under a curved Corian worktop, also looked great

There were, of course, a few big name kitchens at the show too, such as Poggenpohl, Mark Wilkinson, Edwin Loxley, Underwood and Charles Yorke (as well as IKEA that is - you can't argue about them being a big name!). The others are in a different league, of course. Their kitchens were beautiful but I didn't spend very much time looking at them, because they're also in a different price league. They do all (except for IKEA, of course) qualify as the designer kitchens I was talking about earlier this week ... where you're paying a lot extra for the name.

Lots of people were interested in the Mark Wilkinson display

A cooking demonstration at the Edwin Loxley stand - those are pigeon breasts being prepared

There were other, smaller companies there too, some of which I knew, others I didn't. One that impressed me was the Four Corners Trading Company - run by James and his Dad. They have a factory in Romania where the kitchens (and other free standing furniture pieces) are made. I might investigate them further.

This is the traditional Cotswold kitchen from the Four Corners Trading Company 

As I've said there's loads more to see (and write about - but I'll have to come back another day). Finally, though - don't forget to visit the Miele stand in the middle. They sponsored the Grand Kitchens area and had some cooking demonstrations going on that sounded very interesting ... but I just didn't have time to stop. They were talking about "slow food" at one point (fellow Radio 4 listeners will have an idea what that is - it's all to do with sustainability and quality) ... and are asking for your first food related memory. Kevin McCloud has apparently added his.

On a note more related to kitchen design ... Miele's new white appliances were on show:

I thought they looked great - although I'm not sure my picture does them justice.

And finally, finally ... I just have a small complaint for IKEA ...

Whose idea was it to put absolutely irresistible little Daim bars (formerly Dime bars) in a goody bag for us?  I just thought I'd try one on the way home, sitting in the traffic ... and you can guess the rest. I've devoured loads of the devilishly more-ish things! They come from Sweden, apparently ... but even so ...