THIS COMPETITION IS NOW CLOSED – WINNERS TO BE ANNOUNCED SOON

YOUR CHANCE TO WIN TICKETS TO THIS YEAR’S IDEAL HOME SHOW 2011 * WITH PIPPA JAMESON INTERIORS

Create your Ideal Home with the Nation’s Most Loved home event; The Ideal Home Show, returning to London’s Earls Court, from 11-27th MARCH 2011

BRITAIN’S favourite consumer event, The Ideal Home Show, famous for making home-making a national passion, is returning for its 103rd year, for 17 days from the 11th – 27th March 2011, and Pippa Jameson Interiors have 10 pairs of tickets for our lucky readers to win, to this year’s show.

This year’s Ideal Home Show will take visitors through an exciting and spectacular showcase of inspirational living that combines EIGHT different sections into one exciting event that includes; the stunning Ideal Show Homes, a series of three exciting, full scale properties that demonstrate different concepts in homes from refurbishments to new build homes each offering an alternative to your current home.

In addition the fantastic Ideal Home Improvements section has everything you need to help with those DIY home improvement projects, as well as the hugely popular Idea Interiors and Ideal Gadgets section helping you bring your home up to date with the latest looks and must have gadgets and gizmos.

Our Ideal Gardens section offers a wide range of advice and designs, for those green fingered visitors among us, and the Ideal Food section will offer some tasty treat that will tickle your taste buds.

And if all of that’s not enough this year will see the return of the fabulous Ideal Woman section where visitors can relax and be pampered in luxury for the afternoon, and more Ideal Shopping than ever before!

There’s everything from DIY to fine dining, gadgets and pampering, as well as a host of celebrity guests across the 17 day event; creating the UK’s biggest Home Show and a great day out with something for the whole family, all rolled into one.

This year’s show will also unveil a series of industry firsts and UK product launches, more interactive features than ever before, as well as a series of workshops and seminars to help visitors achieve their very own Ideal Home.

With over 500 exhibitors offering an unrivalled range of products, visitors to this year’s show will find top tips and tricks to help give your home a brand new look, and expert advice to help with extensions, and complete renovations, and new build projects.

Tickets can be either booked online or by calling the Ticket Hotline on 0844 415 4144. Group bookings can be made by calling the Groups Hotline on 0871 2305 581, or for further information about the show and to purchase tickets online visit the website www.idealhomeshow.co.uk

Follow the Ideal Home Show on Twitter http://twitter.com/ideal_home_show

Ticket Information:

Weekday Adult- On door: £16 In advance: £11

Weekend Adult- On door: £18 In advance: £13

Weekday Concession (Over 60′s)- On door: £12 In advance: £10

Weekend Concession (Over 60′s)- On door: £14 In advance:£12

Children Under 15 Free*

Late Night Thursday Open until 9pm- £5 after 5pm

*Children under 16 do require a ticket which should be requested at the time of booking. Must be accompanied by a paying adult.

Please note that Free of Charge tickets do not qualify for a free showguide.

Opening times:

Opening Day – 11th March 10am – 6pm

Weekdays & Weekends 10am – 6pm

Thursday – late night 10am – 9pm

COMPETITION
The Ideal Home Show has teamed up with Pippa Jameson Interiors, to give you the chance to WIN one of 10 pairs of tickets.

To be in with a chance to WIN, simply answer the question below.

This competition has now closed – congratulations to our winner Mick Stewart

Funonthefloor.com is a fantastic resource for anyone planning home improvements, with interior design ideas and practical advice on everything from planning and fitting, plus a wealth of style inspiration for using carpet. Fun on The Floor has teamed up with Pippa Jameson Interiors to offer a book giveaway that will not disappoint!

The book is by George Clarke, Channel 4 presenter and architect who has recently joined Fun on the Floor’s panel of experts to help people make the most of carpet. George, who presents Channel 4’s The Restoration Man and The Home Show, guides you through your house, room by room, looking at everything from loft conversions and side-return extensions to en-suite bathrooms and utility rooms so you can realise the full potential, and value, of your home.

What did I think of the book….I have to say, I have read a lot of home improvement books but none of them are quite like this or go in to as much detail, it’s fantastic.  In the first chapter; ‘My Home Story’, George talks about his step by step experience on his own home renovation.  Having never published images of his beautiful home before, he gives us a complete insight into the project including before and after pictures as well as the ups and downs of the process and difficult design decisions that he had to make.  Best of all, he talks about how style the rooms once the building work was complete. The finished result is absolutely stunning.

There are 5 further chapters; Your Home Profile, which looks at all types of houses including terraced, semi-detached, detached, apartments, bungalows and the orientation of your home.  It addresses standard and problematic layouts and then offers solutions with visual diagrams – very handy if you are planning a renovation or house move.

The final 4 chapters; How to draw, Space and where to find it, Room by room and Resources are jam packed with advice on everything including extensions, designing rooms, costing and planning renovations and finding the tradesman to make it all happen!

We have two signed copies of this book to giveaway to one lucky winner. All you have to do to enter is visit www.funonthefloor.com and answer the following question:

From the 16th January 2011 John Lewis is to launch for the first time, it’s very own homeware range for children – cute!

I’ve had a good look through the collection and it’s really varied and fairly priced as well.  I think my favourite has to be the cookware (I have a 2yr old who is obsessed with cooking!)

Designed around three main themes; robots, cupcakes and nautical, there will more than 400 products including bedding, kitchenware, lighting and accessories to choose from.  Below are just a few images from the new collections…

Robot cupcake moulds for £12

Little Home basting brushes, £3 and rolling pin, £2

Robot lamp, £35

Life Saver cushion, £15

Pop in to your store on the 16th January 2011 to see the full collection or visit John Lewis online

I’ve just come back to the office after a few hours of London Design week. I’ve been running (or should I say cycling) around East London like a mad women trying to fit it all in! There are some really beautiful pieces on show and all very inspirational but one thing that really stood out as well as the designers was Redchurch Street. My husband use to have an office there until recently and so it’s been really interesting watching the place develop over the last few years. First came Shoreditch House then the odd gallery, The super trendy Boundry and now you can’t move without coming across a modern art installation (all behind graffiti doors), a trendy (and usually overpriced) deli or a quirky boutique shop. I absolutely love the change and really enjoy looking at all the designers work, especially on First Thursdays BUT, some of the people are painfully trendy and the hairdos!! Anyway, back to the matter in hand, I am going to post my favourite finds over the next few posts. The first designer I wanted to talk about is the brilliant and innovative Lee Broom.

Lee Brooms display on Redchurch Street

Lee’s work never disappoints us and his latest collection was no exception. It’s called One Light Only (OLO) and is showing in non other than…Redchurch Street. The collection is inspired by Art Deco jewellery and fashion from the late 1970′s. I think the lights are beautiful – what you think? Also shown are some of Lee’s older pieces.

For more information on Lee Broom visit his website

I am working on another Christmas (!!) advertising job and thought I would post my initial moodboard.  I can’t really say what the brief is until it has been photographed and published but you can probably guess the theme!  I always have a set approach to creating moodboards by starting one and then coming back to it a day later.  This way I can instantly see what needs adding and or changing.  I will try and post the finished article to show the difference between the two.

Credits: My deco, Martha Stewart home, Liberty, Jemma Watts