This year’s East Coast Radio House & Garden Show is all about re-inspiring, big ideas for small spaces, wealth in waste, and the green revolution.
The show has been re-imagined under new director Cairey Baxter-Bruce and visitors can discover that home design decor is affordable for everyone.
While interior design is often perceived to be only for the wealthy homeowner, Baxter-Bruce said: “We want to make interior design accessible to people who would normally feel they could never go to an interior designer.”
She said saving money and making smart choices could be very much part of creating a chic and contemporary home environment.
BOTTLES UP: Preparing to fill a wall with recycled glass bottles, Michelle Markhram and Mikey Kariati from MSQ Interiors with Cairey Baxter-Bruce, director of the ECR House & Garden Show. Pictures: Zanele Zulu/ANA Pictures
And with small space living being the latest urban trend, how to use such space to create a stylish home is showcased at The Apartment. It includes some stunning functional furniture – a kitchen unit which converts to a coffee table, a sofa concealing a storage unit, and a wall cabinet that sports both a desk and queen-sized bed.
And with the techno revolution continuing at high speed, Durban-based Uber Haus has a fully automated home on show. Designer Amanda Ndlangisa said that whether it’s soft lighting or turning on the radio, it’s all about creating the right ambience.
“Skylights are my favourite at the moment, they can be open or closed and very much set the mood for the space. They do justice to the light depending on the time of day or you can have light by the stars,” said Ndlangisa.
Another highlight at this year’s show is the green revolution and the art of making a beautiful home out of waste while wasting nothing.
Whether it’s old glass bottles, sawdust or sticks, Michelle Markhram from MSQ Interior Design takes wealth in waste to another level and her “House That Junk Built” is bound to attract a lot of interest.
SOFTLY, SOFTLY: Re-Inspire’s Philippa Courtnay, of the Kapow Designer Cafe showing off seven inspired rooms. Picture: Zanele Zulu/ANA Pictures
Her trademark is “out of nothing comes something” and her junk house is completely made of recyclable materials. For example, the walls are stabilised by old glass bottles.
“These are bottles that usually go to the landfill and we are stacking them in the walls. There is a use for everything that is discarded. On the roof, we can have a vegetable garden which provides sustainable living as well as insulation,” said Markhram, as the team prepared their display on Thursday.
Known as an organic designer and tree lover, Markhram also creates trees out of branches and leaves which have been thrown away and these are on display at one of the show’s entrances.
The Kapow Designer Café is also a must-visit for anyone wanting some creative ideas on just how to “put a room together”. This is a collection of seven room settings and a collaboration of designers and top fabric houses on how to mix it all up and come out with a fabulous interior.
There is also the new Love of Food Pavilion with a demo theatre, wine tasting and craft beer as well as some scrumptious foodie products, as well as the KZN Travel & Adventure, the Builders DIY Pavilion, The Gardener as well as a Kiddie Urban Garden.
Tickets are R85 per person, R60 for students and seniors over 60 and children under 12 free (with an adult) via iTickets or buy at the door. For more information, go to: www.housegardenshow.co.za