As you move about the labyrinth of the ticketpro dome, you cant help but be swept away by the buzz of it all. At this year’s Johannesburg Homemakers expo it was difficult to know where to look first, especially when it came to the décor themed stalls and the Live By Design area full of hand-picked décor arrangements. It’s no surprise, therefore, that you always end up leaving the Johannesburg Homemakers expo with a gazillion pamphlets, sore feet and a dire need for a relaxing bath.
The Innovate Wall did not disappoint
Kids and adults alike flocked to the Innovate Wall (basically a blank canvas for creative doodling) to reveal their artistic sides. I spoke to Mia, the wall’s designer, who explained that the idea came from a pure desire to provide a means of expression that anyone can get involved in, regardless of whether you have an ounce of creative juice, or not. The organisers realised from previous years that some people are afraid to participate in creative sessions out of a fear that they aren’t creative enough, but this big colouring in book took care of that problem.
The 94.7 boxes where a crowd pleaser
The radio station 94.7 challenged their presenters Anele and Darren to each decorate a shipping container as they saw fit. Both box designs were very different, Anele’s was more petite, sophisticated and looked like an interior designer had laid it out. Darren’s had more of a Mad Max vibe to it with the upscaled rusty gears on the walls — representing urban masculinity meets junk yard chic (but let’s call it what it is — a man cave. Listening to the chatter around me, it seemed there wasn’t an obvious winner, but Darren’s box reigned supreme in the end. It seems as though the recycling aspect of his box really appealed to people, that or the shiny plasma screen TV.
We had our eye out for the latest trends
The Johannesburg Homemakers expo is a great platform to showcase upcoming trends and with this expo being the first one marked in your calendar, all the others have to play catch up. We’ll start in the kitchen. This year The Kitchen Express showcased the best kitchen stand. Trends revealed a chalkboard incorporated in your kitchen design and a ladder to get up to higher placed shelves for more optimized space in your kitchen. Among other recurring themes is placing some form of art between your counter and shelves, whether it’s a wallpaper that looks like real brick work or intricate splash backs.
In terms of coffee tables it seems as though wood is the material to go for. I spotted unique coffee tables that had natural wood at the bottom and a glass frame on top, but my absolute favourite was a wheelbarrow inspired coffee table giving a distinct retro feel to any home Johannesburg Homemaker’s stand.
We also saw Innovative design by Green Light District, where chandeliers are made from recycled glass bottle fragments and a lighting pendant made from recycled car air filters.
What we got up to
We chose a simplistic wall stand that draws your eyes straight to the blue and white and instantly transports you to a snowy wonderland. We went with this theme to ensure vinyl art was the centre focus of the stand and to allow plenty of room to feel the vinyl art and chat to our consultants without anything getting in your way.
Just because the Johannesburg Homemakers expo is done, doesn’t mean the inspiration has to end as well. Get in touch with us today, we’d love to uplift your home.
