Design: Grand Designs Live

Grand Designs Live returns to London next week showcasing cutting-edge design products and innovation for the home.

This year’s show includes the 'GRAND Village’ where visitors will be able to experience first hand the very latest sustainable build techniques and technology through a series of conceptual, eco-friendly and sustainable structures.

Celebrity speakers such as Kevin McCloud, George Clarke and Oliver Heath are on hand to give advice to home owners in the seminar theatre, and free expert advice is available from architects, planners and engineers to help with your own Grand Design project.

Grand Designs Live takes place 1^st-9^th May 2010 at Excel, London. Book your tickets here!

Carly Gordon

Lifestyle & Home: prAna ECO yoga mat

As you relax into the Corpse posture at the end of a yoga session, do you know what material the mat underneath you is made from? 

The smell can be a giveaway, for many are PVC - a widely-used material that Greenpeace describes as ‘the single most environmentally damaging of all plastics’.

A great choice for those who want a PVC, latex and rubber-free option is prAna’s ECO yoga mat. Made from TPE (Thermoplastic Elastomer), no toxic materials are used in its production and its closed-cell construction decomposes in landfills, leaving behind only water and biodegradable components.

Naturally non-slip, it’s a strong, double-sided mat that’s suitable for all but the most vigorous yoga practices. Its springy, cushioned feel is great for standing, sitting and lying postures, and each side has a slightly different texture. The grip is good and the mat is lightweight and stylish-looking, with a cute prAna label stitched on the side. Cleaning is simple: just wipe with a warm, wet rag and air-dry outside.

prAna ECO yoga mats are available in four colourways - wisteria/lilac, sage/lemon, smoke/light grey and fern/blue hazel - buy yours here.

Jane Lee

Lifestyle & Home: Lockwood Design Dreams

My hopes for the future of interior design is that more reclaimed, re-purposed and recycled items will be integrated into homes around the globe. Sharing my view of earth-first, polished style and functionality is Anna Lockwood of Lockwood Design.

Lockwood Design primarily "re-vamps" old furniture throw-aways, saving them from landfill and turning them into the chic, high-design masterpieces that function for daily use. Lockwood Design's online store gives a glimpse of her work, though she also will custom make and repair pieces for both private and commercial clients.

Its no surprise that Lockwood Design has been featured numerous times in some of the largest fashion and design magazines, because her work is truly immaculate, customisable and good for the planet. I love her headboards, and these armchairs beg to be put in my living room.

Stay up to date with Lockwood Design's latest News, and Contact Anna for sample fabrics of pieces you're interested in, or to purchase items on her site.

Tyler January

Lifestyle & Home: Stay Fashionably Bright the Ecover Way

Here at La Luminata we are crazy about Ecover products. I personally will only use their products to clean the house, wash up and more importantly trust to get my ethical smalls and organic cotton dresses soft and clean again.

Famous for creating eco products since 1980, Ecover are way ahead of their game, having won many awards for the quality of their detergents not to mention the fact that the products are kinder to the environment than most normal detergents.

Ecover have also extended their laundry range to include two highly effective and truly ecological concentrated laundry liquids: Ecover Concentrated Bio and Ecover Concentrated Non Bio. We tried out a large selection of their new cleaning range and have noted how a little goes a long way, making their slightly higher price point excellent value for money.

Lifestyle & Home: Tamu New Ethical Range

Tamu is a new range of luxury ethical skincare which works in partnership with the women in the village of Goaso, West Africa. Inspired by traditional African remedies, Tamu creates salts, oils, body butters and soaps with therapeutic qualities that relax and indulge. We loved the African black soap with tea tree and honey and the Moroccan rose Himalayan bath salts complete with fragrant crushed rose petals.

Lifestyle & Home: Decorating with Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen

2010 is all about creating a home that makes a statement, banishing boring beige and embracing YOUR style. Interior design guru and television personality Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen has launched a new book, 'Decorating with Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen', to show us how to revamp and add a touch of glamour to our homes without breaking the bank. 

The book is in two parts; the first is packed full of inspiring room sets, including extravagant operatic bathrooms, botanical entrance halls, nature inspired dining and contemporary country living. Laurence’s signature bold use of colour and pattern features throughout the book, with clever ideas and tips of how to transform a space into something fabulous.

The second part is a step-by-step guide, with easy to follow illustrated photographs, showing how we can achieve these inspiring looks. From hanging wallpaper and tiling, to stencilling, the guide encourages us to get crafty and have fun making our homes bold and unique.

The book is a must buy for anyone planning to re-vamp their home for Spring. We loved this book and would highly recommend it as the home decorating bible of 2010!

Carly Gordon

Lifestyle & Home: Earls Court goes Green for the Ideal Home Show 2010

The new look Ideal Home Show returns for its 102^nd year, revamped and ‘greener’ than before. As part of this year’s sustainable living theme, the exterior of the Earls court art deco building has been transformed into a manicured ‘green’ exterior.  

The sustainable living theme continues inside with the exclusive preview of five environmentally friendly ‘modular’ houses fitted with innovative energy efficient products and the latest in energy saving technology.

This year’s show combines eight sections; Ideal Home Improvements, Ideal Village, Ideal Food, Ideal Gardens, Ideal Shopping, Ideal Woman, Ideal Housewares and Ideal Interiors, and expert advise from the likes of celebrity architect George Clarke, interiors guru Linda Barker and food critic Gregg Wallace.

The Ideal Home Show is running from the 20^th March – 5^th April 2010 at London’s Earls Court. 

Carly Gordon