Ideal Home Show

The Ideal Home Show packs up today for another year. Over the last week I managed to go not once but twice! I had heard that it was going to improve hugely on previous years, but I'm not sure if it really delivered in that respect. Nevertheless, there's a lot to see and you can still count on getting a few free food samples, just as you can pretty much guarantee that you'll leave with some sort of artisan sausages.


In terms of interiors, it's actually quite limited but the highlight for me was Ideal Home magazine's roomsets. You can find pictures of the rooms here on House To Home. These are a few of my favourite things...

Tesco appliqué birds cushion, £9 

Heal's bird leaves printed silk cushion, £72

Ecochic wallpaper, £45..95 per roll, Wallpaper Direct. Image: Simon Whitmore for Ideal Home

Ikea Stockholm Rand rug, from £101

Set of two chess pieces, £26, Next

Plum acrylic dome ceiling light, £54.99, Litecraft

Ideal Home Show

Fit For A King

In honour of The King's Speech winning all the Oscars I thought I'd look at some king- and queen-themed home treasures. I'd like to point out that you won't find any William & Kate souvenirs on this page - it's all about the Kings & Queens!


First up - these brilliant mugs from Cole of London. I really regret not paying attention in History lessons but these are a fantastic way to fill gaps in your history knowledge, as each one is covered in useful facts about the monarch pictured. There's even a timeline on the website which lists all of them, all the way back to Alfred the Great. (I thought Athelstan was the first king of England - shows how much I know!)

Image: Cole of London
£10

Check out the arched brow!

Guess which monarch this is!

These Stamp Rugs are really cool, in a quirky-punky way. They come in several colours with the different stamp denominations on them. 

Image: Stamp Rugs

Image: Stamp Rugs

I love this King's Choice mug from Rose & Grey. Now, I think this particular king is is George V, Colin Firth's dad. Right?

Kings Choice Mug, £6.95
Image: Rose & Grey

This gorgeous tea towel will make doing the dishes a bit less dull. It's from The Chic Country Home.

Tea With The Queen Tea Towel, £6.95
Image: The Chic Country Home

Now, where would a king be without all his soldiers and all his men? These cute egg and soldier cups are designed by Takae Mzutani and made in Cornwall. You can buy them from Not On The High Street.

Egg and Soldiers Breakfast Set, £24.50
Image: Not On The High Street

Fit For A King