Escape at Home

Give your home an outdoor retreat with ideas from Melbourne’s favourite home show

Home owners and enthusiasts will get new ideas to transform even the smallest of outdoor space into an escape they won’t want to leave when the HIA Home Ideas Show comes to the Melbourne Exhibition Centre for five days from Wednesday 7 April 2010.

With travel plans on hold for many, focus is turning to improving the abode using simple enhancements and clever outdoor design techniques to elevate an ordinary outdoor space to retreat standards.

On show for your backyard, you will be inspired by pool designs from Ian Barker of Enkipools, outdoor landscaping from Outdoor Edge Designs, view the latest Bali huts and synthetic grass form Tropical Thatch, find the right combination of decking and paving from Modwood and Lifestone Paving, or get creative with decorative aluminium screens and fencing from Aliwood.

The return of the Design Precinct presents Australia’s leading interior designers. Designer Room Series V – eight cosmopolitan life-size rooms capturing emerging international trends ready to inspire Melburnians into transforming their own rooms and homes. With the visual inspiration taken care of, enjoy a quiet drink at the Designer Drinks Bar while listening to experts at the Designer Forums demonstrate clever design techniques using colour, fabrics, furnishings and textures.

Whether it’s a water tank, solar panels, or a grey-water recycling system, making your house sustainable saves more than just energy and water. Learn the best conservation strategies for your home and associated economic benefits at daily seminars held at the Sustainable Living Stage. With your new-found knowledge, wander to the HIA GreenSmart Building Zone to see a range of green housing products and systems that can save
money and the environment.

For visitors planning a renovation project, seeking the right information before and during the project is vital to staying on task and on budget. Ask an Expert is a dedicated area with tradespeople to answer your renovation questions with ready-to-help experts on painting, building, sustainability, landscaping, building design, kitchens and bathrooms. Bring your questions and your plans along!

A new addition to the event is the HIA Award Winner Showcase. The best of the best will be on show with their award winning design or product. With more than 250 exhibitors with the latest products and services, visitors are sure to leave full of ideas to enhance their homes and lives.

In 2010 the event will run alongside the inaugural Healthy Food Healthy Lifestyle Show with each event ticket providing dual access providing great value for visitors.

For more information and tickets visit HIAhomeideasshow.com.au.