What is the Ideal Home Show and why were we there?  

Well, that’s a very good question…the Ideal Home Show is an annual event held in Olympia, London. The show provides inspiration, tips and tricks for homeowners, renovators and everyone in between. 

We were asked to supply the flooring for the ‘Dream Home’ which, as you may have guessed, was a full-sized replica of a beautiful home, built inside the Ideal Home Show. This home was stunning, inspirational and honestly breath-taking. So, want to hear how it all came together?  

The Story

The famous Ideal Home Show in Olympia, London. You’d think this had been months in the making…but would you believe me if it told you this incredible Dream Home was built, decorated and completed in less than 5 days?  

Discussions started with the Dream Home Team only 3 weeks before the build was due to start.  There were many discussions about what floors work best for the spaces, how they would work with the room design, how they’d be laid and how they’d work in the different spaces.  We had to make this, as the name suggests, a Dream Home.  

There were 4 rooms that needed beautiful wooden floors; the games room, the living room, the kitchen/diner and the hallway. Each room needed its own unique identity and so the creative juices started to flow.  

Three very short weeks passed, and the build started.  Seeing the house go from an empty space to something so inspirational in only five days was awe-inspiring.  The rooms started coming together, the walls painted, floors laid, skirting applied, furniture and finishing touches rolled in just in time… an incredible team effort.  So, what was the finished result? 

The Living Room

When we collaborated over designs with @sofology, we initially looked at colour themes and the space as a whole. A floor can make or break the design of a living room so getting the floor right was absolutely crucial for the Dream Home.  

It was important that the lounge felt homely and comforting so we chose Harlech White Smoked Oak for its warmth as well as the way it compliments the soft olive and burnt/muted orange tones of the space. The wide planks always help make a room look bigger and as living rooms are the comfort and relaxation area of a home, we wanted to maximise the space as much as possible.   

This was the perfect flooring for the job, bringing that rustic and natural wood feel through knots and marks, along with its smoked feature that adds depth and warmth, this flooring was made for a cosy lounge.  

The Games Room

Games rooms do what they say on the tin – a space for having fun and socialising.  Given that there are often only a few ornaments and decorations in a games room, the floor really needs to work hard and be bold enough to stand out and give the room an extra dimension.   

Berkeley Charterhouse Oak was the obvious choice.  Scorched, extra rustic and gnarly.  This floor is truly a showstopper.   

We couldn’t be more pleased with the outcome. It perfectly matches the atmosphere of a games room through its antique look and rustic textures and gives off a ‘perfectly imperfect’ kind of feel, wouldn’t you agree? 

The Kitchen and Diner

Working with @Magnet on the kitchen design was an absolute pleasure because it was the centre of the dream home and, as we all know, is the heart of the home. 

The kitchen’s design was classic and modern with handless cabinets and a mixture of white and deep, dark browns. We instantly knew that Harlech Coffee Oak was the perfect natural wood floor to bring all of the design colours together as it was the perfect warm, middle shade to bring balance to the light and dark tones.  

Coffee is a warm natural tone that looked absolutely stunning in this space. Not to mention it comes with a matching herringbone that married up perfectly for our next room… 

The Hallway

The hallway was our final chance to get creative. Luckily for us, the hallway and kitchen spaces were conjoined. Choosing a floor that complimented Harlech Coffee Oak was crucial so that the centre space drew people in and onwards throughout the dream home.   

It was a unanimous decision to choose Highclere Coffee Oak for the hallway. We knew instantly this was the right floor to complete the space and give a lasting impression as soon as you entered the home, the contemporary wider herringbone boards adding character and impact. 

Woodpecker Highclere and Harlech ranges are designed to match seamlessly. So, from the hallway to the kitchen, you felt like you were somewhere special throughout.  

Thank you to the team at the Ideal Home Show for their work and collaboration, we cannot wait to see what next year holds! 

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