Grand Designs Live presents all-new 2019 Grand Theatre line up

Grand Designs Live will return to London’s ExCeL from 4 – 12 May 2019, and the Grand Theatre will offer visitors the opportunity to hear from an array of industry experts.

This year’s event will showcase an amazing variety of the latest innovations, trends and brand-new products across each of the five sectors of the show, which span across Build, Kitchens, Bathrooms, Gardens and Interiors.

The Grand Theatre will have an engaging line-up of talks will take centre stage across every day of the show; with seminars ranging from interior design to busing the myths of Self Build to adding value to existing homes and much more.

On Sunday 5th May, the discussions will focus on a wide-reaching issue for us all, in; From Beach Cleans to Dolphin Dreams: Authors4Oceans Explain How You Can Help Save Our Seas from your living room. Musician, author and passionate environmental activist Dougie Poynter thinks plastic sucks; join him and bestselling children’s authors MG Leonard (Beetle Boy), Lauren St John (Dolphin Song and Kat Wolfe Investigates) and Christopher Vick (Girl, Boy, Sea) to talk about why they’re so passionate about finding ways to save our environment.

Then, on Sunday 12th May you can join Kunle Barker as he talks with Kelly Brook about the extensive renovation of her Kent cottage, as well as her love for gardening.

With Grand Designers from over 20 projects, the range of daily sessions at the Grand Theatre will include ‘Meet The Grand Designers’; presented by different homeowners from the most recent series of the popular TV series on which the exhibition is based, as well as homeowners and developers from the brand-new TV series ‘Grand Designs: The Street’ and from some of Kevin’s favourite Grand Designs projects from the last 20 years.

Visitors with an interest in self-build can also hear from developers and partners Graven Hill, about simple self build options; or get a ‘Road-Map to Self Build’ from Property Expert, Kunle Barker; as well as how to ‘Take the Fear out of Financing Your Build Project’ and a range of other sessions, each ‘Busting the Myths of Self-Build’, supported by the National Custom & Self Build Association (NaCSBA); covering all aspects of a self build project from securing finance, to planning permission, finding a plot, how long the process can take, and much more.

Each day our resident Grand Designers will take part in ‘Top Tips For Planning Your Own Grand Design’, where they will be joined on stage by a panel of our industry experts for a dynamic discussion exploring various aspects of their self-build projects; covering everything from architecture, to project management, to planning and everything in between.

In addition, industry experts and market specialists will take to the Grand Theatre stage with seminars and talks touching on current affairs affecting the housing industry, from Social Housing issues to the impact that our homes can have on our health.

On the 11th May, Grand Designs magazine editor, Karen Styliandes, along with interior stylist and lifestyle blogger Sommer Pyne will explore what we can do within our homes to make an impact on our health. Then, on the 6th May, Grand Designers Born and Elinor Barikor from the 2018 TV show discuss the technology and design aspects used to create their impressive ‘Health House’ located in the heart of the leafy borough of Richmond; and discover how Design Studio 31’s ethos of health and wellbeing whilst protecting the environmental landscape can help to positively shape architecture from start to finish.

Visitors with a keen interest in interiors can join judges and finalists from the ‘Under The Stairs’ interior design installation as they reveal the winner of this year’s competition, and discuss their unique designs along with other ideas of how visitors can use small spaces in their homes to create a big impact. On the 11th May, fans of the TV show can go ‘Behind The Scenes’ with director Marc Beers and Kevin McCloud as they talk us through unseen footage and side-splitting mishaps from the past 20 years of Grand Designs.

Visitors to the show will be able to experience all these informative seminars, and more, including the latest trends, innovations and unseen products, at the ultimate event to inspire, inform and spark the creativity of all design addicts.