The Gauteng HOMEMAKERS Expo presented at the Coca-Cola Dome from 18 - 21 February turned homeowners’ dreams into reality with well over 600 stands displaying the latest in home lifestyle design. Apart from the trendsetting exhibits, the expo also highlighted consumer needs with some exciting new features. In the Green Living area they found eco-friendly products.
At Décor on a budget six top designers showed them how to achieve creative brilliance without breaking the bank. In the Future of Design section young creatives illustrated their latest designs while the Deli Area kept the taste buds stimulated. The almost 48 000 visitors to the show agreed that this was the best HOMEMAKERS Expo yet as it really got the creative juices flowing enabling visitors to visualise a living space that they can create themselves. One of the biggest trends identified this year was the handmade movement; in future every room will feature at least one handmade item, be it a crochet pillow or an old upcyclend cupboard, but these items will become your room’s focal point. Colours spotted at the show; grey, purple, lime green, turquoise, burned orange and shocking pink. Apart from the great ideas and products on display at the show a whopping R1 million in prizes were given away! 
This was the seventeenth Gauteng HOMEMAKERS Expo and again this expo proved why it was voted the Best Consumer Show of 2009 by EXSA, it is the country’s largest and most representative home improvement exhibition. Exhibitor Awards “This was the most beautiful show we have ever seen, congratulations to all exhibitors for making this the best HOMEMAKERS Expo in 17 years” those were the words of our esteemed judges. The exhibitors’ great displays took the show up a notch, setting exceptionally high standard for years to come. In the words of the head judge Annemarie Meintjies from Visi Magazine; “I love HOMEMAKERS Expo and visit it every year. This year I was especially impressed by the standard of exhibits and the attention exhibitors paid to detail on their stands. This is the most excited I have been about the show – ever!” Overall Winner for Exhibition Excellence: Easy Life Kitchen. Gold Awards: Abacus Gardens, Ambi Pur, Blind Rage, Essential Life, Floors Direct, Mobelli, SMEG, Taylor Blinds, Tri-fecta (Exotic Kitchens), Bathroom Bizarre, Easy Life Kitchens and Grass ZA Other HOMEMAKERS Expos will be presented in Cape Town (2-5 September), Vaal (17-19 September), Port Elizabeth (30 September – 3 October) and Durban (7-10 October). Visit www.homemakersonline.co.za for more photos and videos on the Gauteng HOMEMAKERS Expo.