Country Living Magazine Spring Fair

The Country Living Magazine Spring Fair at the Business Design Centre, Islington, London from 21 – 25 March 2012, heralds the start of the spring and looks forward to the sunny days of summer and all the associated activities like picnics and sporting occasions. In addition to the 400 exhibitors presenting a host of ideas for Easter you are unlikely to find on the high street, there are demonstrations and hands-on craft workshops. The food hall celebrates the UK’s finest food producers and their regional specialities, with opportunities for tasting too. The beautiful spring garden provides green fingered visitors with lots of inspiration for planning and planting, with experts only a trowel-tip away for advice. There’s lots of scope for personal pampering too, with clothing for every occasion from a sports day to a picnic; jewellery and silversmithing designs influenced by nature and sensuous handmade soaps and perfumes. With so much to see and do, a visit to the Country Living Magazine Spring Fair is a day to remember.

There will be a beautiful Spring Garden filled with spring plants and ideas to take home and demonstrations in a range of crafts with hands-on workshops where everyone can join in.

Review from claudiadeyoung.com 'garden design'

'A visit to the Spring Country Living fair ( now in it’s 20th year) and still on until Sunday 27th March, is not to be missed if you like all things ‘ country.

Despite one of the hottest days we have seen yet this year, I battled my way through the London traffic to Islington where a combination of 350 designers, crafts people and small producers from all over the countryside, are all to be found under one roof in the heart of the city.

As you enter the show a display by Van Hague Garden Centres has all the elements of a spring garden. More spring planting in long planters hugs the central staircase and everywhere you look there are stalls filled with seasonal decorative products.

As Easter approaches , we long for warm days and getting out into the garden. Two companies featured items for the ‘grow your own’ market, very much in vogue at the moment. Veggy tables , are high wooden cedar planters which make growing vegetables easier and convenient for picking produce. Gogo gardens is an outdoor piece of furniture which has a ready planted garden on the top. They can also be used in the kitchen for herbs and for smart storage in the cupboard underneath.

Laura Antebi had some unique wire sculptures of animals from horses to geese, stags to sheep. Made in Ayrshire, the sculptures are so lifelike and being made from galvanized steel wire, they last for years outside.

Garden Trading with its emphasis on the outdoors, has expanded their range of products and added new collections for the home and garden from their ever popular ceramic range as well as reclaimed elm furniture.

Boxwood designs creates candle and pot holders from Charente roof tiles in France. Old oak is also used and each piece is unique.

Not on display but being launched soon, is a book called furniture with Soul from renowned furniture maker David Savage. David, who is a real artist in every sense of the word, features in the book the Master Woodworkers and their Craft and the best bespoke furniture made with spirit and vision of each designer.

As the show filled with people , it was impossible to get to some of the stands that were knee deep in customers all clambering after a taste of the countryside whether it be for food from small producers or handmade cards, clothing or knitted animals.

I left before I got completely squashed and wish I could have taken a wonderful pastel coloured bicycle with me by Beg Bicycles. These classically styled bikes are so elegant and feminine. My birthday is in July- hint!'