Designer home fashions on show in Dubai

With over 200 of the world's leading suppliers of the hottest household items and latest fabrics, the upcoming Housewares & Homestyle exhibition promises to inspire all of those involved in the business - interior designers, specifiers and retailer buyers.

Around 1,000 items are on show ranging from of the latest curtains and window decorations to crystal, glass and household products. The collections are gathered in Dubai for the three day exhibition drawn from 22 countries. International exhibitors from Germany, France, Italy, Egypt, Turkey, Pakistan, China, Taiwan, Honk Kong, Philippines, Greece, Thailand, Indonesia and UK making it a truly global event.

The most dramatic and original addition to Housewares & Homestyle this year will be "La Bella Piazza" the first of its kind in a trade show in the Middle East. La Bella Piazza will be a showcase within the hall of All Things Beautiful. An exclusive area designed by Wafaee Ayad, the award winning designer and architect from Artstone Dubai, who have recently opened a new showroom in Garhoud and have an A-list of clients from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, UAE and the Lebanon. To step into La Bella Piazza will be like being in the cover of a magazine, here you will experience what style, elegance and ego is all about. The world's leading manufacturers will showcase their foremost range of products including table sets, crystal, glassware, cookware and textiles and a setting that will tantalise the imagination and stimulate the understanding of trends in the market today.

The Housewares & Homestyle show has witnessed enormous growth, 50% up on the 2004 event, now spanning two massive halls. Prompted by the Gulf's booming housing market, with numerous mega-projects and substantial investment in all sorts of residential property, the housewares sector is set to flourish. As a consequence, the demand for household products has also taken a massive upswing. Proud, new home owners want to decorate their homes with the latest and the best, with design and style now being key considerations.

"The show, now in its 6th year, is expected to attract an audience of 18,000 buyers ranging from interior designers, consultants, architects, retailers, hotels, property management companies, distributors and agents. They'll visit the show from all around the region to get a chance to see the latest innovations and trends in the housewares and textile market" stated Melissa O'Gorman, exhibition manager of organisers Epoc Messe Frankfurt .

Major suppliers from the industry, especially from the European markets, will feature heavily at this year's show including one of the UK's most prestigious manufacturers of exclusive kitchen gadgets and utensils, Probus Mayfair. Italy has a strong presence too with Sambonet, the world's renowned producer of hotel cutlery; Adamo, the Italian specialists in plastic technologies will be launching their new line of houseware products with fine Italian designs; and Konitz, specialists for the production of mugs, cappuccino and espresso-cups, will be introducing their successful new novelty "smiling flowers" design.

On the French pavilion, Artsud, will be participating for the first time in Housewares & Homestyle, along with ten other French companies who are actively looking for agents, distributors, interior architects involved in design, furniture, tableware, decoration and textiles.

In response to interest from the textiles industry, Housewares & Homestyle will incorporate a new section called Home Textiles Middle East, featuring over 75 exhibitors. The section will present all manner of fabrics, curtains and accessories, foils, furniture fabrics and leather, sun protection systems/shades, carpets and floor coverings, wall coverings, bedding, linens, throws, table cloths, cloth place mats, towels, flannels and textiles for home decoration and art.

This new addition has also attracted an incredibly high standard of designers and pattern artists such as Bianca home textiles from the UK, the textile house of top British Designer Lulu Guinness, who are eager to present their 2005 collection to property management companies and department store buyers at the show.

Other major names such as DA Textiles, SA & JFA textiles will be presenting, for the first time in Dubai, their perfect home collection which offers a complete line of products including bath towels, bedspreads, bed linen, and decorative fabrics. The Australian Weaving Mills will showcase their ranges exclusively designed for Esprit Home, Dickies USA and The Cottonfield Collection along with many others.

The exhibition has received a vast amount of support from international trade associations including the Indonesian Textile Association, the German Textile Manufacturer's Group and the Thai Textile Association.

Messe Frankfurt will also be welcoming many VIP guests and dignitaries including the Director of the French Consulate in Dubai, Director of the Australian Textiles Manufacturers Association, German Ambassador to Dubai, Director of the Italian Trade Commission, the Indian Consulate General along with many more. The show is supported by a number of trade associations including the NAFED association, DEP, China Chamber of Commerce, EPCH association and the Turkish Government.