'La Bella Piazza' at the Housewares & Homestyles

With over 200 of the world's leading suppliers of household items and latest fabrics, the 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 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 are here making it a truly global event.

The most dramatic and original addition to Housewares & Homestyle this year is the "La Bella Piazza" meaning 'All Things Beautiful'. The first of its kind in a trade show in the Middle East, La Bella Piazza has been exclusively 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. The world's leading manufacturers are showcasing 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 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, Epoc Messe Frankfurt .

Major suppliers from the industry, especially from the European markets, are featuring 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 are launching their new line of houseware products with fine Italian designs; and Konitz, specialists for the production of mugs, cappuccino and espresso-cups, have introduced their successful new novelty "smiling flowers" design.

On the French pavilion, Artsud, is 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 last year, Housewares & Homestyle have introduced a new section called Home Textiles Middle East, featuring over 75 exhibitors. The section features 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.

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.