Guildhall to host Cambridge’s first home & garden show

Amazingly, Cambridge has never hosted its own event dedicated to homes and gardens – until now.

Dedicated to inspirational design, the Cambridge Home + Garden Show aims to highlight the best in Cambridge-based design, renovation and decor for the home and garden – and the Cambridge Independent is supporting the event as its media partner.

The show will take place at the Guildhall in September and is the brainchild of interior designer and project manager Jennifer Chong.

It aims to bring together a wide collection of brands and businesses. There will be seminars and workshops, competitions and special offers from exhibitors. There will even be a pop-up cafe run by Novi.

Jennifer, owner and founder of Feioi, an interior design and project management firm, told the Cambridge Independent: “It’s going to be a curated showcase of brands and businesses, and will provide inspiration, products and services to do with home and garden design.

“We’re putting a really strong focus on local and independent businesses, and it’s a chance for people to see what’s available to them when they’re designing their home.”

What inspired Jennifer to organise the show?

“There are a lot of national events – mostly in London or Birmingham – and it felt like Cambridge needed something like this, and I didn’t really understand why there wasn’t one already,” she said.

“I got the idea last year and have been chatting to people and doing market research to see if it would be something of interest. People have been really positive about it, which is great. We’ve got some good exhibitors signed up and we’re in the process of selecting more.”

Jennifer was born in Hertfordshire and has lived in Cambridge for about five years. She has worked for various interior design companies and has previously been involved in event management.

She said of the show: “I have a really clear vision of what I want the event to be and what I want it to look like. I’ve started working with an event management and marketing company called The Crane Event and they’ll be helping me with some of the logistics and organising nearer the time. They’re helping me because I’m realising that I can’t do it all by myself!”

There will be more than 30 stands for home and garden businesses to showcase products and services.

“A lot of the large stands are taken, so we’re going to have quite a big range. It’s high-end in terms of quality, rather than necessarily being expensive,” said Jennifer.

“It’s more about companies that have a real passion for what they do and really care about their customers and the services they provide.”

John Lewis of Hungerford, the national kitchens, bedrooms and furniture firm with a showroom in Regent Street, Cambridge is taking a stand, as are Anglia Fireplaces and Design, of Impington, and David Hall Kitchen and Furniture Makers, of Melbourn.

“We’ve got a lot of creative talent in Cambridge and I would like to showcase that to the public,” said Jennifer.

On the gardening side of things, modernist garden and landscape designer Robert Barker, a gold medal winner at last year’s RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show, will be represented, along with Zion Landscapes, of Burwell, and Lanai Outdoor Living, of King Street, Cambridge, which trades in bespoke glass extensions, verandas, glass rooms, patio awnings and roof canopies.

Jennifer hopes to make the Cambridge Home + Garden Show an annual event. “I have all kinds of plans about where I want to take it,” she concluded, “so it will rest on this first year being really successful – fingers crossed!”

Paul Brackley, editor of the Cambridge Independent, said: “This is sure to be a great show and we are pleased to be working with Jennifer to promote it.”

Cambridge Home + Garden Show will take place on Saturday, September 9 at the Guildhall. Admission is free, but visitors will need to register beforehand. Anyone who registers will be entitled to a goody bag sponsored by Laragh Homes. For more information, visit camhomeshow.com. For more on Jennifer’s interior design company, go to feioi.com.