The Kitchen Bathroom & Bedroom Specialists Association – KBSA – has hailed this year's 'Ask the Expert' session at Grand Designs Live a success according to KBB industry expert Alan Stanford, on behalf of KBSA.

Grand Designs Live is based on the hugely successful Channel 4 TV series, presented by design guru Kevin McCloud and run by Events brand Media10, who also manage the NEC event of the same name.

Stanford met with some 80 or so consumers attending the Grand Designs Live and with a view to review new project plans and give advice. Visitors also received free copies of Specialist magazine and the KBSA showcase handbook and Stanford noted that consumers were focused on turning kitchens into a family living space with modern appliances such as hot taps and island unit ceiling extractors.

For bathrooms, consumers largely questioned lighting features, wall coverings, whether to use panels or tiles and from the discussions popular trends discovered from the talks included greater use of freestanding baths and a decrease in the use of fitted furniture in bathrooms.

“It's always a good opportunity to get this type of feedback from this show, as it's a real-time snapshot of current trends in design for both bathrooms and kitchens,” said KBSA sales and marketing director Ruth Ward.

The event has established itself as the UK’s number one consumer show for design and innovation for the home. The show launched in 2005 and has been hailed ‘the UK’s most successful exhibition launch in the last decade’. Grand Designs Live embraces the values of the TV show and delivers a stylish, unique and inspirational consumer exhibition. The event attracts 105,500 visitors and over 500 exhibitors across 9 days.