Design Speak

Missouri’s largest home product marketplace returns for another year. The ongoing Builders St. Louis Home & Garden Show, which runs through Sunday, March 8, at America’s Center in downtown St. Louis, features approximately 400 companies and more than 1,400 booths. The sprawling event involves more than 340,000 square feet of the finest home products and services on the market.

Tickets to it range in price by age and time, with special discounts available for prepurchased tickets and on select days.

“When we survey, 90 percent of the people who attend the show are homeowners,” says Ellen Viehmann, Home Builders Association of St. Louis’ assistant staff vice president for show marketing. “We really do see really serious homeowners who have projects to do. They’re there looking for the new trends, energy-efficient products and services, [and] the latest products for the homes that are out there.” The show has been a spring tradition for 40-plus years and, after four decades, has become something of a phenomenon. It comprises six different showcase areas, each offering a different theme, plus celebrity speakers and family-friendly areas for parents. It’s also about what’s hot in the market.

“Outdoor spaces are the biggest luxury trend that’s going,” Viehmann says. “People want to expand the footprint of their home, and a lot of ways to do that is to go outdoors.”

Viehmann adds that one particular outdoor trend of note is swim spas, especially for homeowners who lack the traditional space needed for a swimming pool but who still seek the exercise benefits one can provide. Users can adjust settings on these installations to replicate lap swimming using just a fraction of the square footage of a standard pool.

But Lawn & Garden isn’t the event’s only showcase area. Joining it in filling the event hall are the Kitchen By Drew Gieseke | Photos supplied

& Bath, Interior Design and Pool & Spa showcases, as well as Home Products and the New Construction Zone. That last showcase area gives homeowners the opportunity to find builders to help them with new home projects – further driving home the show’s focus.

“People are there looking for expert advice, the latest products and the latest trends,” Viehmann says. ln