From tiny tots to Piedmont, via Grand Designs Live
- Johnny Grey
- 4 hours ago
- 4 min read
GRAND DESIGNS LIVE [Sunday 3 May 2026]
Grand Designs Live is a huge home and garden expo of talks, product displays and one-to-one consultations to be held in ExCel in East London from 1—4 May. Hop on the Elizabeth Line or DLR to come and see the very latest home products in the real-life setting of The Grand House. On the Sunday 3 May you can catch up with me. In my talk Beyond the Box – a kitchen odyssey through food friends and time, on the Kitchen Stage at 11.45am I’ll offer ideas on how to make your kitchen more fun and interesting. After lunch (1.15pm) I’m on stage with Kevin McCloud at the Sustainability Theatre discussing designing with imagination, integrity and purpose. At 1.45-2.45 I will be talking about rethinking colour in the kitchen with Luke Wedgebury. My final talk at 3.45-4.30 is with Luke again and called The Multifunctional Kitchen: designing for longevity, sociability and flexibility.
I’ve long been a big fan of Kevin’s, in particular his support for design education. He gave me a platform to talk about the idea of creating the kitchen design degree course we ran at Bucks New University for a number of years. We both felt this was a necessary step given how little design support consumers and kitchen makers had access to when we started all this in 2007. Things have evolved and the Kitchen Education Trust’s new apprenticeship degree course Commercial and Living Spaces Design is ready to run, just needing the green light of university backing.
Castello di Montalero Cooking Experience
I’m excited to be working with Christopher Watkins at Castello di Montalero to curate a special eight-day cooking experience based on Elizabeth David’s recipes and life story. The plan was for it to be this autumn but due to international uncertainty we are now looking at holding what will be an immersive culinary and cultural journey in 2027. People who like to plan ahead might bear this in mind; likely timing is August.
The itinerary involves hands-on cooking workshops exploring Italy’s iconic regions, served by candlelight each evening and supplemented by regional wine, olive oil and cheese tastings. I will be on hand to provide personal stories and insights on Elizabeth David’s life and work together with talks by her biographer Artemis Cooper and demonstrations and talks by food writer, chef and Elizabeth David expert Angela Clutton. All will be set against the beautiful backdrop of the Piedmontese hills with visits to local markets, wineries and the idyllic Italian countryside.
Unfitted update
We continue to be busy developing Unfitted Kitchens. We’ve been adding new pieces, for example the Working Table. This central part of a kitchen layout builds on the strengths of the central island concept but with key differences. It is longer and open underneath, allowing natural light to circulate better throughout the kitchen. The design gives a general feeling of spaciousness due to its reduced bulk. While central islands remain an essential part of many kitchen designs, the Working Table is shaping up to make a welcome alternative for Unfitted customers.
The Johnny Grey Unfitted Kitchen collection can be seen at Kitchens Etc in Norwich. It is coming soon to Butler Interiors in Kirkby Lonsdale in the Lake District.
Maximalism!
I grew up in post-war London in a world that lacked mod-cons. But my father (a GP) was a good amateur woodworker and my mother painted, played the piano, made lampshades, cooked and gardened. She cherished the eighteenth century, inheriting from her mother a great love of antique furniture. In contrast I studied architecture in the ‘seventies when Modernism held all the prestige. Ornament was a dirty word, Georgian terraces in Camden Town were being razed for council tower blocks, Corbusier-lite. I flirted a little with Marxism as a student but mostly kept my head down. Truth is I was a maximalist, born and bred.
I was happy to catch sight of a spread of pictures in our Observer of a highly decorated modern house in New South Wales. Wit and whimsy feature throughout the rooms, colour and pattern abound along with wooden carvings and curves. Remind you of anything? My kitchens are just a little maximalist at times. It’s an emotional thing.
Food Festival in the South Downs
A date for your diaries 6-7 June. This year’s South Downs Food Festival is focusing on cookery demonstrations by young enterprising chefs, with live music and street food vendors lining up to join the fun. The festival’s big star is Luke Emmess, head chef at The Wykeham Arms in Winchester and a MasterChef Professionals finalist. Not to be missed, he’ll be showcasing refined pub classics with a seasonal twist.
Head over to the festival website here for more information.
It’s a great excuse to enjoy a different sort of day out with family and friends. I’ll be wandering around the Stansted grounds, picking up fresh or rare ingredients and ideas. I would love to catch up with some of you there.
Grandchildren alter your perspective.
This is the second mud kitchen I’ve made in my woodland workshop from old furniture pallets and found objects. I start with a sink bowl and taps and cut them into a worktop of joined up planks, coated in a natural oil finish. Thereafter it’s fun features: a hob made from CDs, hanging pole, towel rail, shelves, cup hooks and cutting board. With the clatter, the chat, the arrangement of culinary gear being put to unexpected uses, the imaginative play just keeps going, some mud remaining an option. Add some children’s kitchen utensils - a trip to IKEA recommended, along with a little raid on your kitchen cupboards - and brace yourself to receive ‘creative’ snacks and drinks.
