2012 Fall Atlanta Home Show Draws 'Design Stars'

Fall is the perfect time to prepare a house for sale or tackle those home improvement projects that get put off during the scorching days of summer.  Whether you’re thinking of remodeling, landscaping or redecorating, you can compare the latest products and services at the 2012 Fall Atlanta Home Show, Friday-Sunday, Sept. 21-23 at the Cobb Galleria Centre.

John Gidding, host of HGTV’s hit shows, Curb Appeal: The Block and Designed to Sell and Vern Yip, of HGTV’s Design Star and Design Star All Stars, will headline a roster of home improvement experts who will speak each day. Gidding, an architect and interior designer, will present Behind-the-Scenes Secrets and Tips for Curb Appeal on the Atlanta Home Show stage Friday, Sept. 21 at noon and 2 p.m.  Yip will take the stage on Saturday, Sept. 22 at 1 and 3 p.m. with Affordable Design – Today’s Trends for Your Home.  The Atlanta Home Show is a SEMCO Show.

“We are very excited to welcome John and Vern to the Fall Atlanta Home Show,” said Michael Schoppenhorst, director of the Show. “Although both are familiar to Atlanta audiences from their television shows, not everyone knows each has a strong connection to our city. Vern is based here in Atlanta and has a Master’s Degree in management and architecture from Georgia Tech. John opened a local office of John Gidding Design, Inc. when he lived here taping HGTV’s Designed to Sell. The two of them have worked on a number of beautiful Atlanta homes both inside and out. I think their presentations at the Fall Atlanta Home Show will be standing-room only.

Schoppenhorst added that one lucky person will win the opportunity to have brunch with John on Friday, Sept. 21. Details on how to enter the contest are on the Atlanta Home Show website.

Georgia’s largest fall home show will feature exhibits from hundreds of local home improvement companies and experts, showcasing the newest products and services for home interiors and exteriors. Roswell-area vendors include:

Attention to Detail Home Remodeling

Capital Remodeling, Inc.

Cunsult-a-Home-Pro (CAHP)

Decor Windows

Direct Buy

Green Basements & Remodeling

North Georgia Replacement Windows, Inc.

Paint Wizards/Home Wizards

Party til You Pop

New this year will be the SweetWater Backyard Beer Garden, sponsored by SweetWater Brewing Company and designed by Bruce Holliday of Landscape Plans Plus. For a $5 fee, adults will be able to sample a variety of locally-brewed beers and ales, with proceeds benefitting Hope Atlanta, the local programs of Travelers Aid.  The Cobb County Fire Department and the Georgia Firefighters Burn Foundation will present the Fire Safety House, this year celebrating the Foundation’s 30th anniversary. This popular and potentially life-saving interactive display helps adults and children prepare for a fire in the home by offering prevention and safety tips.

Walter Reeves, the Georgia Gardener, will kick off the speaker schedule at 11 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 21 with a presentation on Lush Lawns, Perfect Pansies.  Additional speakers include HGTV’s Joe Washington and Tonya M. Williams, Stan Garnet of ConsultAHomePro.com and Kali Mallard, editor of Atlanta Home Improvement magazine. Speakers and their presentation times are listed online.

One of the most popular exhibits each year is the SeeThru House, expanded for the Fall Show and presented and staffed by the experts of ConsultAHomePro.com.  Here, attendees will learn what happens behind a home’s walls, above the ceiling and under the floor.  The 3,000-square-foot exhibit is designed to demonstrate the internal workings of a home including plumbing, electrical systems, security, insulation and more. 

The Fall Atlanta Home Show will include demonstrations and seminars every day. The Mad Hatter Service Company and Camp Fyre will give away a premium centerpiece outdoor fire pit as the Grand Prize. Sponsors and promotional partners include Window World, Boral Cultured Stone: Versetta Stone Collection, SweetWater Brewing Company, National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI), Georgia Firefighters Burn Foundation, Cobb County Fire Department, Hope Atlanta, Atlanta Home Improvement Magazine and ConsultAHomePro.com.

Show hours are 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Sept. 21-22, and noon – 6 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 23. General Admission tickets are $10 and may be purchased at the Show’s entrance. Children age 12 and under and adults age 65 and older (with I.D.) are admitted free. Military personnel and First Responders receive a free ticket with the purchase of one general admission ticket.  Members of Atlanta’s housing industry (Realtors, contractors, interior designers, landscapers, etc.) will be admitted for free (with business card at the show entrance) on Friday, Sept. 21.

On-site parking is free. The Cobb Galleria Centre is located at Two Galleria Pkwy., Atlanta, 30339. The 2012 Fall Atlanta Home Show’s 24-hour information line is 770-798-1997.