Everything You Need to Sort Your Home at the Ideal Home Show This October

You know that conversation you’ve been putting off? The one about the spare room that isn’t spare, the teenager who needs their own space, the mother-in-law who keeps hinting, the home that simply doesn’t fit your family anymore? The PTSB Ideal Home Show might be exactly where you need to spend a weekend this October.

Ireland’s largest home event returns to RDS Simmonscourt from Friday 16th to Sunday 18th October 2026, and with up to 230 exhibitors and 27,000 visitors expected across the three days, it’s shaping up to be a seriously useful weekend out — the kind where you actually come home with a plan rather than just a tote bag full of brochures.

The modular home moment is here

For families who’ve been quietly googling “how to add more space to our house without selling a kidney,” the timing couldn’t be better. Recent changes to planning exemptions mean qualifying homeowners can now add detached auxiliary dwellings of between 32 and 45 square metres, with the exemption for certain garden structures also increased to 30 square metres, subject to applicable conditions. That’s a meaningful shift — enough room for a proper garden apartment, a teenager’s retreat or a parent moving closer to family.

The show’s Build, Extend and Modular Homes area will bring together specialists to help visitors understand exactly what’s possible, what it costs and how to navigate the planning side. Whether you’re thinking about multigenerational living, a rental unit or just desperately need a home office that isn’t the kitchen table, the experts will be there to walk you through it.

Five people posing at Mitsubishi Electric's Heating Hub exhibition stand featuring Ecodan heat pump products.

The team at the Mitsubishi Electric Heating Hub stand.

Home energy efficiency will also be front and centre throughout the show. At the Mitsubishi Electric Ecodan Home Advice Theatre, architect Dermot Bannon will join Mitsubishi Electric experts on Saturday 17th October for a live Q&A covering heat pumps, ventilation and modern heating systems — with plenty of time for real homeowners to ask the questions they’ve been sitting on. The Electric Ireland Superhomes Home Energy Upgrade Pavilion will offer practical guidance on available supports and how to get a home energy upgrade project actually started.

Caitriona O’Connor, PTSB Ideal Home Show Director, put it well: “Autumn is naturally a time when we turn our attention back to our homes and start thinking about the projects we want to tackle over the months ahead. Whether that means creating extra space, planning a renovation, updating an interior or making the home warmer and more comfortable, the PTSB Ideal Home Show brings the experts, advice and ideas together under one roof.”

Interiors, kitchens and a genuinely good day out

If your plans are less structural and more “I just want this house to feel nicer,” there’s plenty for you too. The DFS Interiors Theatre, hosted by PTSB Ideal Home Show ambassador Jo Linehan, will run talks and conversations throughout the weekend covering everything from home organisation with professional organiser Hazel Burton of The Home Reset to managing renovation costs with quantity surveyor Patricia Power.

Two women at the DFS Interiors Theatre stand at a home and interiors show, one being interviewed on a teal velvet sofa.

Live talks and styling tips at the Interiors Theatre stage.

Peter O’Mahony and his wife Jessica, co-founders of Irish home and garden brand søw-sé, will also appear at the show — Peter joining Jo Linehan on the DFS Interiors Theatre stage on Saturday to share the story behind the brand.

At the Dulux Heritage Interior Design Hub, colour and design consultant Jane Witter and a team of colour consultants will offer free one-to-one advice. Bring your phone photos, paint chip disasters and that picture you screenshotted eighteen months ago and never acted on — they’ll help you figure out what to actually do with it.

Two women reviewing Heritage paint colour swatches at a display stand, beside a styled bedroom with grey-green panelled walls.

Choosing the perfect shade with the Heritage paint range.

Food, festive vibes and a bit of craic

At the Dunnes Stores Chefs Live Theatre, Neven Maguire, Donal Skehan and Brian McDermott will take to the stage for live cooking demonstrations across the weekend. There’ll also be a chance to meet Irish artisan producers from the Simply Better collection at the Meet the Makers area, sample food from the Saba team and — in a very welcome development for anyone who starts panicking about Christmas in August — Neven Maguire will launch his exclusive Simply Better Christmas Pudding and Christmas Cake at the show.

The Dunnes Stores Pavilion will also offer a first taste of the festive season with homeware, gifting and seasonal styling ideas. Helen James, Francis Brennan and Carolyn Donnelly will all appear, and designer William Costelloe will create personalised sketches for visitors each day.

The PTSB team will be on hand throughout all three days to offer one-to-one financial guidance for anyone thinking about home improvement loans, self-build financing or the financial side of adding space to their property. As Eddie Kearney, Head of Retail Distribution at PTSB, noted: “Whether visitors to the show are considering home improvements, looking at ways to create additional space or planning a self-build, our team will be on hand throughout the weekend to offer practical financial guidance and support.”

New for Autumn 2026 is the Health and Wellbeing Pavilion, bringing products and solutions for healthier living at home. Free consultations will also be available at the PhoneWatch Ask an Expert Hub, with interior designers, quantity surveyors, architects and landscapers all on hand.

The show runs Friday 16th October from 10am to 5pm, with Saturday and Sunday both running 10am to 6pm. Tickets and full exhibitor information are available at idealhome.ie.