IDS 2025: brass, salmon and wood

 

Toronto's hip and beautiful braved the polar vortex last night to party at IDS, the annual Interior Design Show, which showcases the world of furnishings and anything pretty that belongs in a home. IDS takes place at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre's north building, next to the CN Tower, and runs January 23-26.

 As usual, the first two days, January 23-24, are devoted to the design industry, then the weekend, January 25-26, is open to the public.If you're looking for a new way to design your bathroom, this is the place. If you want to see the latest in tables, chairs and entire kitchens, this will inspire you. Vendors, mostly Canadian and some from abroad, such as Buzzispace, abound. Heavy hitters Cosentino, Ateliers Jacob and House of Rohl return. 

Meanwhile, IDS continues to showcase new talent though the LIV Design Studio. This year's challenge is for students to design a lobby that encourages social interaction, yet allows comfort, adaptability and inclusivity. The top three designs will be experienced through AR augmented reality). For the latest in home design, explore The District for the industry's latest products.

Running through the end of Feb. 24 are a total of 22 accredited seminars that touch on the latest trends, case studies and issues in interior design.The key themes this year are AI and decarbonization.

The splashy opening night party, open to all, catered to professionals for networking, amid nibbles of pizza and glasses of pinot grigio. Toronto painter Tatjana Hutinec found IDS "a great way to meet professionals in design to help promote my work." Others not directly in the business, however, chose to stay home. A realtor cited the limited free food and drink as not enough to justify the $67-and up ticket price. And the -12C chill didn't help.

Those who braved the cold were rewarded a showcase of more than 220 vendors spanning the size of three football fields. It was a great idea to have Big Smoke Brass, serenading partygoers as they marched up and down the aisles until they took to the centre stage to warm up the crowd before the dance party. guests dressed in their finery, with black leather pants common as they are every year.

Toronto's Anatolia sponsored the opening night. To be fair, their array of Turkish-influenced mosaic tiles caught the eye, as explained by lead designer Basak Duman:

Vendors competed for eyeballs, and what better way than to invite a celeb chef Mark McEwen who prepared some delish salmon poke for Signature Design Suite:

The unusual and innovative also capture attention, such as wood-inspired weightlifting room by SDI Design:

 

Then there are Inspira's showers and tubs (top picture). The Montreal company can print high-res images onto shower walls and doors and bathtubs. Choose an image from their extensive catalogue or supply them one. You could be bathing with Brad Pitt or Angelina Jolie.

IDS 2017 warms up Toronto with design and dance

by Allan Tong
(last update: Feb. 24)

Toronto is a frozen hell-hole in January. Besides paying off Christmas credit card bills and enduring the darkest days of the year, Torontonians have little to enjoy at the start of the year. The Interior Design Show shrewdly fills the void to promote Canadian and world designers of home furnishings while injecting colour and fun into the city.

Last Thursday (January 19), the IDS opened with its annual party, sprawled across the north building of the Metro Convention Centre. Dozen of exhibitors' booths poured bubbly, beer and wine while others offered canopes of everything from beef to falafels. "It's the first real party of the year," said one woman, who works at a bank. "After Christmas, we kind of hibernate, and now we come out."

She paid $61 and dressed up to take in the party that lasted four hours. The unusually mild weather attracted larger crowds than last year. Partygoers danced and drank at the Caesarstone Stage (below) while consumers and industry professionals alike glided from booth to booth with champagne in their hands to admire the latest luxury bathtubs, lighting fixtures, kitchen appliances and bedroom sets. Everyone dressed up, like a red carpet premiere, and leaned towards casual chic. (I'd never seen so many black leather pants in one place.)

Interior Design Show wraps up in Toronto

story and photos by Allan Tong

January in Toronto is a cold, dark place, but for four days the Interior Design Show adds a little colour. The 18th IDS just wrapped (Jan. 21-24) after launching with a giant party Thursday night where for $56 anyone could sip wine and nibble on snacks as they surveyed over 200 exhibits ranging from the coffeemakers of appliance giant Miele to local furniture designers. On the following days, the IDS feted renown designer Tom Dixon and held workshops and keynotes that informed professional designers and everyday consumers alike on the latest trends and innovations. Here's a survey of some exhibits that caught our eye:

Art2Lights brings street art into living rooms with colourful artwork you're used to seeing in Toronto's downtown alleyways.