Earlier this week, IDSwest launched their kick-off party at Kitsilano’s Livingspace’s gorgeous design showroom. Alongside several IDSwest designers was a lighting installation by Dutch designer Bertjan Pot, who’ll be giving a talk during the upcoming show in September.
A DJ spun tunes, Bottega prosecco (and Kronenbourg 1664 beer) were flowing, Community Pizzeria served up Neapolitan margherita pizzas from their truck, and Greg Hook’s Chocolate Arts had a table of delightful sweets to indulge in.
In celebration of 10 years as the premiere design event in the West, this year’s IDSwest featured projects and keynote speakers take design to a whole new level. From September 25 to 28, exhibitors from at home and abroad will convene in Vancouver to showcase the latest trends, ideas and new products for the home. Design aficionados will be inspired by new furnishings, floor coverings, fixtures, décor and much more from Montreal, Toronto, Portland, San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York and Italy, plus a wealth of emerging and established local talent.
[L: IDSwest Show Director David Tyldesley]
“As IDSwest marks ten years of design on the West Coast, we’re finding fresh ways to engage with our audience,” says IDSwest director David Tyldesley. “We’re unveiling exclusive behind-the-scenes content and celebrating design from across North America and abroad. We invite design enthusiasts from far and wide to come and learn from the design world’s most creative minds. IDSwest is the Western hub for a diverse group of creative types who come to experience what’s up-and-coming in the world of design.”
[Bottom photo: Judson Beaumont of Straight Line Designs Inc.’s latest: pet trailers]
There’s so much to see and talented designers to learn about; here’s a rundown of the show’s key features:
Speaker Highlights
Bertjan Pot, The Netherlands
Meet the man behind the mask! Famed Dutch designer Bertjan Pot, who keeps his identity hidden in portraits, is a designer whose projects stem from curiosity. His fascination with techniques, structure, pattern and colour resulted in the creation of the Random Light, one of the most iconic lighting designs of the last 10 years. Bertjan’s new Prop Light, recently launched at The Salone del Mobile in Milan, will be seen for the first time in Canada at IDSwest. I’m looking forward to meeting this iconic fellow Dutch designer.
Brooklyn Design Group, New York
Asher Israelow is a New York native with a background in fine arts and architecture. As a furniture and building designer he builds with ethically-sourced materials, using them as inspiration to tell a narrative for the “modern explorer”. The Brooklyn Navy Yard studio where he works creates only original and limited-edition pieces designed to last for generations. Other Brooklyn Designers will round out the group.
[L to R: The man behind the mask, er, pie, Bertjan Pot; Sarah Richardson]
Sarah Richardson, Toronto
Canadian Entrepreneur, television producer, and interior designer Sarah Richardson is perhaps best known as the host of several popular HGTV series which air in over 100 countries worldwide, including Room Service, Design Inc, Sarah’s House and Sarah 101. Sarah’s award winning, modern-contemporary designs address the practical demands and real challenges of modern life. The owner of her own interior design firm for over 15 years, Sarah is passionate about design in all aspects of life, and injects her own enthusiasm, passion and effortless elegance into everything she tackles.
Patkau Architects, Vancouver
Over the past 33 years, Presentation House Gallery has built a stellar national and international reputation for its cutting-edge exhibitions of photography and media arts. It has just announced a move to a new purpose-built facility designed by renowned BC firm Patkau Architects on North Vancouver’s waterfront. With a café, bookstore, and waterfront plaza, the Gallery expects to become a cultural hub and gathering space, as well as major new tourist attraction, with estimates of 33,000 visitors in its first year. Visible from around the harbour, the building will become the city’s newest landmark when it opens in 2017, and will elevate a world-class Gallery’s facility to a level equal to its reputation.
[Walnut and blue Boxcar Planter by Revolution Design House]
New Features
The District featuring Poppytalk Curated
A favourite among fashion and design lovers, local design blog success story Poppytalk brings a unique vision to The District, a retail section at the show where makers and designers showcase and sell their products for purchase onsite. Discover one-of-a-kind items for you and your home. Experience an eclectic mix of perfectly curated products in this year’s District and plan to go home with a good piece of design.
PROCESS, Real Projects. Real Outcomes. Presented by Fusion TV
IDSwest pulls back the curtain on design, pairing designers with city-shaping clients to collaborate on real projects as they develop to completion. With privileged access, viewers will watch real design unfold as concepts become reality via an exclusive online video series produced by Fusion TV. Viewers of PROCESS webisodes will experience the real design journey and get the scoop on legacy-forming future projects that will shape Vancouver. The results will be unveiled in a physical exhibit at IDSwest.
PROCESS, Part I:
Bottega S.p.A., one of the world’s most renowned producers of Prosecco wine, is the first PROCESS client. This globally distributed Italian brand is planning the launch of their first flagship Bottega bar and restaurant in Canada. These exclusive design-led bars already exist in select high profile cities in Europe and the Middle East; Vancouver is being considered as the brand’s very first North American location. The culmination of the successful design collaboration with PROCESS will be a facsimile of the future Bottega Prosecco Bar concept unveiled for the first time at IDSwest in the form of the IDSwest VIP Lounge.
Prototype
This twice-juried competition pairs big-name mentors with students to produce real prototypes with a vision for future production. Students will receive hands-on experience in product design and put their creativity and imagination on display. Established designers are also eligible to submit their Prototypes to a jury made up of Brent Comber, Omer Arbel and Bertjan Pot. Attendees at IDSwest will see products before they go to market, and have the opportunity to meet the up-and-coming design stars of tomorrow.
Working Lunch
Italian brand Nidi, Design Spaces for Children will showcase their sleek and thoughtful aesthetic in Canada for the first time, in a collaborative feature called Working Lunch. This new area at IDSwest will serve as a place where all visitors can brainstorm their own projects.
Coast Modern Documentary Screening
IDSwest will be screening the acclaimed 2012 documentary Coast Modern, followed by a panel discussion on West Coast design and architecture. Coast Modern—an independent film directed by Mike Bernard and Gavin Froome—travels along the Pacific Northwest coastline from LA to Vancouver showcasing the pioneers of West Coast Modernist Architecture and the homes that have become their legacies.
Returning Favourites
Monogram® Dinner By Design, produced by The Social Concierge
Internationally celebrated designers and local talent create three-dimensional dining installations that awe, inspire, and delight. These extraordinary dining environments—from the lavish and romantic to the outrageous and whimsical—set the stage for fun and fascination over six days at two locations. Attend Cocktail Art or the Gala dinner a few days prior to IDSwest, or peruse the 16 different tablescapes, designed by the likes of Robert Bailey and Marie Khouri when they are relocated to the IDSwest exhibit floor.
Studio North
Studio North returns, showcasing limited-edition collections that you won’t see anywhere else. Canadian and international designers of the highest caliber present one-off and custom collections of furniture, lighting, glass, ceramics, textiles and surface design in a gallery-like setting. Experience the sleek lines of local talent Romney Shipway’s concrete and wood Balcony Table or the mid-century modern hardwood aesthetic of Nevada designer WFOUR’s side tables.
The Party on Opening Night, presented by Valley Countertops
We welcome all design enthusiasts to the Vancouver’s design party of the year. In true style, The Party on Opening Night, on Thursday September 25, is an entertaining opportunity to explore our features and exhibits while rubbing shoulders with the design elite. All exhibits will be open for business, the wine will be flowing and the DJs will be spinning.
Structure, Presented By BC Wood
IDSwest and BC Wood are thrilled to announce the return of Structure. Structure is a partnership between BC Wood and IDSwest, designed to provide innovative opportunities for young designers to improve their business knowledge. This year we challenged six designers to design a piece from Weyerhaeuser’s Parallam SLS material. The result of this mentorship program will be six eye-opening designs, unveiled on the IDSwest show floor.
Advance tickets and weekend passes will be available online at a reduced rate. Tickets will also be available at the door. For more information, visit IDS West online.
