The 18th annual Interior Design Show (IDS16), presented by National Bank, came to a close Sunday after showcasing the best and brightest in the design industry from Canada and abroad. 

Canada’s largest contemporary design fair and the epicentre of Toronto Design Week officially kicked-off on Thursday, January 21st, with its annual Opening Night Gala presented by The Globe and Mail and Scavolini. Known simply as ‘The Party,’ the British invasion themed fête drew over 5,500 notable guests. International stars like British designers, Tom Dixon and Lee Broom, and local design heroes like Omar Gandhi, called “Canada’s next top architect” by The Globe and Mail, mingled with Toronto tastemakers, media, and industry notables, from House & Home Editor-in-Chief, Suzanne Dimma, to philanthropist, Suzanne Rogers.  International Guest of Honour, Tom Dixon, got the party underway with a formal address to the crowd, before hitting the show floor for a night of fabulous food, music, mingling, and taking in the show’s spectacular 300+ exhibits, installations and features.

On Friday, January 22, Professional Trade Day presented by Miele, saw over 12,500 industry members attend IDS. A stellar line up of top innovative design minds took to the Caesarstone stage for AZURE TRADE TALKS, including Tom Dixon, Lee Broom, American architect Craig Dykers, and Parisian designer Ora-ïto.  The inspiring talks continued on Globe Style Saturday, presented by The Globe and Mail, with Canadian Omar Gandhi and IDS alumni Omer Arbel, followed by Manhattan-based fashionable husband and wife interior design duo, Jesse Carrier and Mara Miller of Carrier & Company, and LA-based interior designer and Instagram sensation Orlando Soria. On January 24th at House & Home Sunday, presented by House & Home Magazine, Canadian design personalities were front and centre as Editor-In-Chief Suzanne Dimma and her team shared their favourite tips and trends with show guests and highlighted a hot list of Canadian designers to watch including James Davie, Samantha Farjo and Richard Ouellette. 

Over the four day design spectacle thousands of guests visited the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. Highlights included: the world-wide launch of Tom Dixon’s partnership with Caesarstone which now moves on to Salone del Mobile in Milan; the National Bank Design Lab, where one lucky visitor won $10,000 towards their dream renovation; Habitat for Humanity’s life-sized Mega Bloks house which raised money for the not-for-profit organization; Studio North and Prototype,  which offers emerging Canadian designers and independent studios the opportunity to have their work reviewed by a panel of international industry leaders; designboom mart; Ontario Wood’s WOODLOVE exhibit designed by Toronto-based Citizens & Collaborators, and countless product launches in North America, plus much more!  For show images please click HERE.

“This year’s show was an amazing success,” said Karen Kang, National Director, IDS Canada. “On behalf of the entire IDS team, I’d like to thank all of our amazing speakers, our sponsors, our exhibitors and our visitors for making it all possible. We are already starting to plan IDS17 and look forward to continuing to promote and foster the Canadian design industry. Stay tuned for exciting announcements coming from the fair soon!” 

IDS BOOTH DESIGN AWARDS
IDS is pleased to announce this year’s recipients of the IDS Booth Design Awards as chosen by a committee of industry experts including Heather Dubbledam of Dubbledam Architecture & Design; Alain Courschesne, Principal of Igloo Design; and Morgan Michener, Senior Editor of House & Home Magazine.

• Category 1 - 50 sq. ft. to 199 sq.ft:  Coolican & Company; Runner Up 1925 Workbench 
• Category 2 - 200 sq. ft to 399 sq. ft: Hollis + Morris; Runner Up Dekko Concrete  
• Category 3 - 400 sq. ft: AyA Kitchens; Runner Up Gaggena  
• Category 4 -  401 sq. ft to 600 sq. ft: Artemano; Runner Up National Bank 
• Category 5 -  601 sq. ft. and above: EQ3; Runner Up COSENTINO
  

Additionally, every year IDS chooses the most outstanding designer from Studio North and Protoype. This year’s committee included Parisian designer Ora-Ïto, Designboom editor Nina Azzarallo and AZURE Magazine’s Erin Donnelly. The winners were:
 

PROTOTYPE: Jacob Antoni

STUDIO NORTH: Khalil Jamal 

SAVE THE DATE: IDS17 January 19 - 22, 2017
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YouTube: youtube.com/user/InteriorDesignShow Instagram: instagram.com/idstoronto IDS16 Overview: InteriorDesignShow.com/show-info/about