IDS West.

Between all the excitement of Interior Design Show West, I managed to snap a few pictures. The show was really good this year, and Becky and I left it with aching feet (the best shoes always hurt the most) and so much excitement. The phone shots are just a taste. I was too busy enjoying myself to document everything, but it was such a great show. So much eye-candy. So much potential. So many ideas. While the industry-only event was on Friday, I am quite positive a lot of designers go to the Thursday night event. The air was just buzzing with design nerd excitement. I remember at an IDIC student event, one of the speakers said something along the lines of:

When you were a kid, you were always creating, you never left anything alone: whether your wardrobe or your room, you constantly changed ‘the look.’ As a student, you practically slept under your drafting table. And as a designer, you find yourself scribbling on napkins or the backs of receipts, and you take photos everywhere… even in a restaurant washroom because you love a light fixture, or a tile repeat. When you are a designer, you live and breathe it.

Becky talked at length with this gentleman. His pieces were beautiful. I was particularly taken with the coffee table. I opted for zebrano style wood mixed with white cabinetry (think colour-blocking) for our design office kitchen, but this stuff was insane! It was the richest colour of burnt orange and deep chocolate. And no offence to gold (I still love you), but I couldn’t get enough of the copper! Tastefully done, I think copper makes the most amazing table legs and trim especially when the wood is deep/rich.

Becky will try to tell you that “we” have started a teensy tiny furniture company, but the truth is, she is the one on her tiny deck with a chop saw and a rotary sander- I’m just trying to get this Jr.Designer/Student thing figured out. We’ve managed to convince our boss to let us make a small table for the reception area and a light fixture and table for our conference room. Again, I have helped her find stacks of free wood pallets and located a Christmas tree farm that sell cheap slabs of live edge. I’ve gushed with her over ideas and found hairpin table legs, but SHE has done the actual work. And this XO joint had her bursting with excitement (as wood that is drying tends to split).

Apologies for the awful, blurry picture with Becky ghosting in it, but sadly, it was the only one I took of this bike rim divider screen. Pretty awesome for a mancave or a boys room.

We had VIP passes sent to our office by some of our suppliers which meant that we got free access to the event as well as VIP lounge access. It was beautifully put together, but I tend to feel strange in VIP. The two times in my life that I got VIP I was floored with the privilege and so grateful, but I’m not fancy (I tend towards silly, and silly doesn’t seem very VIP-ish) and it felt weird watching people get turned away. We ducked in and admired center-pieces, sipped some wine and then snuck out the side.

LOVED these built in headboard lamps. Vintage work/shop lights… there is a use for absolutely everything. And it’s this kind of stuff that gets me excited!

Reclaimed wood wall mosaics. A vertical floor to ceiling strip on a wall can look sooooo cool.

Resin-filled stumps. Yeah. I am well aware. Look at his “Bloom Table” (click here)- this guy knows how to mix his wood with resin.

I’m a bit of a light nerd. I really love light fixtures. The other designers at work laugh at me because I always get excited to look for lights for their projects.

Take this idea and run with it. Imagine toys made into wall takes and spray painted on colour for a kids room.

IDS West

Last night was the opening of the Interior Design Show West down at the Vancouver Convention Center. There were so many great things to look at. Three and a half hour flew by and I had managed to collect more than 20 lbs of catalogues, business cards and brochures. I took a lot of pictures, and I fawned over a lot of things. Looking at just one piece would blossom into the mental building up of a space around it. So much fun.

If you get a chance to head down there this weekend, I suggest you do (if you’re interested in that kind of thing). The dominant theme was wood. Lots and lots of wood. What I find incredible about it (other than the amazing natural patterns in it) is that one cannot help but touch it when they see it. It’s like a magnet… you just have to run your hand over it. There’s a connection to it.

Then there was the dress at the Norburn Lighting and Bath which was dripping in Swarovski crystals (and worth $20,000). I went a little cuckoo over the little Swarovski pendant lights hanging around it.

There were lots of great products, ideas and emerging designers/stores/companies that deserve a closer look, but that’s for another day. I gotta go downtown and collect some fabric samples for my presentation on Alpaca fibre due Monday.