The Interior Design Show has always been seen as the show that shapes the design industry for the year to come. Now going into its 18th year, we see IDS as the event where both Canadian and international designers showcase their innovative services and products. We noticed that this year the show wanted attendees to focus on the idea that ‘design changes everything’, a mandate that we at Jacknife could all agree on. We’ve complied a list of the most innovative and game changing products we saw at IDS below.
JACKNIFE’S TOP 12 PICKS FROM THE 2016 INTERIOR DESIGN SHOW:
1. Tom Dixon had a huge presence this year at the IDS show, with being the keynote speaker and having a huge booth. We were drawn to his curated artifacts at his booth, but can say we fell in love with his gorgeous polygon shaped light fixtures. What really had us was his pairing of copper accessories and fluorescents inks!
2. Located within the Design Boom Market we stumbled upon TAIT Design Co., an independent product design studio located in Detroit, MI. Sitting at their booth was founder Matt Tait with an array of beautiful and simplistic toys. As we walked by we were drawn towards their cleverly packaged Yoyos, being washed with a wave of nostalgia we knew this was a product we had to highlight in our report. Come on, who wouldn’t want one of these?
3. Habitat for Humanity’s Brick for Brick campaign helps in providing for families within Canada who are living in unstable homes. The campaign partnered with MEGABLOKS, IDS, and Cossette to create a house made of Mega Bloks to raise money for actual homes.
4. Tucked away in the Studio North & Prototype booth was Aneesh Singh a young up and coming furniture designer’s piece named Drift Chair. Studio North is a marketplace within IDS that showcases custom work and limited edition pieces from the design industry. We were drawn the most to Aneesh’s chair as we saw it as a original take on the classic Muskoka chair.
5. Kino Guérin’s curving and twisting tables had us scratching our heads at how he was able to create his pieces. Needless to say his work bridges the gap between sculpture and furniture beautifully.
6. Matthew Kroeker is an independent industrial designer from Winnipeg who was one of the ten chosen designers exhibited at the EQ3 Assembly booth. His armchair and side chair made from solid beech wood were created to pay tribute to King George III’s iconic Windsor chair.
7. With a strong focus on local Ontario Wood has created a database of Ontario based woodworkers / producers that both consumers and interior designers can source from. At the show Ontario Wood collaborated with Citizens and Collaborators to create the Ontario Wood Trading Post, a space where attendees got to see the latest and greatest in the Ontario local wood product scene.
8. Created by the Baker Brothers we were captivated by their BB Lounger as it was screaming Comfy Canadiana.
9. We learned if you give Mike Kelar a camera expect some form of taxidermy to be photographed. Regardless, these wall mounts would look pretty sweet up in our office, and add our collection of taxidermy.
10. Wood Anchor – a Winnipeg based wood working company uses reclaimed and locally harvested lumber to create each of its unique builds and products. Pictured here is their light fixture and table both created with their sustainable eco-friendly lens.
11. Kroft + Co is modern furniture, handcrafted in Toronto that is inspired by Danish and Scandinavian modern design. These up and coming furniture designers are definitely worth keeping an eye on!
12. Nix is a colour sensor that can capture the colour of any surface. Once you have scanned a colour it gets saved to your smartphone through their app and recommends paint matches from paint providers. We see the Nix Pro as an extremely innovative product and hope this Canadian made company gets the recognition it deserves! Photo courtesy of Nix.
