Interior Design Show Toronto 2014

Last week, I attended the Interior Design Show during trade day. Media, designers and people in the industry attended to get a sneak peek before the show opened to the general public last Saturday and Sunday. It is one of the largest Interior Design exhibitions that brings together both commercial and residential design. This year, I think the show had an emphasis on the latter, with scores of companies promoting kitchen and bath products. I love attending this show because it can predict trends in design as a whole. I remember a couple years back everything was orange, right before Pantone named their 2012 colour of the year: Tangerine Tango. However, this year, not too many trends stuck out.

Rustic-inspired designs were everywhere. From wood panelling to vintage looking wood floors, the booths had a cozy feel to them. The wood bed frame by Space was gorgeous, a perfect retreat for a man’s bedroom. The Canadian-made bed even had storage options, putting a new spin on IKEA’s classic MALM bed.

I also fell in love with this wood bathtub! It was part of Caesarstone’s exhibit, so I’m not quite sure if it’s functional, but I love the idea behind it.

Rustic chic was also in full force, including this pink claw foot tub. I can just see the rich hipster girl lounging in this tub with her organic soy candles and organic woven bathmats.

I also fell in love with Urban Barn’s booth, particularly the “Sleep in the Nude” bedroom set up. With a girly mix of greys and blush pink, as well as mirrored nightables and cozy textures, I would love to go to sleep in that bedroom! I don’t know too many men that would too…

This exhibit featured beautiful flowers to show off the floral-inspired glass chandelier.

A similar style, for likely a LOT less will be coming your way at IKEA. I love IKEA’s booth because it’s more than aspirational style- a lot of it is affordable. However, I was put off by the scale of the massive and gorgeous kitchen, which I just can’t believe was created solely with Swedish self-assembly.

But I stopped dead in my tracks with IKEA’s bathroom set-up, and can only wish they would sell this stunning gold vertical mini subway tile.

The girly glam continued at this booth, which had an American Hustle 1970s vibe to it, complete with the fur shag rug, lucite table and groovy printed pillows. I’m not a fan of the random shapes painted on the walls, but this living room had a warm and cool vibe to it.

I definitely left inspired with some decor options for my bookshelves. From displaying vintage cameras above, or Cocoon Furnishing‘s gilded gold shelves, I want to play it up and rearrange (yet again) my shelves ASAP.

Another DIY inspiration for me came from these wild printed chairs. Each piece is hand designed, including the fabrics, and signed with the designer’s tag. I love the raunchy legs and the pretty flowers. I was originally going to upholster a chair in plain toile, but I might try to source a more statement-making pattern.

There were plenty of celebrities present from the Interior Design Bubble, including Sarah Richardson and her sidekick, who is so friendly, Tommy Smythe. I loved her blue and white booth that reminded me of my cozy cottage in the Kawarthas.

Looking back on these photos, I’m realizing that I was wrong… BLUE is definitely a colour emerging as a trend. From painted chairs to painted skeletons… tones of periwinkle and Tiffany Box Blue popped up in booths. I like blue used here as an accent… it doesn’t overwhelm a space and it adds cheer. I also fell in love with Imm Living’s booth where they were selling kooky decor pieces for the animal lover. They weren’t selling this at the show but how sick is this Aphrodite bust USB hub?

These beautiful porcelain pieces are from Lladro. I loved the parrots, they look even more realistic in person. One of my favourite booths at the show was Beauti-Tone’s. They had artist Amy Shackleton complete a live painting that show attendees could win in a draw. It was incredible to see her tedious process to create a graphic, colourful work of art.

Fashion popped up quite a bit at the Interior Design Show. Closet organization and the beautification of the closet (we can blame Coveteur and Pinterest for this one…) is becoming more and more important, and numerous booths featured pretty ways to display pretty clothes. Porsche Design’s booth also featured their sleek and functional handbag and outerwear lines.

But Korhani Home dominated in the fashion sphere with an exhibition featuring some of their designs that walked down the Toronto Fashion Week catwalk. Korhani is a rug company, and these whimsical designs are actually made of the rugs themselves! It’s true, I own Marie Antoinette’s outdoor rug and it currently resides in my cottage’s screened-in gazebo.

Proving even more that IDS is a fashionable event, Jeanne Beker was on hand to interview Dr. Miele himself at a panel session. There were plenty of panel speakers through out the weekend, but I didn’t have enough time to sit down for one, as they also quickly fill up.

Another aspect that’s a little new to the show is the Market, where small designers can sell their wares. It’s a little bit too Etsy/One of a Kind Show for an exhibition focusing on industrial design, but I have to admit I loved Smitten Kitten‘s line of notebooks and luggage tags.

What did I not like? For starters, all the bathtubs and faucets. Although important, I found that the show was very consumer-oriented and got a little lost distinguishing things booth-to-booth. I also despised this minimalist bathroom that reminded me of a gross public sauna. I would get disoriented with all those gridlines.

One of the cutest booths I saw was Kid-Chen Co. The company uses non VOC paint and Canadian Maple plywood for their kid-friendly designs. I love that the pieces are made in Toronto, and the designs are swoon-worthy even for grown ups.

For parents-to-be, Draw Me A Sheep is a full service design company that will put together your nursery for a flat rate of $3500. It’s a great idea for busy parents or if the mother isn’t in the condition to be painting walls and setting up cribs. I loved the colourful and gender neutral design of this room, however the service involves a consultation so you can achieve the mood you want.

I always look forward to attending this show and this year was full of inspiration and rooms that seemed as if they were pulled from my Pinterest board.