One to Watch: id8 Design

Victoria's Krista Rossato brings a hands-on approach to every project€”from the city's bustling Public Market to fanciful pop-up doghouses.

From the miniature oak traveller’s trunk that she handcrafted for her boyfriend 18 years ago, to the large commercial spaces she designs today, Victoria-born Krista Rossato’s work has been driven by design. “I’m motivated to solve problems, and oftentimes the problem is what makes the solution so interesting,” says Rosatto. She focuses on the challenge, whether it’s the detailed work of cutting different types of wood to make her popular sushi boards or helping a client reimagine the flow of a space. “I want to do more than just be great at coordinating finishes and selecting objects.”Pet Projects Foodies flood the new Victoria Public Market on opening day (left).Take Fido on the road with a pop-up pet shelter (right).Success comes from plenty of failures and do-overs. “The process is really 90 percent of the finished product,” says Rossato. “Everything in our built world is from someone who has spent a lot of time figuring out the tiniest of details.” That attention to detail is seen in a pop-up doghouse she built for a BCSPCA fundraiser, inspired by the mechanics of pop-up books. Though the kennel-in-a-suitcase, with its 40 hinges and collapsible wooden parts, is one-of-a-kind, Rossato continues to explore the potential of multifunctional, space-saving objects. “As the world becomes smaller and faster,” she says, “I hope to see products and spaces become more purposeful.” The brand-new Victoria Public Market at the Hudson, for which Rossato was an integral part of the overall design team, is one such purposeful space. The preservation of the 92-year-old building’s structure—including its original brick—is a testament to her resistance to a throwaway mentality. “I want to build something that you will love, so you’ll take care of it for years.”wl