A list of seven exciting Alberta makers, shakers and up-and-comers that will be coming to our new IDS Vancouver exhibit, Alberta REdeFINED.

Interior designer (and proud Calgarian) Kevin Mitchell gives us the inside scoop on some of his favourite designers we’ll see at the new Prairie-power design exhibit coming to IDS Vancouver, September 20 to 23.

1.  Birch and Grey | Edmonton

“I’ve quickly fallen in love with all the pieces they’re producing. They’ve got all these functional pieces that are much more than just pretty things. Their sense of scale and sense of line are so spot-on—they really understand what’s going to work.” birchandgrey.com

2.  Loyal Loot | Edmonton and Calgary

“Those bowls! That natural bark and colourful lacquer—they’re derived from a natural element, and so no two pieces are exactly the same. And they’re great in either a contemporary or a rustic environment.” loyalloot.com

3.  RNDSQR | Calgary

“I think they’re great people—they’re building communities here, and what they’ve done for affordable architectural homes is amazing. They really understand the components of houses and how people actually live—and it all started with these screens. They have an incredible hand with architectural styling.” rndsqr.ca

4. AdrianMartinus | Calgary

“I found them on Instagram years ago, and I bought all their crib boards—they’re all so unique and I didn’t know what I wanted, so I just took them all. They work with recycled skateboards in their designs—they’ve taken essentially trash and made it into treasure.” adrianmartinus.com

5.  Mezzaluna Studio | Edmonton

“It’s cool to see textiles locally produced—it’s such an untapped market. Vikki Wiercinski’s prints are beautiful—colourful and really unique, but you can see she pays homage to the past with a little modern edge.” mezzalunastudio.ca

6.  Ryspot | Edmonton

“I stumbled upon these guys more recently, and I think their use of mixed media is amazing. Their concrete-core table with lacquered metal components is totally cool—I’ve not seen anything like it. The ability to pick any colour you want in certain components gives you a lot of flexibility, but it’s still one of a kind.” ryspot.design

7.  Mtharu | Calgary

“I think Sumer Singh’s engineering background is amazing. He’s been able to create these beautiful works of art that function as pieces of furniture as well—he’s thought of the technical as well as the aesthetic. There’s a lot of consideration put into what he’s designed.” sumersingh.com

—Kevin Mitchell