Vancouver’s Interior Design Show Is Back: Here’s 5 Reasons to Go

After a roaring return to in-person last year (was there a local designer who wasn’t at the opening night bash?) IDS Vancouver arrives again from Thursday, September 21 (we’ll see you at the McKinley Studios-designed bar for opening night, take 2?) to Sunday, September 24. This year’s theme is Moving Parts, and it’s lined up to be Vancouver’s best show for trend spotting, attending great seminars and dreaming of that perfect sofa for the living room. Here are the features we’re extra excited about for 2023.

1. See Some Familiar Faces at the Western Living Sunday Stage

Sunday, September 24

Expect some of your favourite designers—like 2023 WL Interior Designers of the Year, Falken Reynolds, and WL Landscape Designers of the Year, Donohoe Living Landscapes—to take the main stage along with editorial director Anicka Quin and managing editor Alyssa Hirose as part of the Western Living Sunday Stage. Join us for inspiring conversations around the intersection of art and design, working with a designer and what makes a West Coast Modern home.

2. Shop the District Design Market

All weekend long

The vendors in this year’s District have a focus on socially and environmentally sustainable practices in production and materials sourcing—and it’ll be tough to resist leaving without pretty and playful (and oh-so colourful) earrings from Scandinazn, gorgeously scented candles from Homecoming (think pistachio and almond cream) and high-design homewares from artisans around the world, courtesy of former WL Designer of the Year Obakki.

3. Get Inspired With Design Trade Talks

Friday, September 22

Friday’s Trade Talks are geared toward a deep immersion into the design world. A sampling: 2023 WL Designers of the Year judge Simone Vingerhoets-Ziesmann of Ligne Roset will be talking about the brand’s legacy in connection with the 50th anniversary of its Togo sofa (be sure to check out Livingspace’s Togo-centred display on the show floor). And: curious about AI? Head to the Future of AI & Design talk and get ready to play a game of “Is It a Photo, or Isn’t It?” Eight Station’s Anastasiia Romaniv—a Vancouver-based architectural renderer whose incredibly realistic designs have attracted several local firms—will chat with KPMG’s Aya Ladki to take a deep dive into the subject.

4. Check Out Innovative Wood Design

All Weekend long

The Wood Innovation Group (TWIG) has created its own accelerator-type initiative for artists—a cohort-style program that supports participants as they develop an idea that embodies their approach to design, material considerations and regional influences. The final results of the program will be highlighted this year on the IDS show floor: look for work from artist Matt Hanns as he translates his vibrant, playful textile art into wood for the show.

 

5. Join the Garden Revolution

Friday, September 22

Boulevard gardens—those flower-filled interventions that citizens of cities all over are installing on the public strip of land between the sidewalk and the street—are a bigger deal than you might think, and landscape architect Saba Farmand has spent the last couple of years digging into the how and why. Pop by his seminar on Friday to learn more about why the boulevard garden is just the kind of revolution we need right now.