The fair fêtes Italian design with Milan architect and designer Piero Lissoni, the maestro behind such modern yet inviting environments as Glas Italia’s HQ and the Conservatorium Hotel in Amsterdam. He will deliver a keynote presentation on September 28 at 5pm. (Lissoni is also collaborating with Vancouver showroom Livingspace to create an installation furnished with his own pieces for Porro, Living Divani and others.)
He will be followed by architect Michael Green, formerly of McFarlane Green Biggar Architecture, who speaks at 7 pm. Green will chat about his recent experience with food production and transportation while camping in the Naramata Bench, outside of Penticton, B.C. There, he designed and built fruit stands with a group of University of British Columbia students. He also recently unveiled plans to build a 30-storey tower made entirely out of timber (as he discussed in Azure’s September 2012 issue) and continues to advocate for wooden skyscrapers.
Spanning three days, the show also presents many installations and the latest products from over 300 exhibitors. Following last year’s successful pop-up bar collaboration with Tom Dixon, Inform Interiors has partnered with Omer Arbel of Bocci to create this year’s bar. Keep your eyes peeled for Arbel’s bespoke lighting, especially his latest and greatest: the 38 series of globular pendants featuring potted plants.
Meanwhile, companies including Scavolini, AyA, Caesarstone, Hansgrohe and Blanco highlight new finishes for the kitchen. You can also find new furnishings from Toronto’s Stylegarage and Edmonton’s Izm, double-duty storage and sleeping solutions from Resource Furniture and ultra-mod seating by Calligaris and BoConcept. For yet another big product launch, head to Inform Interiors’ Water Street showroom, where Tom Dixon’s Eclectic collection of accessories and giftware, debuted during IIDEX Canada in Toronto, hits the shelves. (Lissoni will be there on September 29th, signing his new book, Recent Architecture.)
IDS West takes place September 27 to 30 at the Vancouver Convention Centre, 1055 Canada Pl.