All the Things We Loved from DesignTO and IDS 2019

This new series by Tom Chung for EQ3 – which includes a low media unit and a coffee table and is available in oak or walnut – has these fabulous felt panels, which are actually customizable, so you can put your own stamp on the piece.

1 Plank collection by Tom Chung (Toronto) for EQ3, IDS

2 Pokopoko table by WooYoo (Toronto), IDS Prototype

3 Flip table by EDMM (Philadelphia), IDS Studio North

4 Paradise chair by Objects & Ideas (Toronto), IDS

5 Futura porcelain tiles by 41zero42 (Italy) for Ceragres, IDS

Lukas Peet’s LP10 Plateau chair for Div.12 (pictured far left) was an IDS highlight. We like how the thin metals bars of the back and sides converge to form a grid-like seat, the graphic and intricate pattern belying the simplicity of the overall design. And it’s made in Edmonton!

6 L31 Wedge chair by Div.12 (Edmonton), IDS

7 LP10 Plateau chair by Lukas Peet (Vancouver), for Div.12 (Edmonton), IDS

8 L21 Brat Cafe chair by Geoffrey Lilge for Div. 12 (Edmonton), IDS

9 Numero 309 planters by AllStudio (Montreal), IDS

10 Moonlight pendant by Partisans (Toronto) for Decimal, IDS Studio North

Hands down the most striking exhibit at IDS, the Great Lakes Cabin, designed by Leckie Studio for the Backcountry Hut Company (with landscaping by Flattery Design and skylights by Velux), sparked some serious small home envy in all who entered the pavilion.

11 Great Lakes Cabin by Leckie Studio (Vancouver) for the Backcountry Hut Company (Landscaping by Flattery Design), IDS

12 Farfalle rug by Christopher Bates (Italy) for W Studio, IDS

13 Jane lounge chair Montauk Sofa (Montreal), IDS

14 Masque collection Highback chair by II BY IV DESIGN (Toronto), Suite22, IDS

15 Designlines Booth by COFO Design (Toronto), IDS

These cloud-shaped modules provided a tranquil getaway from the bustle of the show floor at IDS – in three sizes no less. Haven S, M and L are low tech escape pods, made from inflated Tyvek. Zipped inside, and curled up on the Astroturf floor, with the filtered light, softened sound and calming essential oils, it really felt like you were somewhere else entirely.

16 Haven by Tangible Interaction (Vancouver), IDS

17 Concrete and maple bookshelf by Lalaya Design (Toronto), IDS

18 Saika bar cart by Mobilia, IDS

19 Bench for One by Kroft (Toronto), IDS

20 Wallpaper collection by Alanna Cavanagh (Toronto) for Rollout, IDS

21 Concrete chair by Susan for Susan (Toronto), IDS

We love how each hand-blown glass disk in Sylvia Lee’s window installation on Dundas West has its own whimsical personality up close, but then blurs into an enticing postcard-worthy sunset from afar. Good news: Cascade is a product from Jeff Goodman Studio, so you can enjoy sunshine all year.

22 Horizon by Jeff Goodman Studio / Sylvia Lee (Toronto), Loop Gallery, DesignTO

23 Studies by Nathan Clarke (Toronto), Province Apothecary, DesignTO

24 Amulette lights by Annie Legault (Montreal), The Drake Hotel, DesignTO

25 A Rug by a Fireplace by Micah Adams (Toronto), Housewarming, Craft Ontario, DesignTO

26 Capillary 1 & 2 candle holders by Nathan Clarke (Toronto), Elbow Room, DesignTO

This crystalline window installation by Philip Beesley is vaguely reminiscent of ferns and seaweed (it has fronds that sway when you walk past, and water-filled bulbs that read underwater kingdom – at least to us), but it also looks like nothing we’ve seen before. Straight up: you really need to see this one up close, because it’s very hard to describe. And yes, that’s precisely why we love it.

27 Aletheia installation by Philip Beesley / Living Architecture Systems Group (Toronto), Aesop, DesignTO

28 Shelf by Ethan Arff (Toronto), Tables, Chairs and Other Unrelated Objects, OCAD Ignite Gallery, DesignTO

29 Candy Pop table by Zoe Yuan (Toronto), Tables, Chairs and Other Unrelated Objects, OCAD Ignite Gallery, DesignTO

30 Dancers floor lamp by Natalie Sirianni (Toronto), Elbow Room, DesignTO

31 Interminable Fields by Holly Fedida and Christopher Mendoza, Housewarming, Craft Ontario, DesignTO

This trio of wall hangings made from intersected brass discs, light-coloured wood and leather tassels is a testament to Simone Ferkul’s craft – and her thoughtfulness. The halved circles represent the imaginary horizontal line between earth and sky that all of us perceive in our own way. Word on the street is that Ferkul is planning to create a version of these for the home.

32 Sensible Horizon by Simone Ferkul (Toronto), Souvenir, DesignTO

33 Black Arts by Nicholas Hamilton Holmes (Hamilton), Smash Salvage, DesignTO

34 Implosion by Bjørn Friborg (Sweden), Nordic Glass, Harbourfront Centre

35 Stay A While by Cleo Halfpenny (Toronto), Come Up To My Room, DesignTO

36 Conversation Pieces by Design Workshop Architects (Toronto), The Globe and Mail Centre, DesignTO

A sensational series of mythological creatures perfectly executed by husband and wife team Humble Raja. So emotive are these fantastical beasts – based on ancient South Asian mythology – that each print will stir powerful feelings in you. For those obsessed with these images, good news: decks of cards and limited prints will soon be available.

37 Forbidden Forest by Humble Raja (Toronto), Artscape Youngplace, DesignTO

38 Forms of Identity by Charlotte Blake, Aquavato, DesignTO

39 ESSE QUAM VIDERE (To Be Rather Than To Appear) by Yaw Tony (Toronto), DesignTO

40 Highwire Examined by Anony (Toronto), Drechsel Studio, DesignTO

41 Urban Fabrics presented by Founded by Garcia, DesignTO

Luvere Studio specializes in living sculptures composed of plants and fluorescent lights that dazzle and confound viewers. We like the interplay of the untamed greenery with the cage’s rigidly geometric lines. And can we say that they looked fabulous in Bulthaup’s gleaming kitchen showroom?

42 Light Cage Duo by Luvère Studio (Toronto), Bulthaup, DesignTO

43 Danish Design — Future/Classics by Considered.ca, Average, DesignTO

44 From A to Zaven by Zaven (Italy), DesignTO

45 Furnishing Balance by Pablo Muñoz, DesignTO

46 Connect by Safoura Zahedi (Toronto), Come Up To My Room, DesignTO

These bronze stem blocks by Mercury Bureau are the perfect foil for Flùr’s wabi-sabi dried flora – so beautifully imperfect that we left the exhibition rethinking  traditional bouquets and the giant vases that house them. The vessels are created by pouring bronze alloy into moulds formed by hardened sand – hence their rough texture. Be careful – you’ll want to take them home.

47 The Pebble and the Stone by Mercury Bureau / Flur (Toronto), Flur, DesignTO

48 Oni by Sisley Leung as part of Work/Life, Umbra, DesignTO

49 Going Back to Memphis Shelf by mpgmb (Montreal), Work/Life, Umbra, DesignTO

50 Slowmaking by Jan Kath, DesignTO

51 Burning Wolf by Chris Bahry with Casey Belli and Jessica Clayto, Come Up to My Room, DesignTO

An incredibly detailed cabinet of curiosities by Sonia Gemmiti that contains a vibrant ghost city built upon the razed landscape on which Honest Ed’s used to stand. All of these holographic images inside a beautifully rendered, multi-media cabinet. It makes you think of what was and what could be.

52 Cabinet Fantastique: Ghost City by Sonia Gemmiti (Montreal) and Christy Stoeten (Toronto), Come Up To My Room, DesignTO

53 Boot Black Stool by Leigh Dotey (Toronto), LOPOW: Sheridan Furniture, Milk Glass, DesignTO

54 Effervescence by Matthew McCormick (Vancouver), South Hill Home, DesignTO

55 Nest by Brothers Dressler (Toronto), Brothers Dressler Studio, DesignTO

56 Brooches by Shelbey Dodds (Toronto), Skew-Whiff, Harbourfront, DesignTO