My recent road trip to Toronto took me to IDS 12, Canada`s largest show featuring up and coming designers as well as established names in the field from all over Canada and the world! You can see amazing furniture, lighting, furnished rooms and products for all areas of your home. It`s also a great opportunity to get up close and personal with talented professionals and listen to what they have to say about the world of design. My favourite talks are always by Brian Gluckstein who is admired throughout North America and in Europe. He is also a regular on Cityline, a long running show made in Toronto. Another popular guest on the show is Sharon Grech who works for Benjamin Moore as Colour and Design Manager and spokesperson. I have been lucky enough to meet her on several occasions and did so again at this years show. She is always ahead of the curve with the colour trends for your home and how we can use them. Here we are hanging out at the Benjamin Moore booth. We chatted about her recent trip to Paris for a HUGE design show Maison d"Objet. (FYI I would love to go one day!) and also her upcoming trip to San Francisco, all in the space of two weeks. Wow talk about life in the fast lane!! I noticed at the show one of the underlying themes was mixing natural with industrial. Great rustic wooden tables with metal legs, reclaimed wood used as headboards and accent walls. The main exhibits "How do you live?" were spaces designed inside shipping containers, with well patined exteriors. My two favourites were " Touchable" by Jill Greaves design and "Layered" by Mazen el- Abdallah Both these spaces featured great lighting, wood elements and a sense of calm and sophistication. Also the predominant colour was definitely orange if not in the designs then in the displays and the advertising. We are going to see this colour in many variations. Keep your eyes "peeled"! The design talks were as always informative and encouraging ( I see changes in my house coming up-yet again!!). First up Lynda Reeves and Marilyn Dennis discussed the trends here now and to come. Here is my condensed version of it. Warm metals- like brass and gold. |