By Martha Uniacke Breen
The 25th-anniversary edition of the Toronto Interior Design Show perfectly portrayed design trends 2024. Held in mid-January, it’s Canada’s largest design fair and the place for Toronto design lovers to check out the latest trends, get advice, attend seminars and talks on a wide variety of design topics, and, of course, shop for everything from high-quality appliances to flooring and more.
“The Toronto IDS Show is my favourite design show in Canada,” says Jessica Cinnamon, a designer who exhibited at the 2024 show. “It is always inspirational and showcases the best products, vendors and craftsmen within the design industry.”
Design Trends 2024: New Optimism for A New Year
This year, IDS seemed to signal that the pandemic-induced doldrums, which had dampened spirits over the past couple of shows, have finally been shaken off for good. A real feeling of optimism and even fun seemed to percolate through the show this year, marking design trends 2024. Things are moving forward again at last, and it’s okay to splurge on feathering our nests. Montauk’s unmanned corner booth exemplified this free-spirited attitude. The wallpaper, upholstery and carpeting all sported the same vibrant parrots-and-palm-fronds motif. While providing shoppers with an inviting place to relax between aisle shopping, it also transformed them into part of the visual effect.
IDS is, at heart, a kind of high-end home show. Inevitably, many of the biggest names had splashy booths to celebrate their finest. Caesarstone and Miele joined forces in a large booth that showcased four different kitchens. Conceived by Toronto designer Michael Londo, it represented every price point from entry-level condos to luxury design-forward. House Of Rohl displayed swoon-worthy bath faucets and fixtures. And the LG Signature Kitchen Suite offered up cooking demos with celebrity chefs Mark McEwen and Nick Liu. Booth attendants passed around their gourmet edibles to lucky showgoers standing nearby.
Sustainability was a major theme and a recurring topic among designers and exhibitors alike. Style Garage’s booth brought the concept front and centre, with a tomato-coloured velour sofa whose fabric and stuffing were made from recycled water bottles, nestled in a kind of glass and steel “conservatory” lined with potted plants. The entire booth, said SG’s Olga Liandenko, was designed to be zero waste.
From tiny homes to decor 3D printing
One of the most popular exhibits was the Modern Prefab section. “Tiny homes” from different companies demonstrated how comfortable and versatile such structures can be. Whether they are guesthouses in a city or rural property or home offices in a backyard, they’re an idea whose time has come. They work as short-term rentals or laneway or backyard homes. They can even help address the increasingly pressing need for housing in the GTA.
But no IDS visit is complete without touring Studio North, where you’ll meet rare and talented artisans. These are one-of-a-kind pieces you’re unlikely to find elsewhere. From jewelry and textiles to wood, lighting, and pottery arts, this is design at its most creative. One company, OCH, featured lamps and vases made by putting liquid clay through a 3D printer and working with the unique texture produced when the material sags as it dries.
Ever since its launch a quarter-century ago, IDS has been a design lover’s paradise. The 2024 edition was one of the biggest in show history, and we’re already looking forward to what next year will bring!
