Spruce magazine editor Athena McKenzie shares top design trends from IDS Vancouver that can bring a more peaceful esthetic to your space.
By Athena McKenzie | Photo by Joshua Lawrence
It’s amazing how much can change in a year. Last autumn around this time, I was headed back from IDS West in Vancouver, full of ideas and marvelling at the incomparable views of the Gulf Islands from my Helijet flight.
I’ve always appreciated the immersive quality of the IDS events and its display floor, with its ability to illustrate the range of innovation that is happening in the world of interior design and home building. It is invaluable for discovering new designers and products, and for sparking plans for new stories. While this year did not have the same hands-on experiences, the digital version did share a font of inventiveness and creativity.
It also provided lots of ideas for the home. The things that really caught my eye at the IDS Digital Fair were the items and design elements that can add joy and brightness to our homes during the autumn and winter seasons — think of it as Hygge, version 2.0.
It’s no secret that light fixtures become more critical this time of year. One Vancouver-based exhibitor, umbra & lux, brings a sculptural esthetic and sense of play to their light creations. The globes in their “orbs” series are suspended by such fine electrical cables they appear to be floating. It is truly mesmerizing.
Another thing that stood out to me is how architects and designers are integrating plants into their projects. There is plenty of science supporting the theory that greenery acts as a mood booster, including a study in the Journal of Physiological Anthropology that showed the active interaction with indoor plants (like touching and smelling) reduced physiological and psychological stress. My own house plant collection has grown considerably in the last little while, thanks to the VI Plant Shop, a Victoria-based company that ships across the country.
Missing the in-person art fix that IDS always provides, I made a point of checking out the artists at Victoria’s local galleries. The botanical bounty of Rachelle Brady’s paintings — on display at The Avenue Gallery — would be a bright and vivid addition to any space.
One of the fun things about this time of year is that we can start planning our next home project. These things do take time — as Mike De Palma of Flintstones Design & Build shares in our Ask the Expert. This issue is full of inspirational local projects and experts to get you started.
— Athena
Painting: Carry Me Home, Rachelle Brady, oil on canvas 36 x 24
