The design world throws a party at IDS

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Featuring the latest and most interesting offerings in Canadian and international design

Interior design lovers got their annual hit of the newest and coolest in (mainly) residential design at the 26th annual Interior Design Show, held on the last weekend of January at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.

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Some 220-plus exhibitors, showcasing everything from kitchen cabinetry, upscale appliances, bath fixtures, and architecture-minded knobs and handles, to faucets, flooring and furnishings, all presented their wares to trade and consumer showgoers over the four days of the show, along with a full slate of seminars and talks.

But IDS at its best has always been much more than a high-end home show. What sets it apart is its willingness to explore forward-thinking ideas and experiments in design, sometimes offering a glimpse into where the field is headed.

One of the most striking presentations at the 2025 edition was a large, multi-faceted exhibit entitled Night & Day, positing what hotel design might look like in the future. (Hotel design, as a sign at the entrance to the exhibit pointed out, has often portended what may subsequently appear in residential and office design, making it especially salient at a show like IDS).

The show is also a natural showcase for Canadian designers and companies, presenting both singly and in collaboration. Apparently, Calgary-based designer Aly Velji first discovered 35-year old Downsview, Ont.-based furniture maker and upholsterer Silva Custom Furniture last year (both were 2024 exhibitors), and sparks flew.

For 2025, he has partnered with them for a collection of maximalist-friendly upholstered pieces, including a camelback tufted sofa in maroon mohair and a wonderfully blowsy armchair with short, embracing arms, box pleats, and a deep rounded seat, in an unabashed shade of citron.

“I wanted to bring back details, like piping, fringe and tufting,” Velji explained. “Everything’s been so boring and beige, but now interiors are becoming more layered and detailed and have more character.” Each piece is completely custom-made, with your choice of fabric and finishes, making each piece basically one-of-a-kind.

New exhibitor De Gaspé, https://www.degaspe.ca a small Montreal fabricator who just opened a showroom in the up-and-coming Carlaw design district, displayed a range of attractive modern-tinged wooden pieces, including a motorized standing desk, available in white oak, walnut, birch or black. The company’s pieces are also custom made to order, giving clients a high degree of customization.

Most of the longtime show favourites were also there, like LG/Signature Suite, whose display included a truly gigantic TV screen and an eye-catching procession of burlap baskets filled with different coloured beans, Cosentino and Benjamin Moore, whose booth was made to look like a comfortable apartment, with the company’s Colour of the Year, Cinnamon Slate, prominently featured on one wall.

But along with the big guys, no show visit is complete without doing a circuit around the small booths that line the outer edge of the show floor, where you can often find artistic and often highly original works that you may never encounter elsewhere.

One show favourite was wire artist Anne Clifford’s booth, a delightful pastiche of hand-wrought horses and other shapes. Originally a sculptor who worked in concrete, Clifford was struck by the beauty of the wire frame that constituted the inner support for a concrete horse sculpture she had been commissioned to make, and never went back.

With over 220 exhibitors this year, and a steady attendance of design fans over its four-day run, IDS seems to have found its footing after some up and down years. We’re already anticipating what will be in store for 2026.