We recently had the opportunity to attend trade day at IDSWest followed by the prestigious Interior Designer’s Institute of British Columbia (IDIBC) SHINE awards presentation in Vancouver. We combed the showroom floor to hand pick our favorite materials and ideas at IDSWest, so if you didn’t make it to the big show, you can get your fix right here on the Hatch blog. Every year, and often around the same dates as IDSWest, the IDIBC honors their Registered Interior Designers with awards of excellence and merit based on their submitted projects in many different categories. This year was a special for Hatch as we received accolades in the form of an award of merit for our project Lake Country Family Dentistry; but we saw so many amazing projects including a few stand-outs that we’d like to share.
Our Picks for IDSWest 2013
Kelly Deck has long been known on the West Coast as a leading designer of beautiful residential spaces. This year she was invited, along with a number of other design firms, to create a dining room exhibit. Kelly’s was the stand-out for us; we loved this idea of cross stitch on metal.
These digitally printed colored cork panels were on display at the eco surface solutions booth. If you need an acoustic treatment for a room, we think it should look great too. Imagine what you could do with all types of patterns using cork.
Rollout was the sponsor for this year’s bar and they knocked it out of the park with their cabin concept. The wallcoverings they used in combination were really unique and showed just how wallpapers are evolving with digital technology.
Did you do a double take like we did? This bench was long, I mean really long, no really, like 6 meters long! Surfaces this long always need intermediate support, but not this bench. Designed and constructed by Daly Company in collaboration with Mainland Millworks using LVL structural wood allowed for such a clean, uninterrupted design. Our wheels are turning and we’re already looking for opportunities to work with them.
Ok, so no, this isn’t a new product, but how cool is this VW van converted into a mobile bank machine?
Aeon Stone + Tile definitely had a set up worth checking out. In addition to all the spectacular stone slabs they had on display, closer inspection lead us to some really cool tiles including these made using momen fired clay and some interesting colored wood tiles from the Jamie Beckwith Collection.
Where else to draw inspiration but from skateboards and the graphics that go with them? At least that’s what Olli Panels were thinking when they developed these sweet peel and still wall panels in conjunction with Rayne Longboards. What we learned? Upcycling is cool…and looks good too.
How could we forget the up-and-coming designers? We stopped by the Future Masters HGH exhibit and found this gem of a task light. Designed by Ivan Au the Lux Desk Lamp was delightfully designed using walnut and acrylic. We love it, don’t you?
We Heart The Burrard
We’ve posted about the design of The Burrard Hotel before, but we hadn’t had the chance to check it out in person. What better opportunity? We have to show you a couple photos we took, because really people, this place is cool.
Just our first taste of branding genius. This logo, this sign; it was done right, that’s for sure. You know you’re in for some vintage revival.
The courtyard is what really sets this place apart. It creates an experience for the traveller as they transition from the lobby to their room. I mean, we felt like we walked out of Vancouver in 2013 and straight into Miami circa 1970.
The collection of postcards fanned out on the bed sealed the deal and reinforced the brand experience. Not only were the pictures fun to look at, but they doubled on the back side as hotel information material.
Our favs from the SHINE Awards
Since two of our projects had been entered for SHINE awards, the presentation was nerve racking to say the least. Yes, we were beyond happy to have been honored with an award, but, better yet, we left inspired after having the opportunity to see some pretty amazing projects. Here’s a few of the highlights from our perspective.
It’s no secret that our friend Kyla Bidgood is one of the top Interior Designers in our lovely province. Her firm Kyla Bidgood Interior Design recently created this masterpiece for Mediacore. The judges presented her with an award of merit (yay!), but if you ask us it should have been given the award of Excellence…it’s that awesome.
We often find ourselves pinning projects by BOX Interior Design, in fact, The Fish Shack is one that inspired us immensely this last year. The combination of materials, contrasting furnishings, and the clever use of rope as it relates to the fishing industry was masterfully done and easily makes our top 3.
Our list just wouldn’t be complete without some quirk. My Fluffy Friends by MCM Interiors was the perfect blend of clean modernist form and playful personality through branding with design. The eye catching retail displays, layered geometric shapes and energetic color palette are right up our alley.
Now, on to the next year in design! Don’t be surprised if you see some of the materials we found or ideas we discovered inspiring our upcoming design work. And, if you need a place to stay in downtown Vancouver you really need to experience the quaint but cool Burrard Hotel.