Trending at the Interior Design Show – IDS13 Wrap Up

Trending at The Interior Design Show, IDS13~

January brought an incredible opportunity to attend The Interior Design Show in Toronto, Canada to peruse the latest and most innovative products in the interior-design industry up-close and personal.

“The Interior Design Show (IDS) is Canada’s largest contemporary design event. Since its inception in 1998, over 500,000 design professionals, consumers and media have attended. Inspirational exhibits feature both emerging and established designers and highlight international interior design, architecture and industrial design trends.”

Invited as a guest of Cambria, a company which designs and produces stunning and innovative quartz counter-tops, I attended a preview party at their lovely Toronto based Showroom.

At the Toronto Cambria Showroom for a pre-party party!

Quartz counter-tops are edging out granite as the newest low maintenance kitchen and bath solid surface.  One of the perks of attending trade shows in addition to all the great products that an interior designer can be exposed to, is the wonderful relationships that are created between industry partners and peers.  I had the opportunity to meet up with several designers that I had met at KBIS, The Kitchen and Bath Industry Show in Chicago last year and also to meet other designers in real life that I had previously interacted with via social media. These meet-ups or tweet-ups have become a welcomed  side benefit and are quickly becoming a focus of attending these events for many.

Here’s a photo of some of the Designing Women that I partied with at the beautiful Cambria Showroom prior to the IDS13 Opening Night Party!

Fast forward to the first day of the show, bright and early here’s what was on display as we entered the showroom.

Being on a mission for an upcoming project with my  fabulous Interior Designer friend Rose, we attempted to buy the tony black and white bag sitting pretty on the plastic light up patio chair, I mean who wouldn’t want one (the bag)? The salesperson cut us such a great deal; we could buy 100 of them for $79 ea. Cough. Well, it really wasn’t such a great bag anyway, kinda saggy.

Always some FAB lighting. I stop and stare at every beautiful chandelier regardless of where I am and you may spot me trying to capture it on instagram while my companions walk on.

This was absolutely the coolest lighting display at the show. By Living Lighting on King. Flush mounted fixtures with a sunburst surround repeated installed on a vertical wall. Ingenious.

Kudos must go to the display with most creativity in my opinion, the IKEA kitchen. Yep, I said that. The lighting hanging from a ballast gives intimacy in a proverbial warehouse setting!

Interesting juxtaposition of antique, farm & rustic accessories on the modern island.

No Interior Design Show is complete without a Brizo exhibit!

“Brizo, the luxury brand of faucets, brings eco-friendly elegance into the home with products that are environmentally responsible and aesthetically pleasing.” ~ Brizo

And of course the Jason Wu display! Hi Jason!

Need a Volcanic Limestone soaking tub experience? Only V⊕A Baths can accommodate that request! I actually had the opportunity last fall to visit their Showroom in Chelsea Harbor during the London Design Fair during #BlogTourLondon as a representative of Modenus.

More cool lighting~

Flying saucer football lighting for your sports room. Probably won’t specify.

Some very impressive rug art. I love rugs and usually visit these exhibits first, which I did actually.

I love this rug by Weavers Art. Must have.

Meeting up with old friends and making new! Twitter pals Nyla Free and Jonathan Legate.

That's a wrap. Photo credits: Patti Johnson. Thanks for stopping by Chatti Patti Talks Design. Feel free to leave a comment! Stay tuned for a great line up!

Collaborate to Build a Brand~

Brands Do it.

Designers Do it.

Politicians Do it. (sometimes)

Celebrities do it.

You Can Do It.

col·lab·o·rate [kuh-lab-uh-reyt]

Via Wikipedia.com

verb (used without object), col·lab·o·rat·ed,col·lab·o·rat·ing.

Collaboration is working together to achieve a goal. It is a recursive process where two or more people or organizations work together to realize shared goals,  — for example, an intriguing endeavor that is creative in nature by sharing knowledge, learning and building consensus. Most collaboration requires leadership, although the form of leadership can be social within a decentralized and egalitarian group. In particular, teams that work collaboratively can obtain greater resources, recognition and reward when facing competition for finite resources.

JASON WU

Photo via Delta Skymiles magazine

At age 29,  esteemed Fashion Designer Jason Wu has had multiple collaborations in building his brand. One that I am becoming more and more familiar with is his work with Brizo, a very fashionable and  high quality brand of Kitchen & Bath plumbing fixtures.

If you haven’t heard of Jason Wu, here’s the short version.

Born in 1982 in Taipei, Taiwan;  Jason moved to Vancouver, Canada at age 9 with his mother where he learned English. His mother had recognized his unusual talent when he was a young boy.  Jason then attended  boarding school in Connecticut, sketching all the way until entering into a  Collaboration with Integrity Toys for designing doll clothing (which is very fashionable by the way!). Take a look!

 Photo via http://www.IntegrityToys.com

With the profits of that collaboration, he went on to Parson’s School of Design and eventually opened his own design house and wowed viewers with national attention when First Lady, Michelle Obama, wore a gown Jason designed, for the President’s Inaugural Ball.

First Lady Michelle Obama in gown designed by Jason Wu. Photo via Glamour Fashion

Next up: a collaboration with Brizo. Two great design houses com together for a fashionable faucet.

Jason Wu carefully contemplating faucet design for Brizo. Photo via http://www.brizo.com

Below is a faucet from the Jason Wu for Brizo line.

Odin_faucet Jason Wu for Brizo photo via http://www.Brizo.com

“At the center of the collection is a faucet unlike any other. Named for mythology’s Norse god of wisdom and magic, the Jason Wu for Brizo Odin™ faucet features a unique and unexpected rotating handle motion to emphasize the collection’s modern and seamless design. Punctuated by Wu’s signature Miss Wu owl emblem on the tip of the handle, this faucet is truly the collection’s showpiece.

The Jason Wu for Brizo Odin faucet is equipped with SmartTouchPlus™ Technology, which allows users to start and stop the flow of water with a simple touch anywhere on the spout or handle of the faucet.  For a more intuitive experience, its hands-free mode activates the flow of water when hands are anywhere within 4” of the faucet.” quote: Brizo

If you would like to hear Jason speak on fashion and his personal design concept, you can view it here:

 Jason is now in collaboration with NEST Fragrances

“This month, Wu’s first candle, in collaboration with NEST Fragrances, will launch at many of those same high-end stores. Jason Wu Orchid Rain—a mix of white orchid, nashi pear, pomegranate and goji berry—burns in the ultramodern entryway of Wu’s sweeping showroom in Manhattan’s garment district. Wu breathes it in. “This is what I smell like, in a $48 candle.” He notes that the candle is his first foray into home accessories, suggesting it won’t be his last.” ~ Fashioning a Brand – Delta Sky Magazine

Jason also collaborates with Target with affordable fashions.

Photo via http://www.Target.com

And one more…

Photo via Linda Merrill

I have had the pleasure of meeting Jason Wu in person twice. Here I am with some of the Blogger 19 Alumni who attended the Kitchen and Bath Industry Show (#KBIS) last month in Chicago.

Jason has several additional products  under the umbrella of his empire. As you can see, he has quickly established his brand by wonderful collaborations with top companies across the spectrum of lifestyle goods.

What can YOU do to collaborate and build a brand?