Sneak Peek: What and Who to Check out at the Interior Design Show West (IDSwest)

Uber-designer Karim Rashid is one of the highlights of this year’s IDSwest

IDSwest runs October 14-17, and already, the buzz is palpable

Perhaps that’s because celebrated designers (Karim Rashid, Sarah Richardson and colleague Tommy Smythe) are heading to IDSwest to take centre stage and share their colourful insights and expertise with professionals and consumers alike.

Here are the top-three items on my must-see list:

1. Uber-designer Karim Rashid

I’m particularly excited to see Karim Rashid (will be he wearing a pink suit or be outfitted head-to-toe in white?) and hear him speak (Rashid hits the Para Design stage on Friday, October 15 at 4:30 p.m.). After all, the inexhaustible designer has spent decades elevating items from humble to haute, like the Garbo garbage can, which has made its way into millions of homes.

Rashid gamely agreed to answer, via e-mail, 19 questions for BC Home magazine. (Yes, I originally asked 20, but he declined to answer one). To give you an idea of how serious Rashid is about his work, he wrote a 2,000-word treatise on breaking the rules, his penchant for pink, and the future of design. Here’s an excerpt:

BC Home: You’ve been quoted as saying “I don’t think there are rules anymore.” Explain that sentiment.

Rashid: The world hangs on to traditions and rituals, to rules and regulations, to old ideas of social life and civility, but in fact the world has changed drastically. Religion is irrelevant. Institutions are defunct. Most political precepts are out of date. Now it is a freer, more autonomous, borderless world, and we could all try and dissociate ourselves with the burgeoning past, and be free to conceive a new way to live, and develop a new human paradigm.

Be sure to pick up the October issue of BC Home magazine at IDSwest or on the newsstand to read my complete interview entitled “The Cult of Karim Rashid.” You can also read the full interview with Karim Rashid online. We’ve also included a product timeline of Rashid’s work, showcasing items like the uber-hot Veuve Clicquot love seat and eco-chic Bobble filtred-water bottle, which was launched this year.

2. Future Masters: The Up-and-comers

Who says the all the spotlight should shine on established designers?

This year, young designers are getting their proverbial 15 minutes of limelight under the auspices of the Future Masters project, produced in partnership with Artsy-Dartsy.com. You might just get to see the work of the next Omer Arbel.

3. Green Gets Gorgeous: The Modular T-house

I used to be the assistant editor of Granville magazine, so I’m always thrilled to see sustainable products and projects that challenge existing mindsets. 

I’ve toured my share of eco homes and prototypes and I’m looking forward to wandering through Preform’s pre-designed modular home that boasts a 1,000-sq-ft of living, which is pretty palatial for us small-space dwellers.