Taking place from January 23-26, 2014 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, the Interior Design Show is Canada’s premier showcase of new products, innovative designers and avant-garde concepts from North America and beyond. For one weekend each January, the city of Toronto is filled with industry superstars, cutting-edge emerging names, design-savvy consumers and top media outlets. And for 3.5 action-packed days, the Interior Design Show shapes the design world for the year to come.
Friday, January 24th is IDS Professional Trade Day, and is reserved to professional members of the design trade. The day is designed to inspire, educate and expose professionals to products, designers and ideas from both international and national perspectives. Gain exposure to the people, products and ideas that are driving design today. The registration fee is $25 + HST online and on site for members of the professional design industry.
Speakers include IDS14 International Guest of Honour and creative director of Moroso, Patrizia Moroso, design star Dror Benshetrit of Studio Dror, Marimekko ceramics designer Sami Ruotsalainen, and Dr. Markus Miele and Dr. Reinhard Zinkann of Miele. Dr. Markus Miele and Dr. Reinhard Zinkann are managing directors and co-proprietors of the Miele Group. The pair is the fourth generation to run the company, which was founded by their great-grandfathers Carl Miele and Reinhard Zinkann Sr. Markus studied industrial engineering at the University of Karlsruhe before receiving his doctorate from the University of St. Gallen. He worked for Hella, a vehicle parts manufacturer, before joining Miele in 1999. Reinhard studied economics, business management, history and the history of music and philosophy in Freiburg, Boston and Cologne before receiving his doctorate from the Technical University of Berlin. Both Markus and Reinhard are active members of their communities, serving on various supervisory boards and committees. Miele is a German manufacturer of premium domestic appliances and machines for commercial applications. The family-owned and -run company is synonymous with unsurpassed product quality, thanks to its focus on continuous innovation and the development of quality and technology.
Patrizia Moroso will appear as this year’s International Guest of Honour. One of the world’s most respected design minds, Patrizia is creative director of Moroso. This January, the Italian design house will create an installation at IDS showcasing their powerhouse talents, while sharing insights into Moroso’s processes and inspirations. Since 1952, Moroso has created furniture and accessories with some of the world’s most well-known designers. Established by Patrizia’s parents following WWII, Moroso grew to become a high-end brand in the 1970s and an avant-garde, art- and architecture-driven powerhouse in the 1980s and 1990s. After joining Moroso’s management team in the mid-1980s, Patrizia transformed the company into a leading international design brand. Her passion for art and experimentation shifted the company’s focus to research and design, and led to collaborations with some of the design world’s biggest names. Known for its forward-thinking design, Moroso’s design-oriented approach and focus on creativity and collaboration have allowed the company to succeed. The firm has worked with design superstars Ron Arad, Patricia Urquiola, Tom Dixon and Tokujin Yoshioka, to name a few. Moroso is constantly pushing the envelope with its collaborations, encouraging its designers to explore their ideas without boundaries. The company has earned a reputation as an essential brand for the über design-conscious.
Dror Benshetrit is a New York-based designer and founder of Studio Dror, a multidisciplinary design practice specializing in innovative design projects. Founded in 2002, the studio’s portfolio spans architecture, interior design, product design and creative direction. Born in Tel Aviv, Israel, Dror studied at the Eindhoven Design Academy in the Netherlands. He observes the world from an inquisitive eye and seeks unique responses to the needs of our modern lifestyle. Dror has long been interested in the manifold meanings and uses of any single object. He conducts thorough research focusing on materials, technology and geometry in collaboration with a team of experts boasting a global knowledge base. Dror has worked with a range of international clients, including Alessi, Bentley, Boffi, Bombay Sapphire, Cappellini, Kiehl’s, Levi’s, Lualdi, Material ConneXion, Maya Romanoff, Marithé + François Girbaud, Puma, Rosenthal, Skins Footwear, Yigal Azrouël, Shvo, Swarovski, Tumi and Target. Dror has lectured around the world and has received numerous design awards, including the GE Plastics Competition Merging Boundaries (2001), iF Product Design Award (2006), the Good Design Award (2008, 2010) and the Red Dot Award for Product Design (2013). His work is included in the permanent collections of museums across North America, Europe and the Middle East.
Marimekko ceramics designer, Sami Ruotsalainen, will be speaking on Marimekko and the Design Process—Bringing Beauty to Everyday Life. Ruotsalainen unfolds the story of how Marimekko began, with more than 60 years of design history, and what the design language represents today. He explains in detail his personal way of working with shapes, colours and patterns and his working relationship with other Marimekko designers and companies which Marimekko collaborates with. For the audience, it’s an in-depth exploration into the spirit and soul of Marimekko’s design culture revolving around bringing beauty to everyday life through design. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the brand’s Unikko print and Ruotsalainen’s work now defines the company’s tableware collection. Presented in black and white, each piece will be stamped with a special anniversary mark. This anniversary print collection is available in EQ3’s Marimekko shop-in-shops across Canada.
For more information and a schedule of talks, please visit www.interiordesignshow.com/trade-day.