Canadian Architect – "Toronto International Design Festival launches next week"

“From January 24-30, 2011, Toronto becomes the pre-eminent design destination as the 2nd annual Toronto International Design Festival – produced by the 13th annual Interior Design Show (IDS) – welcomes international design luminaries and celebrates creativity with bold and inventive cultural programming. On par with well established design fairs in New York, Miami, and London, international designer labels are choosing Toronto and IDS as the launching pad for the North American market.

“From IDS, to the Conversations in Design symposium on crowdsourcing and creativity, to the design-oriented cultural events happening throughout the city, we are thrilled to bring design to the forefront of minds, both here and abroad. Our events have been instrumental in the international recognition of Toronto as a design city,” says MMPI Vice President Shauna Levy.

As the centre point of the TIDF, the Interior Design Show/IDS11 offers a snapshot of everything new in contemporary design, handpicked from around the globe. Celebrate the ingenuity of an eclectic mix of over 300 emerging and established designers; gain insight into some of the most creative minds that are shaping our cultural landscape today in stimulating talks and panel discussions; explore installations that will set your imagination free. Get ready to expand your mind and delve into all things design.

Design luminaries from the four corners of the earth assemble in Toronto to inspire and enlighten in lively and thought provocative talks. London’s interactive installation guru Jason Bruges, Washington’s dapper designer Darryl Carter – whose interiors have graced the pages of Elle Décor and Metropolitan Home, Pritzker Prize-winning Los Angeles-based architect Thom Mayne, and homegrown stars like HGTV’s Sarah Richardson and Tommy Smythe and writer/filmmaker Douglas Coupland all take the stage at this year’s show.

The latest addition to this all-star lineup is Italian-born London-based textile goddess Allegra Hicks, head of the international luxury lifestyle brand of the same name which features fashion, home and interior collections. Known for her stunning textiles, Hicks is credited as reinventing the kaftan with Vogue magazine touting her as “Queen of Kaftans.” The designer seamlessly crosses between the fashion and design world, finding inspiration in both and has recently released a book entitled An Eye for Design. She will be interviewed by The Globe & Mail style scribe Amy Verner as part of the Interior Design Show’s GlobeStyle Saturday.

Avenue Road introduces the latest additions from celebrated Parisian designer Jean-Marie Massaud’s award-winning collaboration with Italian luxury glass company Glas Italia. The designer’s Haiku screen is a stunning sample of true technical prowess. Made from tempered smoked glass, the screen features an engraved low relief design, providing dimension, depth and intrigue.”

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(Source: Canadian Architect)