IDS West, IDS West, IDS West

Soooo, where to begin? There was a lot to take in. The show was held in the new Vancouver Trade & Convention Centre:

The building itself is impressive & it is apparently as "green" as you can get. There is a 6 acre living roof & the foundations of the building (built over Vancouver Harbour) have a fish habitat built in. I was intrigued by the huge orca which looked as though it had been built out of giant LEGO pieces:

{ created by Douglas Coupland }

ORLING & WU

I met one of the owners of Orling & Wu at the show. Frederik Orling, together with his partner Julie Wu, have brought a little bit of Europe into Gastown. They are featured in the recent editions of Montecristo magazine & Canadian House & Home. This charming shop draws you in & offers a range of quality products from all over the EU. Some of my faves are:

• Mateus ceramics from Portugal by way of Sweden with wonderful rusticated finishes

• Volga linens from England. The Russian linen used is soft & hard wearing = dichotomous perfection:

• Arxe furniture from Spain... limited edition furniture built from antique materials

18 KARAT

18 Karat had a booth with a friendly, accessible vibe AND a super comfy couch designed by Peter Cardew:

This photo doesn't really do it justice but their catalogue (click here), does. 18 Karat catalogues are amazing.

marimekko

Cailin from marimekko as excited about the fabrics as I was. You know you have good product when the reps are as into it as Cailin was!

{ Kotona fabric from marimekko }

As always I love to visit The Cross. Their booth had some very sweet little girl stuff. I've been eyeing baby stuff more often now that I am preggled & nesting.

{ I for one, can't resist a cute pair of shoes & some vintage books }

{ the rustic cradle is adorable & those Bla.Bla dolls are cuddly x10 }

The Cross lounge was fantastic. Uber lounge~y. Timorous Beasties superwide iguana wallpaper was used with punches of royal purple & green. (Unfortunately I didn't take any pictures but check out The Cross's website for photos.) FABULOUS!!

{ Superwide Iguana Timorous Beasties }

{ photo from Timorous Beasties' website }

I met quite a few artists at the show & Jason Rolstone was painting as I walked by. He focuses on bespoke art & his linear style is calming. His media are acrylic, plaster& glazing on canvas but the lacquer is not too too polished or shiny. My two faves from his website are:

{ grey stripe no.1 }

{ teal stripes no.3 }

His studio is in my old stomping grounds of East Vancouver (117 east 2nd) and unsubstantiated rumour has it he may frequent the Biltmore. Anyone who goes to the Biltmore is alright in my books.

All in all a great show with some interesting exhibitors. Who is your favourite?