IDS Vancouver 2026 Returns This September: 8 Design Highlights to Watch
- 2 days ago
- 5 min read
Interior Design Show Vancouver 2026 (IDS Vancouver) will return to the Vancouver Convention Centre West from September 24–27, 2026.
As one of the leading design events on Canada’s West Coast, IDS Vancouver brings together designers, brands, and industry professionals working across architecture, interiors, furniture, materials, landscape, and product design.
This year, Archicasting will attend IDS Vancouver 2026 as invited media and provide on-site coverage throughout the show. In addition to reporting on the event as a whole, we will be following key installations, independent designers, new products, emerging brands, and selected interviews.
Ahead of the opening, here are 8 highlights to watch at IDS Vancouver 2026.
01 | Central Bar: Rethinking the Heart of the Show with BC Wood
This year’s Central Bar is designed by Vancouver-based Synthesis Design Architecture.
Constructed entirely from British Columbia wood, the installation is formed by a sequence of interlocking arches rising up to 12 feet.
The continuous timber structure recalls the vertical rhythm and scale of BC forests while exploring the structural, fabrication, and spatial possibilities of wood in contemporary design.
More than a bar, the Central Bar will serve as an important spatial and social anchor within the exhibition — a place for visitors to pause, gather, and experience the show from its centre.
02 | Reflection: Stark Architecture Defines the Entrance Experience
Vancouver-based Stark Architecture returns to IDS Vancouver to design this year’s Entrance Feature.
The new installation, titled Reflection, will create the first complete spatial experience visitors encounter upon entering the show.
Through the relationship between light, material, surface, and proportion, the project explores ideas of reflection and perception.
Rather than functioning simply as an entrance backdrop, Reflection creates a moment of pause before visitors move into the exhibition, encouraging a heightened awareness of space and their relationship to it.
Stark Architecture previously designed The Perpetua Bar for IDS Vancouver in 2024.
03 | Andrew van Egmond: Landscape and Natural Systems
British Columbia landscape architect Andrew van Egmond, founder of Designing Landscape, will present a new landscape installation at IDS Vancouver 2026.
The project explores natural plant communities, seasonal change, circular materials, biodiversity, and climate adaptability.
Rather than imposing a highly controlled landscape, the installation focuses on the evolving relationships between plants, materials, and natural systems.
Through this approach, the project considers how landscape design can create longer-lasting connections between people and the environment.
The installation is developed in collaboration with Broadwell Metal and Solstice Landscape.
04 | How We Work: What Will the Future Workplace Look Like?
As hybrid work, technology, wellness, and workplace culture continue to evolve, the idea of the “office” is being reconsidered.
How We Work returns to IDS Vancouver in 2026.
Through immersive environments, participating teams will explore different possibilities for the future of work, including collaboration, community, technology, flexibility, and well-being.
This year’s participating teams include:
Kasian
and
126 Design Studio × Loop Phone Booths
Rather than a conventional office furniture showcase, How We Work operates more like a spatial laboratory for the future workplace.
05 | Keynote Stage: Perspectives Across Architecture, Design, Hospitality, and Culture
The IDS Vancouver 2026 Keynote Program will bring together speakers from architecture, interior design, hospitality, business, art, and culture.
Highlights announced so far include:
Michael Sørensen — Henning Larsen
As Global Market Director at Henning Larsen, Michael Sørensen leads strategic market development and client engagement across the Danish architecture firm’s international portfolio.
Tommy Smythe × Kelly Deck
Designer, television personality, and design commentator Tommy Smythe will join Vancouver interior designer Kelly Deck for a conversation exploring creativity, design practice, and the evolving role of design in contemporary life.
Mandy Farmer — Accent Inns Inc.
Chair of Hotels Canada and CEO of Accent Inns Inc., Mandy Farmer will bring a hospitality, tourism, and business perspective to the program.
May Globus — The Craft
Journalist and podcast host May Globus will record live episodes of The Craft during IDS Vancouver, exploring creative processes through conversations with designers, entrepreneurs, and cultural figures.
James Nexw'Kalus-Xwalacktun Harry
Sḵwx̱wú7mesh artist and designer James Harry will share insights from a practice connecting ancestral knowledge with contemporary design, while exploring Indigenous leadership within architecture and the built environment.
06 | Studio North: Discover Independent Design
Studio North has long been one of the key areas at IDS Vancouver for discovering independent designers.
The exhibition brings together furniture, lighting, ceramics, textiles, surface design, custom work, and limited-edition collections from Canadian and international talent.
Compared with a conventional commercial booth environment, Studio North has a more gallery-like character, placing greater emphasis on craftsmanship, originality, material experimentation, and collectible design.
For visitors interested in discovering emerging designers and independent brands, it is an area worth taking time to explore.
07 | Prototype: Seeing Design Before It Reaches the Market
Prototype focuses on experimental design that has not yet entered full production.
Furniture, lighting, and residential products are presented in prototype form, giving visitors an opportunity to see new ideas, materials, and structures while they are still in development.
For designers, it provides a platform to test and present emerging concepts. For industry visitors, it offers an early look at ideas that may influence the next generation of product design.
08 | The District: Emerging Brands and Independent Makers
The District is IDS Vancouver’s curated marketplace for independent brands and makers.
The area brings together furniture, lighting, home accessories, textiles, décor, and products from a range of emerging design businesses.
Beyond discovering new products, visitors can also meet the designers, makers, and founders behind the brands and learn more about their materials, production methods, and design philosophies.
Craftsmanship, innovation, and sustainability remain central to The District.
IDS Vancouver 2026
Dates September 24–27, 2026
Location Vancouver Convention Centre WestVancouver, British Columbia, Canada
September 24 IDS Party7:00 PM–10:00 PM
September 25 Trade Day9:00 AM–6:00 PM
September 26 Trade & Public Day10:00 AM–5:00 PM
September 27 Public Day10:00 AM–5:00 PM
This year’s IDS Vancouver will highlight material innovation, ecological design, and regional creative talent while examining broader shifts in contemporary design through installations, workplace concepts, independent practices, and industry conversations.
Archicasting will attend IDS Vancouver 2026 as invited media and provide on-site coverage throughout the event.
We will continue to share selected installations, design projects, emerging brands, and interviews with designers from the show.
See you in Vancouver this September.
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