The Interior Design Show (IDS) Vancouver is returning to the Vancouver Convention Centre from September 24 to 27, 2026, with a program that aims to bring together designers, architects and creative thinkers to discuss the ideas and issues shaping design.
The four-day event will feature keynote speakers and conversations, alongside the return of ILLUMINATE, Studio North and Prototype, two days of professional seminars, and the IDS Party on September 24.
The IDS Vancouver main stage will bring together leading designers, architects and creative thinkers for a series of conversations exploring how we live, build, gather and create. Some highlights include the following.
Nancy Bendtsen on Building Through Community, Risk & the Spaces Between Art and Life will take place September 25, from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. This conversation with the Vancouver design figure of Inform Interiors will explore a career shaped by creativity, entrepreneurship, community and a willingness to take risks, as well as the spaces where art, design and life intersect.
Beyond the Menu: How Design and Cuisine Create Unforgettable Experiences will take place September 26, from 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Moderated by Nathan Caddell, Georgia Straight, with Megan Kirkpatrick, Jute Design, and Jenn Hang, Dovetail, the conversation will explore the relationship between food, interiors and experience, and how thoughtful design can transform a meal into something memorable.
Falken Reynolds: Partnership, Pushing Boundaries & What It Means to Design Together will take place on September 27, from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Chad Falkenberg, Kelly Reynolds, Falken Reynolds will discuss creative partnership, challenging conventions and the collaborative process behind their distinctive approach to design.
Vancouver Housing Now will take place on September 25, from 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Tracey Mactavish, MOTIV Architects; Venelin Kokalov, Revery Architecture; and Michael Leckie, Leckie Studio, moderated by Elizabeth Pagliacolo, Azure Magazine, will discuss the realities, opportunities and ideas shaping the future of housing as Vancouver continues to tackle questions of affordability, density and how the city should grow.
Beyond Four Walls: Crafting Spaces That Define How We Live will take place on September 26, from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Moderated by Stacey McLachlan, Vancouver Magazine, with Ben Leavitt, PlaidFox Studio, and Tatianna Taylor-Tait, Tatianna Interiors, the conversation will examine the power of interiors to go beyond aesthetics and how thoughtful spaces influence the way we feel, connect and live.
IDS Vancouver will also feature ILLUMINATE, a showcase dedicated to contemporary lighting design. Set against an industrial scaffold structure, the feature brings together lighting brands in an environment that displays their products and innovations.
Curated by Sebastien Panouille, an NCQLP certified lighting designer whose career spans from Paris’s Musée du Louvre to Vancouver’s ThinkL Studio, ILLUMINATE offers a perspective on lighting solutions and the role light plays in architecture and interiors. Throughout the show, Panouille will lead a series of ILLUMINATE tours, offering visitors a curator-led look at the participating brands, products and ideas shaping contemporary lighting. ILLUMINATE participants include Axolight, Diffusion Lighting, BL Lighting, Bright Block, Lambert & Fils, CDM2, featuring Absolux, Fluxwerx, Jason Krugman Studio and Graypants, Flexa Lighting, and Symmetry Lighting.
A cornerstone of IDS Vancouver, Studio North returns as a curated showcase of custom work and limited-edition collections from Canadian designers and international talent. Presented in a gallery-like setting, Studio North brings together pieces and collections spanning furniture, lighting, glass, ceramics, textiles and surface design. This year’s Studio North participants include Blackwood Studio, Bothy.Studio, Casika Modern, Made to Fly, Mark Krebs, and Thomas Bodga.
Presented within Studio North, Prototype offers a glimpse into the ideas and objects that could shape the future of the residential market. The platform features products not currently in production, giving designers an opportunity to test new concepts, materials and approaches. This year, Prototype is being curated by Kaito Forth. With a background in design and experience in Vancouver’s contemporary furniture scene, Forth brings together an appreciation for craftsmanship, aesthetics, and creative direction.
2026 Prototype participants include Bench Dog Designs by Kimberley Mullen, Brian Patterson, Grant Macpherson Design, JASON J XU, Matthew Whatley, Michał Cabaj – postpostpost.studio, Nat Kim Studio, Pascal Godin, Rene Vasquez, Rupert Jasper, Sara Lee, and Studio 53° 116°.
The IDS Accredited Seminar Program, sponsored by Kohler Canada, will also return with two days of professional education for the architecture and design community. For 2026, the seminar program moves directly onto the show floor into a dedicated space designed by Gensler and Hush Acoustics, bringing industry conversations onto the show floor. Programming will tackle some of the issues facing the profession, from technology and sustainability to wellness and accessibility.
Highlights include Restoration Over Rebuild: Preserving Design, Reducing Impact on the West Coast; Merging Passive House Performance Standards with Contemporary Residential Design; AI Won’t Replace Designers – But Designers Who Use It Will; Designing for Neurodivergence; Lessons from FIFA: How the PNE Amphitheatre Reshaped Everyday Lighting Design; and The Curated Workplace: Lessons in Placemaking, Community and Wellness from And-Co.
IDS Vancouver will open with The IDS Party presented by Bravada Homes on September 24, with an opening-night event for the 2026 show. This year’s party will feature music by Girl on Wax and performances by Zynth Entertainment throughout the night. The Central Bar by Synthesis will serve as the networking hub of the show, and the seminar space by Gensler and Hush will be temporarily transformed into a listening room, with a performance by DJ J. “Freeky” P. Pascual.
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