IDS Vancouver 2026
The latest edition of IDS Vancouver brought together the design community at the Vancouver Convention Centre from September 24 to 27, 2026, for four days of ideas, installations, new products, conversations and connection.
This year’s show brought together established and emerging designers, architects, makers, brands and industry leaders from across British Columbia, Canada, and beyond, offering visitors a snapshot of where design is headed on the West Coast.
Across the show floor, a total of 24,800 visitors explored immersive feature installations, new product launches, independent makers and studios, alongside a talks and programming schedule.
Among the featured installations were STILL/not still, the Central Bar by Synthesis Design, constructed using BC wood and a series of interlocking 12-foot archways, Reflection, the entrance feature by STARK, and Nature Adopted, a landscape installation by Dutch landscape designer Andrew van Egmond.
ILLUMINATE also returned as a dedicated exhibition focused on lighting and light-based design. Curated by lighting designer Sébastien Panouille, the installation brought together Canadian and international lighting brands and designers in an industrial scaffold structure exploring the relationship between light, material and space.
The show also featured Studio North and Prototype, two platforms for independent and emerging designers to present their work to industry professionals and the public. Prototype demonstrated the talent within the region’s product design community, presenting forward-looking work from a new generation of designers and reinforcing the strength of the future of design on the West Coast.
Kaito Forth led the curation of Prototype this year. His leadership and vision were key to shaping the 2026 exhibition and creating a platform for emerging product designers to share their work.
For 2026, IDS Vancouver expanded its Exhibitor Awards program to recognize the creativity, effort and attention to detail exhibitors bring to the show floor each year. Exhibitors were recognized across three booth-size categories, along with a dedicated Sustainability Award celebrating exhibitors demonstrating a thoughtful approach to materials, production and environmental responsibility. Each of this year’s physical awards was created by Prototype 3D, which also exhibited at IDS Vancouver 2026.
The 2026 winners are:
400+ Square Feet
Gold: Montauk Sofa
Silver: Freske Design
101–399 Square Feet
Gold: Moncer Flooring with Hollis + Morris
Silver: Hygge Design House
100 Square Feet
Gold: Origins
Silver: Schmidlin USA
Sustainability Award
Gold: WoodWave Design
Silver: Ryan B Making Things
From large-scale installations and international perspectives to locally made furniture and emerging talent, this year’s show highlighted the breadth and creativity of the design community.
