can-craft fever!

Though my intention was to report back on both the Interior Design Show & alternative design event Come Up to My Room, the death of my camera batteries upon first click prevented me from covering the IDS. Good thing I was juiced up for the evening affair, because there was tons of fun stuff on display. Having emerged from the IDS feeling slightly overexposed to kitchen hardware & indoor waterfalls, CUTMR2007 was a welcome hit of playful independent Canadian design.

A clear trend running through many of the Gladstone Hotel installations was big love for our home and native land. Motherbrand & OCAD students partnered up in Souvenir Shop to produce Canadiana-o-rama like Pierre Trudeau softies, and a homage to a true Canadian institution, Timmy Hos (see timbit-revering Tim Pins below).

In another Motherbrand collaboration called Lint Picking, Angela Noonan’s graphic posters depict popular Canadian iconography – like the beaver, canoe, Canada geese, and beloved CBC logo in classic red and white. Cynthia Hathaway’s comment on identity & global warming in the Arctic was playfully expressed through melty northern figurines.

Covello-Reesor’s “Common Chair” pays homage to Ontario settler furniture with a modern eco twist – they are constructed from Canadian hardwood scraps gathered in the Toronto area. Due to the nature of the materials each chair is one of a kind.

Major swoons were inspired by coe&waito’s ceramic jellyfish installation (coe&waito + jellyfish - could there be a more magic combo?) & the grandma-inspired crafts in Magic Pony’s Ilavska room (dig those cashmere mushrooms by Tania Sanhueza!!!).

I do regret not having images to share of some of the stellar student design pieces at the IDS, as well as some new work from the makers mentioned in my previous IDS post I saw lots of IDS goers snapping away, so if anyone happens to have pictures handy, please email me. Thanks!