Inside the 2026 Interior Design Show

Every year in January, the Interior Design Show Toronto (IDS), organized by Informa Connect, brings together hundreds of interior designers, architects, builders, retailers, furniture makers, and design enthusiasts from across Canada.  I attended on Thursday, which was Trade Day, the first day of the event.  Walking about the venue, I watched vendors put the finishing touches on their booths, meet their neighbours and practice their pitches.  On this opening day, at the start of the four-day show, industry professionals mix and mingle in VIP gatherings, not the least of which is the much-anticipated evening party for exhibitors only.

What Happens at the Interior Design Show?

For the last ten years or more, IDS has been held in the North Building of the Metro Toronto Convention Centre at 255 Front Street W. in downtown Toronto. The show is among this nation’s most influential design events and offers visitors access to the largest design and construction market in the country. 

Participating in the spectacle brings strong opportunities for export, networking, and brand positioning.  For smaller and medium sized business owners, it’s worth the trip to hobnob with so many architects, interior designers, developers, and retailers. Being involved and joining the IDS family also brings the visibility of being listed as an official exhibitor in the leading interior design show in Canada’s largest city.  Our video puts an interesting cross section on display. 

IDS Toronto is Canada’s premier interior design show and the high profile place to debut new products, furniture, lighting, materials, finishes, and immersive installations. Guests expect such surprises along with informative talks and panel discussions.

At the show, it’s not uncommon to encounter interior decorators like the lady seen below, seated in small booths, exhibiting themselves.  This lady, like others, has constructed an eye-catching installation in which she has put herself on display.  I wish I’d taken the time to ask her name and get her story, but she wasn’t the only one doing this. It’s smart and I’m sure she met a lot of people without spending a fortune.

IDS 2026 Themes and Design Trends to Watch

This year’s show had themes around ‘how we work’, ‘AI and design’, sustainability, and future‑focused interiors. These concepts are propagated by naming the Districts, and by curating special exhibits, and by artfully selecting this year’s Keynote Speakers.

It was just after 11am on Thursday when I passed the auditorium, a bandshell in the center of the show.  On stage was Brad Burns (Gensler Toronto), Andrew Lane (House of Digby) and Harvey Schaefer (Miller Knoll), and they were discussing how AI is affecting the business of design. The trio dispensed common sense tips and told stories. Each speaker related some behind-the-scenes happenings as AI both ruined and resuscitated certain high profile creative projects. AI is a true disruptor because of how it has forced everyone to adapt, even the artists and designers who have vowed to never use the technology.

IDS 2026 featured keynote speakers from the residential, commercial, and hospitality design sectors.  Photo by Rob Campbell

Figure 1 Publishing a Guidebook for Interior Designers

Visitors returning to the Interior Design Show might recognize Steve Cameron, the President of Figure 1 Publishing. This man and his venerated local press are permanent fixtures and always present at IDS because their mandate perfectly aligns with the event’s focus on design-forward media. Figure 1 Publishing prints books filled with high-quality art, architecture, and design ideas which serve the same audience. Their latest title, Toronto Interiors: Modern Residential Design could be an important guidebook for future professionals, and by exhibiting it here at IDS 2026, Steve is putting it in front of hundreds of curious interior designers, decorators, and design-savvy consumers.

Steve Cameron from Figure 1 Publishing at the Toronto Interior Design Show – 2026

Steve discusses the book and his Saturday keynote speech in the video above.

Toronto Interiors: Modern Residential Design book showcases leading Toronto-based interior designers and architects, giving Canadian interior decorators a curated view of the city’s evolving residential design language. It features work from thirty established and emerging studios and displays ninety projects. It functions as both a visual reference and as strategic inspiration for practitioners looking to refine their own portfolios and proposals. For decorators working with clients who want sophisticated, contemporary spaces grounded in Toronto’s multicultural context, the projects in the Toronto Interiors book provides ready-made case studies in materiality, spatial planning, and storytelling.  Its high quality photography and detailed project documentation also makes it a practical tool for client presentations, mood boards, and concept pitches. By bringing Toronto Interiors to the show, Mr. Cameron is positioning Figure 1 Publishing as a partner to Canada’s design community, offering content that helps decorators align their work with the country’s most forward-looking residential interiors.

Visitors to IDS are encouraged to navigate the show using the curated feature zones to find the goods and services they’re seeking and to discover new voices and have new visions. Attractive (expertly designed) billboards are positioned throughout the show to advertise the day’s scheduled lineup of keynotes and free seminars, making it easier for visitors to plan their day around product discovery, trend exploration, and industry talks.

The 2026 Toronto Interior Design Show has special presentation areas where Canadian and international designers can display one-off, custom, and limited-edition collections. Two such areas are called Studio North and Prototype, and both offer glimpses into the design stars of tomorrow.  On Thursday, I spied furniture, lighting, and textile designers lining up to display their wares in Studio North, and I snapped some shots from the sidelines, being unable to enter the private sales function. Both venues offer gallery-like settings in which producers and importers can display artisanal, innovative, and high-end residential products.  A similar sized space called Prototype lets designers unveil innovative and avantgarde pieces created using cutting-edge materials and techniques.

Below is a glimpse inside Studio North at the aforementioned private exhibition for wholesalers. This really is an inside look at the retail furniture industry. Here we can see an importer, or maybe he’s the furniture designer talking into a microphone as he describes his products to purchasing agents from department store chains. The potential buyers are eagerly taking notes and recording details on their phones. This is European designed modular furniture on display. The photo expands in a lightbox if readers want a closer look.

Paul Jeffery, Furniture Designer Relaxes Before Speaking at IDS 2026

Below is a photo of Paul Jeffery, the founder of Paul Rene Furniture. I snapped this shot while he was relaxing in the green room before taking the stage to present his ideas as a Keynote Speaker.  Born in Detroit, the son of a millwright at Chevrolet, Paul was raised in the American auto industry where he learned to craft his own opportunities at a young age. He studied Industrial Design and worked as a concept car designer at Ford before leaving to pursue a career in furniture design.

As a keynote speaker at the 2026 Interior Design Show in Toronto, Paul Jeffery presented his ideas relating to sculptural furniture-as-art and showed us how he transforms private residences into custom showrooms which reveal and honour a homeowner’s true identity.  Paul’s furniture ranges from bespoke entertainment units to luxury office boardroom tables, desks and chairs and distinctive home libraries.

Paul Jeffery relaxes in the green room at IDS 20206 in Toronto

As an experienced designer, Paul’s process begins with active listening, followed by tailored design and meticulous handcrafting for every client. By bringing soul and craft together, Paul Rene aims to transform residential and commercial interiors into spaces where meaningful moments are remembered.

Kelly Banks from Abacus Furniture on the Anatomy of a Chesterfield

Below we see Kelly Banks of Abacus Furniture, a second-generation owner of the Toronto-based company founded in 1973, who brought an eye-catching display to IDS Toronto 2026. Kelly drew a crowd by exhibiting a half cut-away red leather chesterfield which she used to reveal her shop’s craftsmanship from frame to finish (watch the video). The exposed structure reveals its solid wood frame, sinuous springs, layered foam and natural padding materials. Kelly showed us how it’s ‘button – tufted’, and other features which distinguish Abacus’s Canadian-made soft seating collections.

Positioned on stacked lumber beneath the prominent Abacus Furniture Since 1973, sign, the piece underscores the company’s origins as a spec shop capable of prototyping furniture from sketch to final product.

Abacus Furniture deconstructed a sofa at their booth at IDS 2026 in Toronto

By pairing the deconstructed left side with the fully-upholsered right side, Kelly could easily and convincingly argue the sofa’s hardwood interior lends incredible durability. The frame will last for decades. The cushions may need special care and the leather will need to be reupholstered in eight to ten years. The permanence of this piece is what’s being communicated. Standing beside the exhibit, Kelly Banks used the sofa as a storytelling tool to connect with visitors, highlighting Abacus’s long-standing commitment to quality materials, Canadian manufacturing, and bespoke residential and commercial projects.

NOGUCHI is a Murano glass design centerpiece exhibited by Veve Glass at IDS 2026

Nicole K from Atlas Trove was present with a selection of gems and gemstones for sale in The District at IDS Toronto, positioning her booth as a jewellery store and an object micro-gallery within the design fair.  Nicole’s display emphasized richly coloured, hand-selected stones such as sparkling quartz points, polished agates, and luminous labradorite and moonstone. She had a large green ball of fluorite on sale for $2200, and sparkling iron pyrite and gorgeous purple and pink amethyst geodes, all chosen as much for sculptural presence as for metaphysical appeal. Many items were presented as finished jewellery and small décor objects, inviting designers to think of gemstones as tactile accents that bridge personal adornment and interior styling.

If asked, Nicole will happily discuss each piece, revealing its sourcing, elemental properties, and the way certain colours or textures complement contemporary materials like concrete, brass, and warm woods. By framing gems as both collectible treasures and design elements, Atlas Trove offers decorators, homeowners and collectors a way to integrate meaningful, small-scale luxury into their projects and everyday spaces.

Nicole from Atlas Trove sells gems, jewellery and polished minerals at IDS 2026

Tickets, Admission Types and How to Attend IDS 2026

The 2026 Interior Design Show Toronto runs from Thursday, January 22 to Sunday, January 25, 2026, with professional trade hours on the first days and general admission on the weekend.

General admission to the show costs about $27 online, and is a few dollars more if purchased on‑site. Student and senior tickets are typically discounted, and group weekend passes for up to ten people are available for $230.

Design Trends on Display at the Interior Design Show

Canadian interiors are moving away from stark white minimalism into warmer neutrals, soft taupes, rich browns, and earth tones as a default base palette. Mixed wood tones, rather than perfectly matched sets, are used to create depth and a more “collected over time” feeling in rooms. Texture is doing as much work as colour, with boucle, woven textiles, stone, and ceramics layered to make even simple spaces feel richer.

The big mood shift is toward homes that feel lived‑in, personal, and slightly imperfect rather than styled for listing photos. Designers are leaning into meaningful objects, books, travel pieces, and vintage or pre‑loved items to add character and narrative to interiors. There’s also a clear move away from fast furniture toward fewer, higher‑quality anchor pieces intended to last, often mixed with secondhand finds.

IDS exists to celebrate and promote the best in Canadian and global design, acting as a catalyst for new ideas, products, and collaborations in the design industry. For professionals, this unique gathering offers networking, CEU seminars, and trend intelligence. For the public, it provides inspiration, access to designers and brands, and a preview of the next wave of interiors.