IDS Vancouver 2026 and Design Vancouver Festival Highlight 12 West Coast Design Standouts
The Design Vancouver Festival and IDS Vancouver 2026 highlighted a range of presentations from a dozen West Coast studios. Bright Block Studio, established in 2023 by Jeff Ballard and Joe Tsoulfas in Eugene, Oregon, unveiled lighting crafted from salvaged glass blocks. Prototype, based in Squamish, B.C., showcased Juniper, a side table and lamp created through 3D printing. Curated by Kaito Forth, the IDS Vancouver Prototype group included Jason Xu’s Spent espresso machine and Brian Patterson’s BioFilix sculpture. Coast Salish artist James Nexw’Kalus-Xwalacktun Harry introduced the Ancient Futures Prototype for a Coast Salish Pavilion. Additionally, Maya River displayed upcycled paper pulp vessels, while Brent Comber and Chinchilla Design presented the interactive Singing Hollow sound amplifier. McKinley Studios hosted the Homies show, featuring designs from Marrimor and Hinterland.
Key facts
- IDS Vancouver 2026 and the Design Vancouver Festival featured 12 standouts from familiar and emerging West Coast studios.
- Bright Block Studio, founded in Eugene, Oregon, in 2023 by Jeff Ballard and Joe Tsoulfas, salvages glass bricks and reshapes them into light diffusers.
- Prototype, based in Squamish, B.C., was founded by MJ Mayo, Ian Backstrom and Drake Dong and 3D prints furniture in recycled plastic.
- Kaito Forth curated the IDS Vancouver Prototype group of emerging talents.
- Jason Xu, a RISD student, designed Spent, an espresso maker that processes coffee grounds into biochar using a pyrolysis reactor.
- Brian Patterson’s BioFilix uses a wireless sensor to monitor soil moisture and curls to signal when a plant needs watering.
- James Nexw’Kalus-Xwalacktun Harry, a Coast Salish artist of Sḵwx̱wú7mesh and Namgis heritage, presented the Ancient Futures Prototype for a Coast Salish Pavilion.
- Marrimor, a Burnaby studio led by Tanja Breadner and Lauren Bugliarisi, showed the Bloop Area Rug and Concerto Console Table at the Homies show hosted by McKinley Studios.
Entities
Artists
- Jeff Ballard
- Joe Tsoulfas
- MJ Mayo
- Ian Backstrom
- Drake Dong
- Kaito Forth
- Jason Xu
- Brian Patterson
- James Nexw’Kalus-Xwalacktun Harry
- Maya River
- Brent Comber
- Tanja Breadner
- Lauren Bugliarisi
- Tyler Goin
- Janaki Larsen
- Caine Heintzman
- Annaka Hoelk
- Nolan Talbot-Kelly
- Andrew van Egmond
- Sebastien Panouille
- Rupert Jasper
- Jason J Chu
- Laura Harvey
- Ema Peter
Institutions
- IDS Vancouver
- Design Vancouver Festival
- Bright Block Studio
- Prototype
- Azure Magazine
- Rhode Island School of Design
- Chinchilla Design
- Marrimor
- McKinley Studios
- Hinterland
- OBJ OBJ
- Cave gallery
- Noise Assembly
- A-N-D
- Alcova Milano
- Noma
- Stark
- Synthesis Design
- naturally:wood
- Western Forest Products
- Pavilion
- Kasian
- Diffusion Lighting
- Le Feu
- Montauk
- Vicostone
- Studio North
Locations
- Vancouver
- Canada
- Eugene
- Oregon
- United States
- Squamish
- British Columbia
- Burnaby
- Sp’akw’us Feather Park
- Milan
- Italy
- Japan