I arrived in Vancouver Thursday afternoon. There was a pre-tour that evening which was guided by Jason (orange shirt). He's the show director and was passionate about the booths and displays he took us around to. Fioney welcomed us, answered our questions, and was responsible for setting up interviews for us. (I have an interview in the works right now with one of Canada's big name furniture designers, so stay tuned for that!)
I spent Friday with a cousin of mine who is a designer in the Vancouver area. I got to see one of her client's homes that is undergoing a major reno right now. A kitchen addition and backyard pool is even involved. Yep, major. It's going to be stunning though. Can't wait to see it all finished.
Saturday morning was spent with family again, and then I was off to the show for the afternoon. I heard Suzanne Dimma speak about her favourites spaces which was great. Here are a few shots of some of the lovely booths at the show. There was a lot to see. This is just a small sampling.
Martha Sturdy
Montauk (of course)
Zoe Pawlak (Vancouver-based artist)
Amazing Rugs
Fabulous Faucets
Luxe Pillows
I'll probably blog more about the people/companies who make some of these beautiful things in the future.
Saturday evening was Blend 2011, our blogger meet up at the Loden.
It was super exciting to meet so many of my blogger friends and rubbing shoulders with Suzanne Dimma, Mark Challen, and Kelly Deck had me giddy! There were also a few PR ladies from IKEA there (IKEA was the premier sponsor at the event). All you SK folks will be happy to hear that I put in a good word for us. Yes, SK needs IKEA. (You can thank me later.)
Here are the rooms where the party was held (they open onto one another). We didn't sit at tables for the event; we all stood... the whole time. Yes, everyone was feeling it by the end of the night as we were all dressed in our heels.
Proof I was there!
There were tons of door prizes at the party (none of which I won). Boo. The food was delish and I got to chat with so many people. I felt like I already knew many of them, but it was nice to finally meet them in person. Now I can hear their voices in my head when I read their blogs. Oh, and I even learned about a new-to-me Saskatchewan town... Hodgeville (just when you think you've heard of them all)!
I want to say a big thank you to Barbara, Nancy, Victoria and Karla for organizing the event. It was a blast, and I look forward to next year!
-Sarah