Vancouver Design Events Showcase Twelve Notable Projects
The article rounds up twelve standout lighting, furniture, and conceptual works presented at IDS Vancouver and the Design Vancouver Festival. Featured projects include Bright Block Studio's reshaped glass-block fixtures and Prototype's 3D-printed Juniper side table and floor lamp, alongside other pieces from established and emerging West Coast designers.
The Vancouver showcases gathered established and newer West Coast designers. Bright Block Studio, founded in Eugene, Oregon, in 2023 by Jeff Ballard and Joe Tsoulfas, began reshaping reclaimed glass blocks in 2019; their process warms the blocks and uses a metal pipe to inflate them into light fixtures while retaining original exterior textures.
Prototype, a Squamish, B.C. studio led by MJ Mayo, Ian Backstrom and Drake Dong, 3D-prints furniture and lighting from recycled plastic. Its Juniper table and lamp combine regionally obtained PETG, an oak-derived biopolymer base and a Douglas fir surface. Other IDS Vancouver Prototype selections included Jason Xu's coffee-ground biochar concept and Brian Patterson's moisture-sensing BioFilix sculpture.
These projects could influence how designers, manufacturers and consumers think about waste and technology in home objects. Reusing glass blocks or coffee grounds may ease landfill pressure, while 3D-printed recycled plastic furniture could make small-batch production more accessible. Buyers may gain distinctive local pieces, though cost, durability and scalability remain uncertain. The festival's visibility may also help West Coast studios attract commissions and collaborators, shaping regional design conversations without guaranteeing broad adoption.