Following our fifth consecutive year at the Toronto Interior Design Show (IDS), BELLOSOUND sat down with Lisa Barnes (Director of Sales and Business Development for IDS Canada) to discuss the ongoing collaboration between IDS and BELLOSOUND and the connection between sound and interior design.
BELLOSOUND custom-made DJ table, IDS17 Opening Night Party.
Describe your role with the Interior Design Show. How long have you been involved? And how has the show evolved over the years?
My name is Lisa Barnes; I am the director of Sales and Business Development for IDS Canada and have worked directly with IDS Toronto since 2012. We have been doing a great deal of reflection as we head into our 20th anniversary in 2018. When the team launched IDS in 1999 the idea of a show dedicated to design was novel for Canada. Now nearly 20 years later IDS has played a critical role in developing a platform where Canadian designers and brands can be seen by trade industry both National and International. IDS is also the place where international brands can land and market themselves to our industry. IDS is dedicated to facilitating our Canadian eco-system of design; beginning with students of design, to our independent designers and makers all the way to launching collections by international brands.
Discuss the collaboration between BELLOSOUND and IDS. What is the impact of our role as Music Director at the show?
Design fairs like IDS are important because it allows us to experience design. Design should be tactile and one of the best ways to interact with design is at a fair like IDS. BELLOSOUND is an important element of this experience, engaging the senses. The team at BELLOSOUND understands our audience and the immersive experience we are committed to creating and therefore play an important role.
Khaaty spinning at one of BELLOSOUND’s satellite booths during IDS17 Opening Night Party.
How has BELLOSOUND’s role with IDS evolved and expanded over the past 5 years?
BELLOSOUND has always been a trusted partner in the design industry. We started working together by way of one singular booth at the top of the show and they are now a key partner in curating the sound and entertainment of our Opening Night Party and various additional touch points on the floor throughout the remainder of the event. This year in particular we raised additional funds to secure a special guest DJ which worked to elevate the party entertainment. Every year Daniel and his team have worked hard to create a story to go along with the year’s format from the inclusion of drummers and capoeira dancers to live instrumentals.
What qualities make BELLOSOUND the right fit for the Interior Design Show?
BELLOSOUND has taken the time to understand our audience and the atmosphere we are looking to curate every year. IDS should be a total experience for the senses, a social and networking opportunity, a place to be open to new ideas and a place of commerce and business. BELLOSOUND helps set the mood and awaken attendees to take in the event. The BELLOSOUND team is nimble, responding to the needs of the show and professional to work with. It has been a rewarding partnership year after year.
From your perspective, what is the connection between music and interior design?
For me, it is very connected. Design is in everything we do, see and feel. It is in our way of living. Music is powerful and coupled with design, moves people emotionally, creatively and cognitively. Music impacts our bodies at a cellular level, regulates our hormones and boosts the immune system among many other things. The critical connection between visual, auditory and tactile can transform a space and the way we feel in that space.
We see our partnership with BELLOSOUND as a collaboration. We are connecting the experience of IDS with the sound curation of BELLOSOUND to heighten our audiences experience at the fair.
“Music is powerful and coupled with design, moves people emotionally, creatively and cognitively”.
From your perspective, what is the connection between music and interior design?
For me, it is very connected. Design is in everything we do, see and feel. It is in our way of living. Music is powerful and coupled with design, moves people emotionally, creatively and cognitively. Music impacts our bodies at a cellular level, regulates our hormones and boosts the immune system among many other things. The critical connection between visual, auditory and tactile can transform a space and the way we feel in that space.
We see our partnership with BELLOSOUND as a collaboration. We are connecting the experience of IDS with the sound curation of BELLOSOUND to heighten our audiences experience at the fair.
Nick Marshall setting the vibe at the BELLOSOUND booth, IDS 2017.
Have sound and music become a more significant focus in the design world since you started with the show?
I think music has always been a significant focus in the design world. Whether it’s an offsite installation in Milan during design week or a showroom event here in Toronto, sound is a critical piece in telling the design story.
Toronto is a hotbed for great entertainment, music and events. In order to keep IDS at the forefront we have to pay special attention to all aspects and all the senses; taste/smell (food & Bev); sight (installations, designs etc.), touch (ability to touch the design), sound (music and entertainment). We are curating an immersive experience and have really focused on elevating the quality of our Opening Night event.
Sound is a critical piece in telling the design story.
Do you see any trends towards designers and brands adopting more of a focus on sound design & sonic branding in the coming years?
Sonic branding is a key component of any brands success. For IDS, we are about launching new ideas, testing the imagination and helping people connect – we should be on the leading edge of sound at the show. Our attendees should expect to feel like they are on the pulse and are experiencing something new and creative.
SATIN JACKETS performing at IDS 2017 Opening Night Party.
Do you have favorite musical moment with BELLOSOUND at IDS?
Mine is this past 2017 event with special guest SATIN JACKETS. I personally have SATIN JACKETS on my playlist and felt invested in the journey we were looking to create with BELLOSOUND this year so it was a tremendous feeling when it went off so successfully.
SATIN JACKETS performing at IDS 2017 Opening Night Party.
Year after year, the Interior Design Show continues to bring likeminded individuals together for an inspiring weekend, which is always a treat for the senses. BELLOSOUND is focused on harnessing the power of music to connect people with spaces, brands, and each other, and IDS has become the perfect place to bring the design community together each year.
All images by Hailey Asquin