Meet Our 2025 Love Tag Recipients
These are the exhibitors who caught our eye at IDS and DesignTO
Each year, our editors award Love Tags to standout exhibitors at DesignTO, IDS Toronto, and other design events across the city, recognizing exceptional craftsmanship and creativity in Toronto’s dynamic design community. As this year’s design week wraps up, explore our growing list of 2025 Love Tag recipients to celebrate their ingenuity and usher in another year of remarkable local talent.
Prototype: Yury Goncharov’s Alta Metallic Mota
This eye-catching armchair is inspired by the discoveries of Isaac Newton, embodying the duality of energy — potential and kinetic. Crafted by Engineered Arts founder Yury Goncharov, the prototype’s sculptural form reflects Earth’s rotation and the dynamic flow of energy. Its mirror-like form, a reflective surface that enhances interactions with light and surroundings, creates a dynamic presence impossible to ignore.
Prototype: Maxwell Sims’ Ultrabounce Lighting Solution
This compact table lamps seeks to find a new expression of sheet metal. The unique shade by industrial designer Max Sims offers a range of possibilities in how the design reflect (or bounces) light. A nice touch—the lamp’s LED bulb is interchangeable in hopes of prolonging the lamp’s lifespan.
Night & Day
Yabu Pushelberg‘s partnership with Ciot at IDS Toronto brought the versatility of Neolith to life through their “Night and Day” concept, which explores themes of dichotomy and duality. The booth—awarded the first of our 2025 Love Tags—featured two distinct experiences—one fresh and inviting, the other bold and unexpected—while showcasing Neolith’s endless applications, from wall cladding to custom furnishings.
Pearl Lamp
Devansh Shah’s lighting prototype—presented at his offsite Open Studio event—seamlessly merges technology and craft with its 3D-printed base and frosted glass globe. The design strikes a balance between precision and organic form, while Shah’s process documentation, showcased through his exhibit and zine, offers a compelling look into his innovative approach.
flodström x Woyote
Despite their contrasting aesthetics—bold and vibrant versus neutral and functional—flodström and Woyote seamlessly merged their strengths to produce a striking DesignTO Festival display that reimagines the possibilities of wallpaper. We loved how this installation transformed a simple storefront into a layered, textural moment, offering an unexpected design highlight within the neighbourhood.
A Name To It
This evocative installation at STACKT Market by artist Boris Yu (Only One Yes) explores the weight of masculinity, the contradictions it carries, and the process of unlearning its language. Through a shrine-like space bathed in red, the exhibit invites reflection on past identities and the vulnerability required to reshape them. We loved its haunting yet hopeful approach to redefining manhood, creating a space where strength and softness coexist.
Rooted
This striking collection reflects the synergy of two creative visions—Alisha Sturino of Studio Otty and designer Brett Paulin. The line of furniture debut at IDS Toronto is designed to emphasize “the essence of connection.” It caught our attention for its focus on handcrafted details, natural material and subtle imperfections. The booth reflects an undeniable tribute to collaboration and the art of making—earning its 2025 Love Tag for its ability to seamlessly blend concept and form.
Jell-OH?
From the Design and Technology Lab at TMU’s The Creative School, this playful display showcases the advanced capabilities of the school’s fabrication lab. Combining parametric modeling, 3D printing, CNC milling (used for the plate), and UV printing (applied to the poster), it highlights a seamless fusion of design and technology. Part of the DesignTO exhibition To Hold, curated by Yabu Pushelberg, the piece was presented at the renowned studio, adding a playful yet sophisticated touch to the showcase.
LESORR at Ensemble
As DesignTO took over Corso Italia hidden gem The Plum for its annual Montreal design showcase, we couldn’t help but gravitate to the quiet yet impactful work of designer David Raymond (who works under the branded moniker LESORR). The Vernissage console table, in particular, for its balance of utilitarianism and stylistic relevance.
Object Interface’s Modular Shelving
We appreciated the local design studio bringing a splash of colour to the IDS Toronto show floor. This modular shelving unit serves both a functional and aesthetic purpose and makes a case for minimalism without leaving us bored.
Fern Kids
Founded by the team behind All Circles minimalist kids furniture, Fern Kids captivated our editors at IDS with their whimsical playhouse, blending imaginative design with functional elements. The booth showcased a modern, kid-friendly structure that encourages creativity and play, and is designed to enhance active space at home, school, public places and more.
La Tenon & Mortaise’s Aube Side Table
Hailing from Quebec, Le Tenon & Mortaise brought their Aube side table to Toronto and immediately garnered praise. Inspired by the moments when the first and last rays of light gently enter our homes and the shadows that emerge, the Aube is undeniably fun and timeless.
Sew Sow: Beeswax Vessels
Kirby Mclean considers meaningful change through the thoughtful design of Sew Sow—a variety of vessels that bring new form to garments with the help of applied beeswax. “I seek to inspire curiosity and engagement with sustainable practices by infusing humour and playfulness throughout the design process,” says the designer.
The Invisible Tide
Mason Studio proves once again how effortlessly the it creates immersive, transportive experiences. Blending light, sound, scent and touch, this multi-sensory installation—brought to life through collaborations with Othership, Mulvey and Banani, Seeing into the Unknown, and CBCB Fragrances—offers a moment of introspection amid the buzz of design week. It was the perfect space to pause, reflect, and reconnect with the senses in a way only Mason Studio can deliver.
Mark Khoury Design
The tilt chair + table is a IDS Toronto Prototype success story. Originally exhibited in black (and under the previously known Beit Studio), the newly upholstered lounger is now available to produce for design-enthused to shoppers.
OCH Ceramics
Led by Isabel Ochoa and James Clarke-Hicks—this studio earned a 2025 Love Tag for pushing the boundaries of material and form with their sculptural 3D-printed ceramic lamps. Blending technology with craftsmanship, these pastel-hued designs bring a soft, organic feel to an otherwise high-tech process. A fun detail? When first printed, the clay has the consistency of toothpaste or peanut butter, gradually hardening into its final shape.
Revisit this page ahead of February 2nd to find new 2025 Love Tag additions throughout the course of this year’s DesignTO Festival!
