As Milan Design Week kicks off across the pond, Toronto’s Living Luxe Design Show has already shown that Canada has a thriving creative scene of its own.
“In 2026, we’re proud to expand the experience even further, spotlighting emerging talent alongside global design icons and offering a truly immersive look at the future of luxury living in Canada,” said Jennifer Lipkowitz, co-founder of Living Luxe Design Show. Held inside the Toronto Congress Centre, the show filled more than 100,000 square feet with interactive installations, pop-up exhibits, and panels.
A three-day masterclass in modern aesthetics, the Living Luxe Design Show encompassed key sectors like interior design, fashion, and real estate. At a design show, visual excellence is an expectation; naturally, Living Luxe offered style in spades. Bathroom displays emphasized spa-like designs layered with natural materials and seamless technology. Meanwhile, fashion label Isla Mer offered a flowing resort collection made locally in Toronto, and Kahanii the Label showcased womenswear spun from silk and wool.
As Lipkowitz notes, the Living Luxe Design Show aims to be “more than a design show.” Beyond its aesthetic appeal, the program sparked a deeper dialogue about the nature of luxury. Highlighting core values like wellness, intentionality, and emotional connection, numerous installations posited that luxury is more experience than product. An opening conversation on bathroom design, for instance, declared that today’s designers have turned bathrooms — once the poster child for function-over-form — into “immersive wellness sanctuaries.”
In Toronto, Living Luxe Design Show Declares A New Era of Design
LIVING LUXE DESIGN SHOW. PHOTOS BY GEORGE PIMENTEL.
In Toronto, Living Luxe Design Show Declares A New Era of Design
LIVING LUXE DESIGN SHOW. PHOTOS BY GEORGE PIMENTEL.
In Toronto, Living Luxe Design Show Declares A New Era of Design
LIVING LUXE DESIGN SHOW. PHOTOS BY GEORGE PIMENTEL.
In Toronto, Living Luxe Design Show Declares A New Era of Design
LIVING LUXE DESIGN SHOW. PHOTOS BY GEORGE PIMENTEL.
In Toronto, Living Luxe Design Show Declares A New Era of Design
LIVING LUXE DESIGN SHOW. PHOTOS BY GEORGE PIMENTEL.
To drive the point home, the Living Luxe Design Show fostered a series of thoughtful discussions with industry leaders. A panel on “The New Blueprint” for residential properties featured insights from real estate experts — including Anna Simone of Cecconi Simone, Dragana Maznic of Great Gulf, Janice Fox of Hazelton Real Estate, and Safa Safapour of Devron Developments — who highlighted the value of boutique developments, attention to detail, and being mindful of scale. Elsewhere, a live Q&A session with Ali Budd (of HGTV’s House of Ali) explored her “beautifully functional, functionally beautiful” philosophy.
On Friday night, an elevated sense of both glamour and purpose came courtesy of this year’s City Couture event, Lumière-Rosé: uniting fashion, design, and philanthropy, it was a standout evening of Living Luxe Design Show. Industry leaders, media, and notable Toronto figures arrived on the black carpet to enjoy a runway presentation spotlighting emerging talent. Meanwhile, a live auction underscored the event’s charitable focus. At its core was the “AIM for Impact” initiative, supporting SickKids Foundation and Autism in Mind; the evening reminded guests that design has potential to drive meaningful change.
In Toronto, Living Luxe Design Show Declares A New Era of Design
LIVING LUXE DESIGN SHOW. PHOTO BY GEORGE PIMENTEL PHOTOGRAPHY.
In Toronto, Living Luxe Design Show Declares A New Era of Design
LIVING LUXE DESIGN SHOW. PHOTO BY GEORGE PIMENTEL PHOTOGRAPHY.
In Toronto, Living Luxe Design Show Declares A New Era of Design
LIVING LUXE DESIGN SHOW. PHOTO BY GEORGE PIMENTEL PHOTOGRAPHY.
In Toronto, Living Luxe Design Show Declares A New Era of Design
LIVING LUXE DESIGN SHOW. PHOTO BY GEORGE PIMENTEL PHOTOGRAPHY.
In Toronto, Living Luxe Design Show Declares A New Era of Design
LIVING LUXE DESIGN SHOW. PHOTO BY GEORGE PIMENTEL PHOTOGRAPHY.
In Toronto, Living Luxe Design Show Declares A New Era of Design
LIVING LUXE DESIGN SHOW. PHOTO BY GEORGE PIMENTEL PHOTOGRAPHY.
In Toronto, Living Luxe Design Show Declares A New Era of Design
LIVING LUXE DESIGN SHOW. PHOTO BY GEORGE PIMENTEL PHOTOGRAPHY.
Throughout the weekend, fashion shows suggested a similar shift toward individuality and meaning. Brands like Capo Salerno and Daquel rebelled against today’s cautious approach to clothing; their displays framed style as something deeply personal — built on confidence, storytelling, and conscious production. Predictability is out of season.
Diverse as they were in detail, exhibitors shared a common ethos: with invisible technology, tactile materials, and ultra-stylized silhouettes, the Living Luxe Design Show positioned design as the ultimate luxury experience. In today’s landscape, it seems that luxury is as much about perception and storytelling as it is about product.
FEATURE PHOTO BY GEORGE PIMENTEL.
