The annual Interior Design Show (IDS), held at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, returned last week, wrapping on Sunday, January 21, after a four-day run. The show featured hundreds of exhibitors, including Metropolitan Floors. The event saw an impressive turnout, with dealers, distributors, architects and design professionals in attendance.

For Metropolitan, IDS has been a long-standing tradition. “We’ve been attending IDS for many years,” said Wilf Selfe, vice president, of Eastern Canada, at Metropolitan Floors. “The audience this show brings with architects, builders, and designers is unparalleled. We hope to continue to foster closer relationships with the A&D community, closer relationships with builders and to showcase our new products and our mission as a company, at large.”

During IDS, Metropolitan Floors announced the 2024 Metropolitan Design Challenge winners, spotlighting Jenny Bae Huggon, Gigi Lombardo-Dybalski, and Natalie Guberney, all of whom attend Sheridan College. Their design, called “Origins,” was constructed and showcased at Metropolitan’s booth for attendees to admire. The installation invited viewers to interact with it through the use of a map, inspiring them to document their own ‘origins.’

Open to Ontario students enrolled in a post-secondary interior design program, the challenge awards the winning design with a cash prize of fifteen hundred dollars. “The challenge is all about giving back to the design community. It’s rewarding for us because we always look forward to seeing how students draw inspiration from the theme and use our products,” said Joe Cosentino, builder – commercial business manager, Eastern Canada, at Metropolitan Floors.

The design challenge is a manifestation of Metropolitan’s core values, an ethos to design the most sustainable and ethically made flooring. This year, the challenge took inspiration from Metropolitan’s Clean Floors program, a forest-to-floor quality assurance and environmental compliance program. The theme of the challenge, coined “Crafted with Conscience,” challenged participants to design an installation that gives both meaning and life to the phrase and incorporates Kentwood’s latest flooring designs.

The winning students were thrilled to have their design showcased at the event. “We were really inspired by how Kentwood knows the origins of their wood,” said Gigi Lombardo-Dybalski.

“It was such a fun project for us to undertake. We wanted to symbolize our connection to the earth but also to each other,” said Natalie Guberney.

“Our hope with the piece is that it provokes conversation amongst people as they view it,” added Jenny Bae Huggon.

During the show, Metropolitan also launched its new 2024 flooring designs. Featuring ten new and notable collections with beautiful selections from Kentwood and Evoke Flooring, the new offerings include extra-wide plank-engineered hardwood, luxury vinyl flooring for light to heavy commercial applications, timeless herringbone designs, and much more.

IDS 2024 marks the first of a series of Metropolitan industry events in 2024. More will roll out at select Metropolitan Floors studios and showrooms across North America this spring. These events will serve as the perfect opportunity for the A&D community to learn more about the brand and view their collections.

Explore the Kentwood engineered hardwood and Evoke luxury vinyl, laminate, rigid core, and Surge© flooring solutions manufactured and designed by Metropolitan.

metrofloors.com


The state of the hospitality industry—and the trends to watch—are discussed with IMEG Director of Hospitality Bob Winter in the first in a series of episodes featuring the firm’s market leaders.

“Last year, 2022, was a tremendous year in the market for design and construction,” Bob says, citing the recovery of occupancy rates as the industry emerged from the pandemic. “I have seen a little bit of a headwind this year with some of our projects due to the cost of construction and the cost of money.” However, he adds, there are still a lot of “pent-up opportunities that are coming online,” along with growing demand for more hotels in urban and resort environments.

Bob also sees a growing focus on sustainability and energy efficiency, as well as continued growth in properties with a focus on wellness. “Many of the major brands have wellness hotels that are really retreats and are located in places like Sedona or Palm Springs or in wilderness settings, but they’re also in top urban markets, too. These are places where people can go to experience various mind and body rejuvenation or even a much more focused healing and recovery experience, with medical staff and licensed therapists.”

Bob is no stranger to the concept of wellness retreats. In 1912 his great grandfather opened the Hotel Thermia Palace in Czechoslovakia, one of the world’s first wellness resorts.

“It was built on natural hot springs and there were mud baths; people from throughout central Europe would go there for treatment, primarily for rheumatism,” he says. Though no longer owned by the Winter family, the Thermia Palace exists to this day as a luxury spa and wellness hotel catering to clients worldwide. Those who cross the bridge onto the property pass a statue of a man breaking his crutch—a likeness of Bob’s great grandfather and a symbol of the retreat’s long-standing healing properties.

“It’s still a very popular place,” says Bob, who has visited the site.

The Winter family’s hospitality legacy transferred to the U.S. at the outbreak of World War 2, when Bob’s grandmother emigrated with her sons to the U.S. She soon became the country’s first female general manager of a major urban hotel, the Hotel Pearson in Chicago. Bob continues the family legacy today as IMEG’s director of hospitality.

“It’s the ‘giant circle’,” he says. “It’s been an interesting journey.”

IMEGCorp.com

Listen to the podcast: Podcast


Superior service is at the core of One Source Restoration. Wherever feasible, One Source uses and supplies its own labor source, only using subcontractors when necessary for practical reasons such as M.E.P (mechanical, electrical, plumbing) services. Our project management advisor is trained to manage multiple projects simultaneously, while our field crews are more than skilled in multiple trades that help ensure the satisfaction of our customer. By using our own crews we can maintain tighter control on our schedule, and the quality of our work, which provides greater consistency and efficiency for our clients satisfaction. www.onesourceresto.com


Ocean New Jersey – Specialty Lighting celebrates light with our launch of Confetti where small stuff can create big effects. Confetti is our all new 1” family of products providing the tools necessary to design great lighting while the 1” aperture virtually disappears in the space. The Confetti family’s array of options includes recessed downlights, wall washers, an adjustable eyeball and surface offerings in the form of tiny monopoints and pendants. Some of the recessed offerings brag less than 2” of plenum intrusion while delivering over 450 lumens at 90+ CRI and 50+ R9. The snap in place installation allows fixture reconfigurability before, during and after the construction process.
“We think Confetti is a celebration of miniaturization. Our clients are constantly telling us smaller is better, provided performance is not compromised, ceiling integration is thought through and specification grade quality is maintained. Confetti checks all these boxes and more. We even offer a custom hole saw to recess the plaster flange its exact thickness for a flawless completely flush finish,” said Awi Salomon, Executive Vice President at Specialty Lighting. Confetti is available and ready to ship so have some fun and throw some confetti to light your
space. Check out the details at www.specialty-lighting.com

About Specialty Lighting: Specialty Lighting believes revealing architecture is best realized without seeing how it’s achieved. We live at the intersection of light and architecture. Specialty’s reputation is built on its blend of craftsmanship and creative engineering. Providing unsurpassed levels of product customization, configurability and functionality our fixtures enable designers to express their individuality.


Silhouette is the innovative, hospitality focused outdoor furniture brand that designs with the highest quality to fit any quantity. All of our collections exhibit premium artistry and style. Every piece is carefully crafted of materials that are both internationally recognized and approved. And behind each oeuvre is a dedicated team working hard and loving work. Our talented team of product managers and designers are fully committed to the technical details, to the artistic processes, and to the global standards of production. Our client and project management team applies their hospitality knowledge and experience every step of the way. Our hand picked team of skilled and efficient suppliers are the ones who–quite literally–make it all happen. Together, we strive to maintain that perfect balance between between form and function; between strong quality and even stronger durability. Silhouette is bringing more than unique, long- lasting outdoor furniture: we’re also introducing a more enjoyable way of doing so. Because in an industry so centered on creating the optimal experience, it’s important that your design experience is met with the same standards. That’s why we go above and beyond with our level of customer service, quality assurance, and client-focused operations. At Silhouette, we’re blending beautiful custom furniture and stunning standard collections with dedicated customer success. We’re mixing high-standards with high-quality. We’re achieving affordable exterior design through dedicated interior teamwork. And most importantly, we’re furnishing the hospitality industry with a smile. www.silhouetteoutdoor.net


RX Music provides a premium music experience for hotels, restaurants, spas, and retail spaces from around the world. We are trusted by the biggest names to create custom-branded music & video playlists for commercial use. At the heart of our company is a mission to connect with industry professionals and elevate commercial experiences through music. We believe in filtering out the noise and getting in tune with the right music to enliven your atmosphere. Whether they are guests, customers, patrons, patients, or employees, it’s our job to provide music that helps your business stand out in the competitive global marketplace. rxmusic.com


The combined strengths of Zwiesel Glas & Fortessa Tableware Solutions create a unique presence within the tableware industry. With headquarters in Bavaria and Virginia, respectively, the group brings together their multiple existing businesses to achieve a new level of leadership in creating meaningful dining experiences.

As a global market leader in crystal glassware for upscale hotels & lifestyle retailers, Zwiesel Glas brings 150 years of glassmaking history to the group. Fortessa Tableware Solutions, a US-based tableware provider of dinnerware flatware and glassware, can be found in 80 percent of the North American 4–5 star hotels, in thousands of retail locations and online. Most recently the companies partnered on the launch of United Tables by Zwiesel to bring their comprehensive tabletop offering to the commercial foodservice market in Europe and the Middle East.

For Zwiesel Glas and Fortessa Tableware Solutions, the merger is a logical next step in their partnership. “We share a strong vision for our future: We want to be the worldwide brands for all moments that make life special.” says Prof. Dr. Buske, CEO of Zwiesel Glas. “Through the merger, around 900 people will work in the future to turn this vision into a reality.”

Fortessa’s CEO, Scott Hamberger, adds, “That aside from the shared vision, the partnership brings promising economic opportunities. This is even more important in such challenging times as these. Together we can offer our customers, our companies, our brands and all the people who we work with strength and security into the future.”

The existing companies Zwiesel Kristallglas AG and Fortessa Tableware Solutions will continue to operate independently in the future. Prof. Dr. Buske will continue to act as a member of the Management Board of Zwiesel Glas and as Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Fortessa. Scott Hamberger will remain CEO of Fortessa and become Deputy Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Zwiesel Glas.

Jointly, both partners are doing their part to secure their global positioning as the go-to brands for glass and tableware that elevate everyday experiences.

ABOUT FORTESSA® TABLEWARE SOLUTIONS™: Fortessa Tableware Solutions believes some of the happiest memories are born around the table – shared stories, good food, and warm laughter. In 1993, the founders fell in love with European ceramics and began directly importing them to the U.S., building relationships and changing the way tableware products were distributed.

Today, FORTESSA dinnerware, flatware, and drinkware is proudly found in over 80% of 4 and 5 star hotels, in thousands of restaurants worldwide, in approximately 6,000 retail locations and 80 websites. The name FORTESSA – derived from the Italian word for strength, forte – reflects the pride in quality products and lasting relationships.

To learn more visit www.fortessa.com and follow us @fortessatableware on Instagram and LinkedIn.

ABOUT ZWIESEL GLAS: Zwiesel Glas is dedicated to the most discerning guests and the best hosts in the world. For 150 years, the company has been using the highest manufacturing and craftsmanship skills to create unique products that add a special touch to every table setting and are literally part of good taste around the world. In the anniversary year 2022, Zwiesel Glas was honored with several prestigious awards: the German Brand Award as “Winner” and “Special Mention” and the renewed selection as “World Market Leader Champion 2022” in the segment “Crystal Glass for Upscale Hotels and Restaurants”.

Further information at www.zwiesel-glas.com

ABOUT UNITED TABLES BY ZWIESEL: Since April 2022, the extensive quality ranges of the Fortessa brand from the tableware and cutlery product categories and the wide range of crystal glassware series and table accessories of the Zwiesel Glas and Schott Zwiesel brands have been offered under the umbrella of the corporate brand United Tables by Zwiesel, thus combining the best of two worlds. With United Tables, the new food and beverage trends can be implemented in one go without the time-consuming search for suitable articles.

Further information at www.united-tables.de

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