India Design ID: The Country’s Largest Design Fair – Is it Worth a Visit?

For the past couple of years, I have had the privilege of being invited to visit fairs and exhibitions of a large scale, in order to write about them. The India Art Fair is one such prominent exhibition and another is India Design ID, which is touted to be the largest design fair in the country. Its 11^th edition in New Delhi’s NSIC Exhibition Ground in Okhla just wrapped up after a 5-day showcase. Today, I’m here to share my thoughts on whether India Design ID is worth a visit.

WHAT IS INDIA DESIGN ID?

To borrow from its press release, India Design ID is an initiative of Ogaan Media. It was launched with the vision of being the country’s definitive design week. Its presentation is a convergence of the best in design, decor, and knowledge sharing, while it honours outstanding talent in the industry. The event brings together top names from the fields of architecture, decor, and design, offering a comprehensive showcase that includes new design and decor launches, exclusive interiors collections, stunning installations, and personalised walkthroughs of the booths of different design brands.

WHAT CAN YOU SEE AT INDIA DESIGN ID?

Most booths in the main section showcase the country’s most renowned names in the field of interiors. There are also bed, bath, and linen manufacturers, as well as furniture makers and milliners for woodwork. Another smaller enclosure houses stalls by select galleries to showcase artworks.

A separate enclosure is dedicated to ‘collectibles’. I have personally never visited this enclosure, but from what I understand, it includes objects that can be used for decoration or utility purposes.

Much like the Art Fair, there is an enclosure for talks and discussions led by industry stalwarts. I have never had the chance to attend any of these, but I know they are aimed at people who are part of the design industry or those who are very keen to learn about design.

This year, they also had an exclusive exhibit curated by the famous artist Ankon Mitra. It consisted entirely of works made with paper. As part of this, 75 artists showcased their innovative creations on paper.

SHOULD YOU VISIT INDIA DESIGN ID?

The first thing to keep in mind is that this year’s edition of India Design ID is over. However, this largescale exhibit takes place every year, usually in the month of February and in the same location.

The first couple of times I visited India Design ID, it was from the perspective of writing about a big event in Delhi for one of my newspaper columns. It was also from the perspective of research to discover new designers that I could potentially write about. This year too, I wrote about the fair in my Sunday column. However, for the first time, I was keen to check it out from the point of view of an actual design fair. Just to see what’s trending when it comes to home décor. Hence, I took my favourite shopping partner along with me – my mother!

The biggest advantage of an event like India Design ID is that it presents a lot of choice catering to various different styles and aesthetics, all under one roof. So, whether your style is minimalist or maximalist, you are sure to find plenty of decor and interiors inspiration. The drawback, however, is that most of the brands who display their wares here are very pricey and premium brands. So, unless you have a very healthy budget, you’re probably not going to be shopping up a storm. Smart shoppers, however, take inspiration and find similar things on a budget, which means the visit won’t be a complete waste of time. If you are simply an aesthete who appreciates beauty, you will enjoy seeing the exhibits, even if you aren’t out to buy something particular.

As with most other fairs, there are plenty of food and drink options here too. So, a visit to India Design ID is more like a fun excursion or day out. In fact, this year there seemed to be more bars than cafés on the premises!

However, having said all that – my standard warnings apply here too. Parking and general traffic around the venue is a nightmare! Take a car only if you have a driver, else take the metro. Wear comfortable shoes and clothing because you will have to walk a lot. A lot of the vendors put out little bottles of water for potential clients, which was a nice touch as it meant we didn’t have to lug a huge bottle of water around.

So, these are my pointers to keep in mind when visiting India Design ID next year. If you have visited it yourself, do share your thoughts in the comments below! And if you would like to see the action for yourself, here is a mini-vlog of my visit:

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This blog post is part of the blog challenge ‘Blogaberry Dazzle’  hosted by Cindy D’Silva and Noor Anand Chawla in collaboration with Bohemian Bibliophile.

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