It’s that time of year again. The pre-eminent festival for all goods modern (and in many cases) sustainable is coming to Los Angeles. Californians from far and wide will flock the LA Convention Center for three days to see the latest and greatest in modern accoutrements for urbane living. Dwell on Design is back, but the question is will they really flock? With consumer spending down and the housing market continuing to falter, could it be that people are no longer in the mood to consume? Nah. Â
Always on the forward-edge of things, the folks at Dwell are planning a different kind of festival this year; one that goes beyond architecture and the built environment to encompass so much more. It’s not necessarily about consumption and product, but about innovation, imagination, and new ideas.
Day One of the conference (Friday, June 26) will feature panels with phenoms from the worlds of design, food, media, art direction, architecture, and film.  Over the weekend, the conference will divide into two main forums – one on sustainability (or built environment related stuff) and one on design innovation (which focuses more on products). The expansive expo floor will feature exhibits by leading vendors ranging from kitchens to couches. And weekend home tours will take visitors inside some of the coolest homes on both the East and West side of LA.
Most interesting this year will be the conference’s exploration of the connection between good food and good design. Besides a fascinating panel on mobile eateries (or the renaissance of the roach coach), Dwell on Design will host the Restaurant Design Awards with the AIA/LA and explore kitchen ecology.
There may be one or two other unconventional surprises in store for Dwell on Design visitors too. So basically, this isn’t just a trade show about stuff, but rather an annual summit of some of the best, brightest, and most interesting figures in design, all coming together to talk about sustainability, design, and (most importantly from a business perspective) how to sell it to a wide (and growing) audience.Â