The 2011 Toronto International Design Festival officially kicked off downtown this past Monday, but some of the week’s most exciting events are yet to come in the form of west-end exhibition projects that celebrate creative community and local talent. The Gladstone’s eighth annual Come Up to My Room opens on Friday, with 11 of the hotel’s rooms surrendered to artists and designers. The redecorated and reimagined rooms are almost always high-impact and inspired, so it’s no wonder that this has become a TIDF favourite. This year’s outing is curated by Jeremy Vandermeij and Deborah Wang and features Derek Liddington, Pamila Matharu and Scott Eunson, among other contemporary artists. Starting today, you can check out the inaugural Do West Design event happening in storefronts along Dundas West between Bathurst and Grace. Supported by the Trinity Bellwoods BIA and organized by Marie Collier, Do West Design promises to be sprawling show of craftsmanship. Dundas West is apparently the unofficial hub of off-site design festival events this year, as the exhibition “MADE at Home” also opens today in an apartment above the well-regarded furniture boutique MADE at 867 Dundas Street West. This living space, which has been transformed by exciting new work from 33 up-and-coming Canadian designers, remains open to the public until February 12. Across the street at Bookhou is “Capacity,” a thematic showcase of 10 local, female designers on to February 6. These are just a few of the 20-plus events on the TIDF roster that go beyond the trade draw of this weekend’s Interior Design Show—and whether one hits all or just a few, there’s little doubt that one will leave meditating on the art of living.

Xiaojing Yan’s Past and Present installation will fill a room at the Gladstone Hotel during Toronto Design Week 2011