As April arrives, we know the familiar signs of spring: the return of bright daffodils, a fickle forecast, and the annual Rhode Island Home Show (now in year 76). Held at the RI Convention Center April 10-12, it’s the largest home improvement and idea showcase in Southern New England, with hundreds of exhibitors and many unique components for attendees to explore, learn, and even sample.
One must-do is a visit to the Design Lab, a walk-through workshop of sorts assembled to demonstrate how color, materials, fabric, pattern, texture, and even scent converge to influence mood, memory, and meaning. The curated team includes Providence-based visual artist Jenny Brown, Dawn Oliveira of Bristol’s Oliveira Textiles, and carpenter and painter Dean Martineau from Johnston; with materials from the Creative Reuse Center of Rhode Island in East Providence. “The Design Lab is all about art, texture, creativity, and community,” says Design Lab team lead Valerie Ottaviano. “Everything here is designed to spark conversation and celebrate design in all its forms.”
The weekend kicks off on Friday with collage-making with Jenny Brown, where the first 50 guests will participate in creating a small collage to take home and also receive a set of Brown’s still life collage stickers. On Saturday, the Please Touch Fiber Lab/Design Empowerment event with Oliveira highlights the beauty of sustainable design; the first 50 attendees will receive complimentary coasters crafted from her sustainable fabrics. There’s the Fabric Discovery Box, a tactile challenge that encourages exploration of fabrics through touch alone, and the weekend concludes on Sunday with Deconstructing Design, where participants discover how reclaimed items can be transformed into inspired designs; the first 50 attendees will receive a hand-printed grab bag of materials for crafting.
An ongoing highlight of the Design Lab is the oversized paintbrushes, beautiful constructs designed by Ottaviano and built in collaboration with Martineau and the Rhode Island Builders Association. “The paintbrushes celebrate the intersection of art, construction, flowers, and spring, transforming a familiar creative tool into a large-scale work of art,” says Ottaviano. “Built using handcrafted construction techniques and layered materials, the installation highlights the shared spirit of creativity between artists and builders.”
April 10-12, 2026
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