'Furniture Flair'

Attracting the world’s leaders in contemporary furniture, the International Contemporary Furniture Fair heads into town less than a month after the Salone Internazionale del Mobile turned up the volume in Milan.

The newswires are already inundated from a stream of press releases from exhibitors all garnering for attention.

The ICFF begins May 16 at the Jacob J. Javitts Center in New York City, showcasing the latest in seating, flooring, lighting and garden furniture designs from 552 vendors on more than 145,000 square feet of floor space.

Not to be missed, the ICFF has added a series of guest speakers to its action-packed weekend that include talks like that of design materials and processes from Materials Matter and a special gallery by Japan by Design.

Expect to see exhibits from Blu Dot, CARVART, Dwell Studio, Samoa and many other design names from more than 30 countries.

For established design firms like From the Source, the ICFF serves as a launching pad to test its newest collections of stools, media stands and desks made from vintage, reclaimed, recycled or plantation-grown hardwoods. Sure to inspire, the Brooklyn-based firm combines steel framing with woods such as teak, mango, or rosewood for a light, minimalist approach to furniture design.

A wood and wrought iron stool appropriately called “The Perch” appears destined for the usual city watering hole or the most modern of brownstone kitchens. The scooped bottom of the seat is made from smooth, carved wood and the sleek iron base has a crossbar positioned low to rest one’s feet.

And for graduating Rhode Island School of Design and Parson’s students, the ICFF is the most attractive venue to not only exhibit their final semester-long work, but to jumpstart a design career. About 38 percent of the ICFF exhibitors this year are first-timers like the RISD students. Exploring the use of non-traditional materials was the theme of the RISD exhibition titled “Immaterialize.” From molten plastic to aluminum wire, the designs are bound to get some recognition.

The most impressive creation is that of student Ruth Fore (left): 3,000 feet of hand-strung aluminum wire to produce a surprisingly comfortable chair. Shaped like a bean bag chair, it looks like a giant-sized Brillo pad come to furniture life.

But the rest of the designs will not be visible until the fair kicks off.

Excited yet? You should be. This is one event that will have you rethink your entire furniture settings.

-S. Gonzalez

*Photos courtesy of www.fastcompany.com/blog/cliff-kuang/design-innovation/kids-are-alright-risd-exhibition-icff