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BklynDesigns and the International Contemporary Furniture fair (ICFF)
Reviews
By Oliver Spies
Greener than green: a bamboo plant on a tabletop that is made of the very same fast growing resource. Seen at Bravespace Design © Photo visual-research.com
BklynDesigns and the International Contemporary Furniture fair (ICFF): twice the fun – two design fairs hitting NYC in May
It goes without saying that year after year, New York turns into the most important hot spot for design-enthusiasts in May. Two events attract visitors of all lifestyles from all around the world to come to the metropolis and more than often you come across the same people you just met at the design fair in Milan a month before. Just deciding which event to attend, whether ICFF or BklynDesigns, proves to be a major obstacle, because these two shows are unfortunately not scheduled simultaneously but timed a week apart from each other. Almost none of the foreign attendees can actually stay in New York for that long …
BklynDesigns at a glance!
The BklynDesigns show is entirely dedicated to regional innovations, hence a platform for local designers, artisans and furniture manufacturers. One day is plenty of time to get a good overview of Brooklyn’s considerable design scene.
Local brands such as Bravespace Design and Nicholas Furrow, already represented in retail outlets, prove here their relevance for the international market. Some of their objects are already familiar after being seen at previous fairs.
Bravespace Design’s new product line: around table, cabinets and coat hooks © Bravespace Design © Photo visual-research.com
Nicholas Furrow and his light fixture Marbles 2008 © Nicholas Furrow © Photo visual-research.com
A great number of the exhibitors devoted themselves extensively to the eco-friendliness and reusability of their products, which in this year revolved mostly around solid wood furniture pieces that have been made according to traditional craftsmanship. Quality does not come cheap, so these pieces are often sold directly by the designers at appropriate prices.
Daniel Moyer design and fabrication in Brooklyn, NYC © Daniel Moyer © Photo visual-research.com
St. Ann’s Warehouse in Brooklyn, one of the main venues of the BklynDesigns show © Photo visual-research.com
ICFF at a glance!
A different scenario at the ICFF, the furniture tradeshow: here it is mainly the big brands that regularly present their newest product lines which will only be available at specialized retailers. The style of the 80s is successfully celebrating its comeback: here and there, first signs towards a “Post-Memphis” tendency are noticeable …
A great fit: green tables by Eero Koivisto that are reminiscent of water lilies, manufactured by the Swedish company Offecct © Offecct
Usually, the ICFF is not the place for big innovations, yet American designers especially work a lot and in great detail on their exhibits for this fair, which is the most significant one for the North American market. The reason behind it being that it is only now, after their recent presentation in Milan, that they have a better idea of which products will actually be in demand.
As has become common practice internationally, a few brands display their goods at museums and gallery spaces, alongside over 600 exhibitors at the actual fair grounds. The attractive exhibition in Brooklyn is, by that point, already history.
So foreign visitors are left to hope that the producers of the shows can agree on a better timing for both shows in the future. In the spirit of “Going Green” it would have been better to only need to fly once to NYC – to see both shows.
The daringly colorful MShelving by Loadbearing: pink and red … © Loadbearing
The time has come for Jaime Hayon. After Milan, now at the ICFF in NYC: Silla Showtime, a line of contemporary chairs from 2007 is capturing the market. © Jaime Hayon