ICFF – recap and notable trends

This years ICFF and Design Week did not disappoint. Here is a little recap of what my eyes noticed and found inspiration in.

Notable Trends:

-Neon – Most notably orange/red neon color – “Tangerine Tango”, pantone 17-1463.  I saw this color, or at least a very similar color on everything. By far the most notable color of this year. It might be most noticeable because it happens to be a color that really pops through a room, window display, wallpaper ect.

-Yellow / Grey

-“workshop” showcasing – showcasing assembly, manufacturing process. Tom Dixon did this a couple years ago with onsite assembly of the “etch light”. I am going to say “workshop” instead of “pop-up factory” because it’s a better description to the perforamative experience which also gives you some insight on the manufacturing process.

  • -Lindsey Adelman – onsite assembly of her beautiful lights
  • -Bernhardt Design – “American Made Me” exhibit showcasing the Raleigh Denim workshop. Making the jeans onsite while using the layout tables designed by Bernhardt Design.
  • -Fritz Hansen – “Minuscule” chair designed by Cecilie Manz. In Milan there was a man in a glass trailer demonstrating the construction of the hand-stitched upholstery integral to the design. Unfortunately they did not have the workshop set up at ICFF, I really wished they had but they did outline this in their catalog story.
  • -Makers and Brothers – they had wood worker James Carroll hand carving traditional Irish three-legged stools onsite for purchase/display.
  • -Hellman Chang – their booth had a wood working studio set up to showcase a piece being made from solid walnut.

-Shiny- lots of eloquent bling – in furniture and lighting

  • -Brass / Copper plated pieces
  • -Mirrors – antiqued patterns
  • -Marble tops

Some examples:

-Over stuffed furniture – showcasing stitching and stuffing, almost exaggerated. Also highlighting the stitch seams with leather / color  (see photos below)

-Stitched / woven – pieces showcasing stitching, woven construction. All really beautifully done. The stitching becomes the piece, part of the construction. (see photos below)

-Water color – “fuzzy, blurry” patterns – textiles, wall paper -saw this also in rug design as well with a more textural aspect to it

-Winged back chairs – new take on this idea of form combined with a sense of privacy (see photos below)

Smaller notable trends:

-Leaning (Lazy) furniture – I first noticed this about a year ago with the “Pivot Desk” by Shay Alkalay. This year I noticed a lot of lights leaning. In my mind I was laughing that they are lazy lights. (see photos below)

-Cork Lids – I won’t say this is taking over but I did notice a lot of cork lids or tops on vessels.

-Strapped down furniture – I am not sure if this was coincidental but caught my eye on several pieces.

-Turned legs – I like this trend, it makes me think of a peg leg or something “different” (see photos below)

Would love to hear thoughts from other people that were there. Also, I have a notebook with all notable catalogs as well if anyone wants to look through.

-Kari