ICFF (International Contemporary Furniture Fair)?
I place the Q because I could not find anything that actually spells out the acronym ;)
FRIDAY
Every year when I visit for ICFF, I quickly adapt to the hustle and bustle of NY, I miss it to tell you the truth.
As soon as I landed, dropped by bag off at the hotel, I went to reserve day of tickets to view the Vessel. While I saw that it was indeed beautiful and a feat in itself., I could not justify waiting for tickets and touring the structure on the limited time I was there. What I was even more interested in was the neighboring building titled “the Shed”. Designed by Diller Scofidio + Renfro, watch their animated video which illustrates the adaptability of the shed. ca ca ca ca cassssh.
After touring the facilities of the shed and drooling over the book store. I then hopped on the “L” (I thought there was a rumor that they were going to close the L for a time there?) over to BK to check out Kinfolk. This spot came on my radar when I stumbled across a show called “the Refresh”. They broadcast out of this location every third Thursday, always mentioning good tunes and artwork on display.
- To deviate from the timeline but stay in the realm of music -
Later in the evening I took the group to see Cesar Toribio perform at Good Room BK. After digging deeper he is part of a creation group called “Conclave”. Their performance was one for the books, they had the whole place jukin. I can’t thank him enough for the hospitality. **places hands together, then bows**
Okay, I’m are back on “track”.
After my quick recharge, glass of wine, tour of the Kinfolk grounds and strolling around Green Point. I shoot back to the island and head north to midtown, to meet some first-time-to-NYC guests and a local friend for lunch. I walk them through times square which is still inspiring even for me to see, heading BACK to Hudson yards. While in times square we stumble upon this gem of an installation from Fernando Mastrangelo titled “TinyHouse”. The construction, use of materials and concept were very inspiring.
Finally making it to Hudson Yards, we check out “Snark Park” which is a unique space that hosts three installations a year by the team of Snarkitecture. The current installation at this time was titled “Lost and Found”. The installation consists of an array of massive cylinders, forming an immersive monochromatic landscape, reminiscent of a modern day enchanted forest. While the installation was incredible to walk through and the cylinders kept me curious, the most interesting part was the “contemplation room”. This room was a black light lit room in which you could relax on bean bags and watch attendees walk through said enchanted forest through a one way mirror. I have always wanted to use a one way mirror on a project since I was a tenderioni, the Snarkitecture team executed it perfectly. In today’s instagrammable world and everyone trying to capture the perfect shot. Viewers can sit there and watch the attendees go above and beyond to try and capture that moment. Once people enter the contemplation room, there is an immediate thought of “omg someone was watching me be that way?” which is a great psychological check. My only gripe was, why in the hell did “KITH” have to be there, they literally brought nothing to the table. Just a recycled idea of cereal character on tees? Cool Dude.
The wantedxdesign opening night was featuring many “rising talents”. The panel for the night featured: David Rockwell, Jerry Helling and Rosanne Somerson. Below are some highlights from the panel discussion:
- The challenge is that kids coming out of school think they are going to get famous immediately.
- Companies need to have more honest exit interviews. With everyone down to the intern. too often principals are offended by the feedback they receive.
- In american design is only coming from academics. While Europe is more apprentice and “Design House”.
- Great designers these days are breaking languages.
- Design is about global trends now as oppose to regional.
Saturday
Morning we pushed up to the classic Red Rooster in Harlem for brunch. After, we made our way passed the Apollo theater and headed to the Cooper Hewitt Museum. This was the first time I was introduced to the Pen. You can view all of the links that I found interesting here.
In the evening we trucked it all the way to red hook for the Uhuru showroom party. From a branding stand point: the office, the prototype shop and the party were on point. All three set the tone for a great brand that I would definitely work with on future projects.
Sunday
Brunch was started off at Upland which was tasty but even more interesting than brunch was the questionable location of this “6 top”
We continued on to the actual ICFF show at the Javitz center. My overall observations of this year’s show was the focus on rugs and heavy textures and as every year, there were spectacular lighting products. Quick texture gallery below.
Some other textures from the trip I would like to share.
Note: If you are interested in me writing/testing/reviewing any of your products or tradeshows. Drop me a line for my press pack and additional information. contactme@helloimfelix.com