Meet me at the fair (ICFF 2009)
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At this week’s ICFF (International Contemporary Furniture Fair) in Manhattan, the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center was design central for 23,500 design aficionados who wandered its halls in search of the latest in contemporary design. Here’s a look at some of the sights I saw along the way:
Dancers dressed in black leotards, above — and wearing exotic eye makeup — sit, stand, flip over and do synchronized leg extensions on Varier USA’s eco-friendly chairs. ‘We promote chairs to be used in different ways in the home,’ says Leanne Hersey, assistant director of marketing for Varier USA. www.varierusa.com.
Fair-goers walk atop the streets of Manhattan at the Cosmopolitan Glass booth. A map outlining New York City streets is printed directly onto the 1-inch, laminated-glass panel floor -- how cool is that!
Golden glow: Viso shows off Caprice--polycarbonate hanging lamps in a metallic gold finish--designed by Munge Leung. An inside shade sports different scenes and motifs. Visitors will soon be able to personalize their own images within the lamps. www.visoinc.com.
Design devotees test ottomans and view soft wall partitions created from crafts paper at Molo’s popular booth. Crafts paper clouds overhead are prototypes of possible future lighting. www.molodesign.com
Lamps in every conceivable shape and material are exhibited at the fair, from those with shiny metallic finishes in mercury and gold, to other quirkier pieces fashioned of Velcro, organza, feathers and even ladies’ undergarments. Check out designer Rachel O’Neill’s risque, black-lace panty chandelier. Ooh la la! www.racheloneill.com.
Marching up and down the aisles and looking at all that great design can be exhausting. One weary ICFF attendee takes a break, resting on Hästens’ hand-made, oh-so-very-comfortable, blue-and-white gingham-mattress.
-- Barbara Thornburg
Photographs by Jennifer S. Altman