Tag: <span>tradeshows</span>

lighting ideasWhen it comes to modern design tradeshows, the International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF) is by far the biggest and best in the U.S. The four-day New York show ended yesterday and held up to its reputation with a slew of inspiring products and displays from around the world.

A few of my favorite finds…

Above, 13 wood-veneer pendants from LZF Lamps cluster together to form a show-stopping installation.

modern outdoor seating ideasKenneth Cobonpue’s new canopy lounger for Hive is so inviting, it’s worth the funny tan lines.

unique ideas for bookshelvesBrooklyn-based Faktura turns traditional shelving on its head with the V Bookshelf.

best votive holdersA sweet floral design appears within these bone-china votive holders by designer Hanna Tonek Bonnett. The best part? When lit, the pattern shines through and casts shadows in the shapes of roses.

modern kids chairsBaby Acapulco by Innit Designs is one hip kids’ chair. I took a seat in the little chair and the durable vinyl cords made for a surprisingly comfortable seat.

modern double-use furnitureWinner of ICFF’s New Designer Award, Objeti has come forward with a very clever line of multipurpose furniture. My favorite within their new Aerialist series is the Line bench/table/console. The three powder-coated steel panels can flip to become a cushioned seat, tabletop, or a combination of both.

modern lighting ideasSpanish company Fambuena had a number of gorgeous lights but this geometric pendant was the most dramatic.

modern baby cribFor the modern urban family, the Koo bassinet could not be more functional. Made by Lunar, the front folds down to become a rocking chair.

Which design is your favorite?


Etc Finds

With 2,900 exhibitors and hundreds of thousands of products displayed at the New York International Gift Fair, the trends can’t help but reveal themselves. If last season’s trend doesn’t make an appearance again, it means nobody was buying it. When the same look keeps turning up, it was a best seller. And when hundreds of manufacturers start exploring the same motif, together they are carving out a trend.

Here’s a glimpse at what’s in, what’s out, and what made the cut for the decor of Spring 2009.

DOMINANT TREND: Faceted Mirrors

Not only was the above mirror by Artecnica one of my favorite pieces at this year’s New York International Gift Fair, but faceted mirrors were one of the biggest trends we saw.

Another fragmented mirror by Global Views

SOMETHING BREWING: Hats

Hats have left the fashion category and are posing as home decor. These antique helmets from Bobo Intriguing Objects are purely decorative but I also saw top hats being used as champagne buckets and bowler caps electrified for pendant lamps.

DYING DOWN: Ikat

At the last two markets, the bold running colors of Ikat seemed to cover every piece of upholstery available at the Gift Show. But at this market, this plate was all I found left of the trend. Here, Home James has freshened the over-played textile technique by applying the motif to a new medium, dishware.

TRENDS THAT WON’T DIE: Sea Life and Birds

Cutesy octopuses and seashells are still everywhere. However, I thought this take from Eloquent Ink brought the tried- and-true trend to a refreshing sophistication.

I admit these Thomas Paul plates are still charming; I would just love to see his graphic shapes and colors around something other than another dove.

A TREND I NEVER WANT TO SEE AGAIN: Guns

Amazing enough there were a lot of gun designs at the show. If I’d only seen one, I might let it slide, but this glass piece in combination with the other manufacturers’ sculptural weaponry really disturbed me.

A TREND I WANT TO SEE MORE OF: Flat Pack

Though I’m not crazy about the look of these lamps, the flat pack design caught my eye. I hate packing peanuts and the Styrofoam that comes with product shipments, so I adore that this product from Wabnitz requires very little packaging and energy to ship.

Etc Finds

It’s late January in New York City and to buyers, editors, and wholesalers that means Gift Show. It’s one of the largest accessory and home design fairs in the country and where I’ll be spending my weekend. I’ve been receiving promotional emails all week from manufacturers trying to lure us to their booths with sneak peeks of their wares for 2009. And it’s working.

I always like to stop by my friend Aviva Stanoff's booth; she's just lovely and a brilliant textile designer.
I know Teroforma for there glassware but now I want to stop by to see their new venture into wooden serveware.
Two's Company always has tons of fun stuff and it's all very reasonably priced.
I can't resist these cut-out votive holders from Tord Boontje for Artecnica.
The Vellum booth is truly luxe and dreamy and they usually serve champagne at the end of the day. I'll be dropping by around sunset.

More to report when I return home next week.

Etc Finds

I was shopping with my best friend, Elana, in Banana Republic the other day and b-lined for what I thought was a gorgeous dress. She looked at me and started laughing, Anne, that looks like a roll of wallpaper. She was right–but that’s exactly what I loved about it. I often look at the graphic florals and soft geometrics of home textiles and papers and think, I want that in a size four! I guess you have to be a home nerd to understand but for those of you that are…you’ll love this display by York Wallcoverings.

It’s a sneak peak of the display heading to Heimtextil, the international trade fair for home and contract textiles taking place from January 14-17th in Frankfurt, Germany. Each dress (silhouettes ripped from current pages of Vogue and InStyle) is crafted from designer wallpaper, and hand-stitched with all the detail devoted to haute couture. It took as many as 700 pieces of wallpaper make up one dress. I would definitely wear the black and white floral, wallpaper pattern or not.

Etc