By this time next week, my friend Mandy and I will be on a plane bound for the Big Apple—plenty of shopping, visiting an old friend and hitting the 22nd annual International Contemporary Furniture Fair.
Billed as “North America’s singular showcase for contemporary design,” the four-day extravaganza of furniture, flooring, lighting, textiles and accessories will feature products from over 500 exhibitors from more than three-dozen countries. And in addition to all of that, there’s also the ICFF Studio featuring up-and-coming designers, the Materials Matter showcase of new materials, technology and production processes (something that completely fascinates me), and a juried exhibition of work by undergrad and graduate students from six of the world’s most prestigious design schools, including Parsons and the Pratt Institute.
There are also loads of programs, parties and awards to hand out, but then there’s the reason we’ll need an extra suitcase to get home—the ICFF Bookstore run by renowned NYC independent bookstore Archivia Books, which specializes in art, architecture, design, garden and interiors books from around the world. And rounding out the shopping portion of our trip, the designboom Mart, a global bazaar-style market where designers sell one to three products each—with stock limited to 100 pieces per stall—at prices ranging from $10 to $100. Did I mention we’re going to do all of this in two days?
I can’t wait to report back on what is sure to be a complete creative overload. But if you want to see it all for yourself, the last day of ICFF is open to the public, with tickets available for $50.
