For the last fifteen years, the New York Design Center (NYDC) at 200 Lexington Avenue has brought all the excitement, camaraderie and product introductions of NeoCon to New York for one summer night in July, and that night is called First Look. Known for gathering over 1,200 attendees, this whirlwind event has design professionals visiting six floors of contract showrooms across the landmark building’s great expanse. The event is inspirational, recreational and always informative. The NYDC houses nearly 100 showrooms representing more than 500 lines of fine, traditional, contemporary, residential and contract furniture, as well as fabric, floor covering, lighting, wall covering, kitchen and bath and decorative accessory resources.
Complementing the fantastic showrooms were catered tables overflowing with tasty food and drink, as well as entertainers putting on magic shows; musicians enhanced the festivities on many floors as well. In short, First Look delivers on its promise to be a feast for all the senses, and a quintessential New York design experience.
I have found the best approach to see as much as possible is to start at the top and work my way down. This year, I started all the way on the 16th floor, home of Bendheim Glass. The showroom finally opened earlier this year after an extended period of construction. The Bendheim Boys are still working in finishing touches of the DesignLab, a comprehensive specialty glass education, specification and design resource within the showroom. The idea is for designers and architects to collaborate with one of Bendheim’s design consultants to create new glass types and tailored glass systems in real time, not over a series of samples that could take weeks.
Downstairs on the 15th floor, we met up with our friend Kieron Bux, VP of sales and marketing for Alea. This outstanding Italian manufacturer has been known for making bespoke contract tables and workstations for many years. At First Look, Mr. Bux showed me Copia, a wonderful building block system for storage and display. So often in today’s commercial interiors, designers are looking for multi-tiered ways to divide space easily and with little or no commitment to the building infrastructure. This is a great way to include a bit of greenery or a trophy wall that can be moved from location to location within any workspace. The lush green moss from Greenmood that decorated Alea’s walls was also a bit hit with First look attendees.
Sticking to our schedule, we marched down to the 14th floor, filled with the most open showrooms for First Look. One of my favorite things about First Look is that it is different each year; new showrooms and interesting products and applications are regularly showcased. This year, The New Traditionalists moved up to a contract floor after being a residential furnishings resident of the NYDC for many years. With roots in hospitality design, The New Traditionalists have just the right experience to work on commercial projects, which typically require more durable finishes and a shorter lead time. For First Look, The New Traditionalists went all out with the hospitality, serving specialty drinks, and showcased their showroom (formerly occupied by Gordon International) with richly detailed custom furniture pieces. It was refreshing to see such bold designs; I think they will provide just the perfect accent to commercial projects.
Across the hall was the great showroom of the Levine Contract Furniture Group. With such lines as Krug, Naughtone, Stylex, Watson, Egan and now Gordon International, to just name a few, Matthew Levine and company are continuing to provide quality design and compelling solutions for commercial projects. While I was in the LCFG showroom, I bumped into Gordon International CEO Peter Spaulding. Mr. Spaulding and I regularly have compelling discussions on the A&D industry, and this conversation was no different. Many manufacturers are beginning to relinquish their showroom space and look for alternative ways that showcase new product offerings and continue working relationships with the design community. It seems that nothing is off the table anymore, and creative ideas are being explored that bring the furniture together with an experience, whether it be a pop-up shop, a truck show or some other way to bring the furniture to designers without committing to a regular space.
All the way at the other end of the floor, the folks from Aristeia Metro were in high gear showing off Decca Contract, CF Stinson fabric, Okamura, Cumberland, Source, Turf Acoustic and much more of their stable of manufacturers. It is always a pleasure to catch up with Bob and Doreen Lefferts of Aristeia Metro. Their mentoring and guidance through the twisty path of A&D is always appreciated. The Decca Contract showroom never disappoints; the new workstations on display were contemporary in design with sophisticated finishes, as expected.
The rest of the 14th floor is sprinkled with showrooms from the woodworking masters Boyce, along with LaCour trading desks, height adjustable workplace solutions and more. The band playing inside LaCour’s showroom was red-hot all night, elevating the mood to just the right level. Arc-Com was one of the few showrooms concentrating on textiles and wallcovering (Luna did not participate this year). Stephen Andrews of Arc-Com gave us a warm welcome and showed us the outstanding new patterns and textures they recently introduced. Arc-Com has come a long way in recent years in terms of their aesthetics while still maintaining their great record for cleanability and durability.
Sneaking down to the 13th floor revealed three manufacturers that made their First Look debut this year: the custom carpet company Crosby Street Studios, Traditional woodworking master Thos. Moser, and New York native Desiron. My first stop on the floor, however, was KI. The sound of steel drums drew me into KI’s showroom, and the extensive wine tasting had me sticking around. It was great to catch up with old friends Curtis Winkler, Debbie Breunig and local rep Christina Gigstead. KI’s new product offerings were placed all over the showroom, the good cheer and great design were extremely popular with First Look visitors.
As a contrast to the commercial products in the KI showroom, Crosby Street was showcasing their subtle colors and rich textured carpet in a gallery format, with much of their work being displayed on the wall and floor. Stacks of take-offs and custom samples were placed around the showroom, inviting visitors to leaf through them and be inspired to create their own design for a project. I was really looking forward to visiting Thos. Moser, as I had never seen one of their pieces in person. Their showroom was outstanding, showcasing their many different types of wood joinery, along with handmade furniture pieces that literally looked like they belonged in a museum. The showroom was a wonderful journey in celebrating how the creative process interfaces with natural materials.
Stepping into the Desiron showroom was like visiting your cooler older sibling’s apartment after they had won the lottery. Sumptuous finishes highlighting restrained design resulted in an overall feeling that this is furniture to aspire to own. One day, I hope we all will have a bit more Desiron in our lives.
With the clock ticking and the wine flowing, it was difficult to peel away from this floor and make our way down to the 11th floor, home of Keilhauer, Versteel, Groupe Lacasse and many more showrooms. Stepping into the timeless Keilhauer space, we are greeted by Carol Symchik, always the consummate host. She showed us around the new lounge pieces which are sure to be a hit with young designers. Across the hall at Versteel, I really liked their new Thea table with a very creative USB power option, sure to be a hit.
Spanish manufacturer Andreu World was celebrating First Look in full effect, facilitating conversation and networking with their super comfortable seating and tables. This company does a pitch-perfect incorporation of wood accents with their new products. We had a whirlwind trip through the other showrooms on the floor; so much to see and so little time!
Our last stop, as always, is one of my favorites, Bright Group. The showroom, filled with some of the most comfortable lounge seating around, was a welcome respite from the buzz of the upper floors. Showcasing amazing lighting and accent pieces from their roster of manufacturers like Evan Lewis, Charles Loomis Lighting, Joseph Jeup and much more, the furniture is by no means the only star of the show at this showroom. Lisa Sternheim, ever the welcoming host, gave us the tour of what’s new and caught us up with other A&D industry news.
Before we knew it, the clock had struck 8p.m. The caterers were packing up, and most showrooms were closing their doors. Just like that, the magic of First Look 2019 was complete. We were left with a full belly, a head full of wine, and enough design inspiration and product information to get us looking forward to next year.
The NYDC makes First Look appear easy, but make no mistake, this is a complicated operation that needs to be completed with precision on budget and on time. Hats off to the entire NYDC crew who made it happen, most notably Dennis Cahill, Chelsea Fagan, Alix Lerman and of course, Jim Druckman. They and many more at NYDC are responsible for bringing the power of design to our fingertips and for creating a destination that is as rewarding as it is inspirational. Well done, guys!