The International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF) and WantedDesign, held at the Javits Center in Manhattan from May 21-23, welcomed established brands, fledgling studios, and designers to showcase the latest products. With an enhanced floorplan and a range of newly designed spaces, the organizers noted increased attendance. The total number of visitors to both shows topped 13,000, up 37% over the previous year.
As first-time brand directors for ICFF and WantedDesign Manhattan, Odile Hainaut and Claire Pijoulat sought to not only bring in more exhibitors and attendees, but to create a more immersive experience. “Reorganizing the ICFF show and bringing the notion of hospitality into it was one of our first tasks,” said Pijoulat. “We worked with designer Rodolfo Agrella of RADS Group to rethink the visitor experience with areas for people to spend qualitative and inspiring time in.”
A seamless flow was key to ensuring that attendees spent more time at the show, and enjoyed their interactions with clients and friends. “We looked at the ICFF floor plan with the same vision that we have for WantedDesign: starting with the brand selection, and creating destinations with specific focus; breaking the grid of hundreds of booths and aisles that you get lost in, and creating an easy and inviting circulation from an area to another,” explained Hainut.
Harrison Parkes, designer at Chicago-based studio Zachary A., said that their staff has attended since 2018, and noted the improvements. “It was very well curated this year and each area just made sense. The booths around us were similar in terms of aesthetic. They did a good job of organizing everyone and making sure that we were all able to shine.”
Parkes noted that the vibrant yellow WantedDesign Lounge was one place where visitors were able to sit and take in view of the main floor, and because their booth was nearby, they were able to meet with existing and potential clients at the heart of the activity. “There was always something to explore even when you were sitting in the lounge. And when people came over, every interaction that we had was very genuine, which was different from previous years. We had less people looking and more people engaging.”
Such meaningful exchanges are what set ICFF and WantedDesign apart from other trade shows, with welcoming environments scattered throughout. “Visitors were not just coming to see products and walk the aisles, but they stayed longer than usual because we had beautiful lounges, cafes, places to sit down, eat, relax and have meetings,” Pijoulat noted.
Collaboration between different companies was another highlight that added to the positive energy. Chicago-area-based acoustic solutions provider Turf partnered with Canadian luminaire studio d’Armes and showcased their lighting in the booth. “A central location is of course important when we are showing our collections, but we also value the opportunity to connect with other companies or new designers,” said Faraz Shah, senior manager, brand and marketing communications at Turf.
Karine Schutt-Kimpton, marketing and business development manager at d’Armes, noted that attendees came to see their lighting after visiting Turf, an added and welcome boost. “Our lighting really complemented the wall products, and their display was different from what we would have done. We were happy to provide our sconces, and the match was perfect. It was wonderful to have two showcases in one.”
The great success story of the event was found at Heller, where the Swell wall catchall was on view. John Edelman, president and CEO of Heller, spotted the piece last year at Launch Pad, WantedDesign’s platform for emerging designers. Anna Dawson was a Launch Pad participant while still a graduate student at the Rhode Island School of Design. “I initially had buyers lined up for the prototypes. I thought I would make some and sell them as one-offs. I wasn’t really expecting anything else to happen,” she said.
Most people did understand what the piece was supposed to be used for until she hung her coat on it. Edelman took one look and knew it would be a hit. “Every once in a blue moon, lightning strikes. Meeting Anna Dawson at WantedDesign was one of those moments. People can try their whole lives to create an iconic product, and Anna did it before she even finished RISD.”
ECO Solidarity, an initiative of nine European designers and studios represented by the European Union National Institutes for Culture (EUNIC NY), returned to WantedDesign, focused this year on design with empathy, addressing some of the world’s most pressing conditions of human health and wellbeing. Projects were not only imaginative but also a statement on the power of design to transform people and the planet.
Angel Mombiedro of Armombiedro Studio, representing Spain, noted that the grant for his participation in the ECO Solidarity project was donated to initiate the construction of a playground at a shelter for war-displaced individuals in Ukraine. “I was thrilled to present my project, DEMO-LITO, a puzzle made from reclaimed granite panels sourced from the debris of a historic renovation on Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue,” he said. “Blending play, construction, reuse, and collaboration, it turns individual elements into one significant whole.”
For Shant Madjarian, founder and owner of Connecticut-based lighting company Juniper, this reimagined forum was ideal for the presentation of the Multiverse system, because of the holistic viewpoint. “This year, companies and the products they presented were more curated toward the broader themes of innovation, inclusion, and sustainability. It set ICFF at the center of the conversations that matter most to the design community.”
