IFDA Selects at Architectural Digest Design Show
IFDA Selects put its expertise to work at the Architectural Digest Home Show at Piers 92 & 94 on the Hudson, which ran March 16-19, 2017. Volunteer judges and board members from the New York Chapter of the International Furnishings and Design Association (IFDA NY), all major players in the design field, were on hand to walk the floor of this essential showcase for luxury design and choose Best In Show in various categories.  Here, the winners share their inspirations.
Innovative Booth Design: Brown Jordan Outdoor Kitchens
Most innovative booth design went to Brown Jordan Outdoor Kitchens. The company collaborated with Dekton by Cosentino and Daniel Germani Designs to create the ASA-D2, which features an aluminum structure, stainless steel body and a Dekton countertop for durability. It was beautifully showcased in the booth Germani designed using a wall of plants and enlarged design drawings. “My customer is someone who enjoys design, loves entertaining outdoors and has a blast grilling in a sexy outdoor kitchen, while, maybe just maybe, drinking a dry martini with three blue cheese olives,” says Germani.
Art: Peter Margonelli Photography
“The memory of looking out the window after being forced to go on a Sunday drive with my parents and daydreaming” inspired the winning work this New York-based photographer displayed at the show. He took most of the photos riding through the country on a train and they capture, in his words, “the fleeting moments of beauty that are not intentionally sought-after but are inadvertently discovered along a journey.”
Decorative Accessories:Â Joseph Dermody Â
“Things that are already in the world that can be repurposed and reused” are what inspires Dermody’s inventive accessory designs, which are fashioned out of street signs and coil. Dermody is also a musician, sculptor and painter and says that it is all one creative outlet with different mediums. His paintings and wall art sculpted with paper were also on display. The Bicycle Bench out of two repurposed bicycle signs won the regard of the IFDA Selects judges.
Flooring:Â TileBar
TileBar’s designer of the year, Vanessa Deleon created an Art Deco-inspired new series for the Manhattan-based company that finds ageless patterns boldly reinterpreted with a fresh, luxurious twist. Â With four striking designs combining various marbles and rich metallics, the tiles can be used on a wall or floor and immediately made the judges say “Wow!”.
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Furniture: Â Attitude Furnishings
“Nature and the art of it” is what inspires Jerry Aiken, President of Attitude Furnishings in Charlotte, N.C., which handcrafts custom furniture for the residential, hospitality and contract worlds from a variety of local wood species and exotic veneers. “As we work on a piece, the wood keeps coming to life; we just don’t know how beautiful it is when we start, there is an element of surprise,” says Aiken. “We see things in wood, it’s like looking at the clouds and stars.”
 
Kitchen & Bath:Â Smeg
Smeg’s retro-styled refrigerator hand-painted with scenes of knights jousting by artists from fashion powerhouse Dolce & Gabbanna was a stand out in the crowded kitchen and bath category. The refrigerator is one of 14 one-of-a-kind special editions available in the U.S. “Italy’s history and the partnership between two longstanding Italian companies” inspired the artistry according to John G. Seiersen, Territory Sales Manager for Smeg USA.
Lighting:Â Hubbardton Forge
“Our primary muse is the steel we forge. We are always experimenting with what can be done next with steel and other metals,” says David Kitts, Design Director at Hubbardton. Every piece by Hubbardton Forge is designed, engineered and handcrafted under one roof in Castleton, Vermont and the company takes pride in combining fine craftsmanship with the latest technology. It’s no wonder then that the Zephyr LED Pendant light caught the attention of the judges. The heat-textured steel morphs into the light guide – or does the light guide turn into steel? The ribbon-like LED light guide beautifully illuminates the fine details.
Textiles: Â Flat Vernacular
“The ever changing nature of the sky” inspired the newest Heavens Collection of fabric and wallpaper from the Flat Vernacular, according to Payton Turner, co-founder this design studio, which recently relocated from Brooklyn to Norwalk, Conn. for more space. Turner was trained in the fine arts — painting and drawing — to which her work bares testament.
Wallcoverings:Â Mitchell Black
“Many of our new wallcoverings have a bohemian, Moroccan feel,” says Mitchell Black founder Lynai Jones. They are hand-drawn and digitally printed in the company’s Chicago studio. This American-made lifestyle brand is best known for marrying vintage art with modern floating frames and the wallcoverings evolved out of that. The brand is also known for an exclusive fragrance line of scented soy candles.
The International Furnishings and Design Association (IFDA), founded in New York City in 1947 and now with 14 chapters worldwide, provides a professional forum for communication and interaction among its high-profile members. The IFDA, a not-for-profit volunteer-run association, also promotes career advancement and educational opportunities and is structured to increase public awareness of the furnishings and design industry through specialized programming, networking and service to the community.
IFDA NY thanks its INTERNATIONAL Platinum Sponsors: The Shade Store | Sunbrella; INTERNATIONAL Silver Sponsors: .design | Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams and Chapter GOLD Sponsors: Â Benjamin Moore & Co. | Cliff Young Ltd. | Hunter Douglas | Kravet Inc. | New York Design Center | Resource Furniture | Stacy Garcia New York.
