Repeat. No Repeat.

ICFF 2012 Recap

Humanscale's new LED wall fixture uses wireless power

Earlier in the week ICFF was in full swing, but it has now wound down and left many of us excited for next year's show. What has become an annual tradition in NYC, the International Contemporary Furniture Fair has been on everyone's watch list for up and coming design as well as more cutting edge products. Mix in some design classics and student talent and you get a nice snapshot - albeit a small glimpse - into today's design scene. ICFF has been criticized in recent years for not catering enough to young and avant garde talent, and yet this has changed with the growing interest in creating a more comprehensive Design Week in New York (echoing other events that occur in Milan and London). The addition of Wanted Design, which occurred in the old 80s nightclub The Tunnel on the west side, added to ICFF's intrigue this year and added another element to the show, mostly because of the unique venue down the street from the Javits Convention Center as well as the fantastic design spread inside, blending high and low, established and emerging, and including the international element that always enriches the show. Surely this year was more exciting than in years past, with a new energy and buzz, and lots to see. Trends are right in line with what we saw in Milan (see here for that post). Highlights are below, and you can click here for the photo album.

Design historian and writer Grace Jeffers at the Wilsonart booth

Winning design in the Wilsonart chair competition - by Kaii Tu of California College of the Arts

Hellman Chang employee crafting a chair leg, showing us that fabrication and craft is a part of the design process

Eastvold furniture made in Minnesota

Brentcomber's ingenious way of showing their line of wood furniture and sculptures - tiny tabletop models

Cork side tables with kirei or bamboo tops by Philly designer Michael Iannone

Carnegie Fabric's collaboration with Parsons using Xorel to create soft structures

Mumo booth, part of the Bristish design section

Ceramics from the New English

Ceramic wall tiles by Japanese company Kenzan

Miniscule Chair designed by Cecille Manz for Fritz Hansen

Outdoor Acapulco chairs from Innit

Outdoor wallcovering made from Tyvek by Tracy Kendall

Cielo chandelier from Pablo

Todd Bracher's design using 3M's LED technology shown at WANTED


WANTED Design at The Tunnel/Terminal Stores

Are You Going to Tile My Way? Lenny Kravitz designs for LEA

"Tune In" and "Tune Out" tiles - Goccia by LEA

According to musician, actor, and now designer Lenny Kravitz, designing interior spaces or products is no different than writing songs. The creative process for him is the same, and this can explain his foray into creating his own interior design firm. Already having designed products for Swarovski, Flavor Paper, and Kartell, Kravitz is branching out into materials to compliment his own firm's projects. Luckily these products are available to the trade as well. LEA Ceramiche, an Italian tile manufacturer, has collaborated with Kravitz on a new collection called Goccia (meaning "drop" in Italian). Launched during design week in Milan this past month, LEA added this collection to its already extensive design-oriented line of porcelain and ceramic tiles. This collection is glazed ceramic and textured (LEA is calling it "tridimensional"), and therefore soley wall-based, but it makes a striking accent wall or ceiling with textural relief inspired by water droplets in concave and convex shapes. Available in black and white only, and in several patterns as well as solids, the tiles offer an opportunity for designers to create dramatic accent surfaces in lieu of using other materials like gypsum, mdf, wood, etc. Ceramic tiles are easier to install, clean, and maintain over other typical wall-relief type materials, and offer both gloss and matte sheens for interest. The best part for LEA is that this collection helps to move ceramic tiles out of the usual kitchen and bath environments and into more commercial, public spaces that can be perceived as a higher value material.

"Distorsion" tile, part of the Goccia collection

"Double Tune Out" tiles, part of the Goccia collection

Check out what Lenny Kravitz has to say about his collaboration with LEA:

Report from the Milan Furniture Fair

The Milan Furniture Fair, called i Saloni by the Italians, happens each May in Milan Italy. It is one of, if not the most, prestigious furniture trade shows in the world due to the prominence of Italy's place in design history and current product offerings that continue to delight the rest of the world. The show is now over, but we were so lucky to get a glimpse into the show and see some of this year's top introductions by mainly Italian and other European manufacturers. The show itself is situated on Milan's fairgrounds, which is quite large and offers extensive space to see over 1700 vendors and their displays. There are 22 buildings that house all of this, and so it's vitrually impossible to see everything even in the week that the show is around. The pavillions are divided up by type of products, and eight of these are devoted to mainly commercial and retail companies, such as Moroso, Vitra, Molteni, Fiam, etc. There are five pavillions devoted to kitchen design, and then another two for bath. We focused mainly on the design companies providing furniture for contract use, but even that was a challenge to see it all.

Trends were abundant, as were plenty of sightings of cool things that we will expect to see in the US in the future. Like most trade shows, the products on display range anywhere from already on the market in the US and Europe, to prototypes that may never reach the point of mass manufacture. But seeing all of this helps to put today's market in context and give us some stromg ideas about where the world of design is headed.

One thing we noticed right away was a desire to tell the story of "process", whether it be about how a product comes to life or how it can be deconstructed (or easily constructed). This is most likely a reaction to the how products can easily be treated as commodity that can be knocked off, as many of us today are craving authenticity and honesty in our world. Kartell went so far as to use this concept in their booth, showing how all their new products have come to life in sketches, videos, and prototypes.

Kartell's Foliage Sofa designed by Patricia Urquiola

Kartell showing mockups for Foliage sofa and chairs

Thonet's 404 chair shown in parts, designed by Stefan Diez

Offset table designed by Tomas Alonso for Maxdesign

Another trend emerging is the softening of furniture. What do we mean by that? For many years, minimalism and clean design only allowed crisp hard edges and uniformity of materials, many of which were metal. Not so any more! We can easily see this trend in chair design, where almost everyone had a side chair that had wood legs and either an upholstered or hard seat in a different material. We also saw this trend in lounge seating, where cushions are overscaled and loose. We saw this in tables, with the top being one material and the base being wood. There was also the addition of rope and woven details, mixed in with wood. This trend seems to come from the idea that we are all desire materials that not only speak to authenticity (wood over man-made materials), but also we respect nostalgia. As we move into uncertain times in a world dominated by technology and natural/manmade crises, we are looking to more familiar things that make us comfortable.

Wood legged chairs by m114

Diesel sofa by Moroso

Swedese's Continental chair with Drum tables

Viccarbe's Maarten chair

Seen at the Moroso booth

Enea's chair with new wood leg enhancement

Wood and rope chairs from Scandanavia

Other popular trends that we have already started to see emerge here in the US are the growing use of communal tables (mixing the familial with the familiar), blending globalism and multicultural influences into design objects, and more casual and relaxed living (since work, home, and life are all blended).

Communal table by Arco

Global influences

more global influences by Dedon

Charlotte Lancelot for GAN

from Vitra's booth - casual and global

And now, some more highights that just defy explanation:

Foaming bathtub - can someone please explain this?

Flash unit (sofa/coat rack combo) by Karim Rashid for Sancal

Crazy sofa from Adrenalina

And now for some favorite sightings of lovely  things:

Tadao Ando's chair for Carl Hansen & Sons

Haiku lounge seating by Fredericia

For more photos from the Milan Furniture Fair, click here.
Ciao and ci veddiamo!

Visit to Milan Design Week and I Saloni

Very exciting to be posting from Milan, the design capital of the universe (at least this for this week). The beauty about Milan Design Week is that it is not just about i Saloni, the main trade show that showcases all types of Italian and European furniture, bath, and kitchen products. The entire city embraces design and participates in the festivities, making design a veritable "cause celebre" and indeed one of Italy's great exports. Before heading to the Saloni at the fairgrounds, I visited one area in the hip Zona Tortona that is part of the city's extra events called "fuori salone", literally meaning "outside" the show. Once there, I was greeted by graffiti (shown here) shouting dismay at all the design madness ("Design ruins our lives"). Surely this sentiment is at odds with the city's thriving cultural scene as well as commitment to promoting Italian design, but it made me think about just what is the role of design. Design first and foremost solves problems to give people solutions for living and working. And design can change lives for the better (see what MASS Design is doing in Rwanda). Design can also bring a sense of purpose, order, and resolve in a chaotic world. At least this is what I tell myself when I go to work every day. So after that encounter with the graffiti, I then met these two guys hawking goods clearly "not made by a designer". Was this another reaction against the swarm of people who descend on Milan disrupting the natural order of the city, or was this performance art? Or even design itself? Since my Italian is rusty, I couldn't get a good answer. It is clear however, that access to design sometimes can appear to be for designers only, and many feel left out. Good stuff to think about as I head into the show.....more in the next post....

Meet Tam Tam by Marset

Lately suspended light fixtures have captured our imaginiation, and so you can imagine our delight in meeting a new pendant fixture from Spanish manufacturer Marset, called Tam Tam. Designed by Fabien Dumas, Tam Tam takes its inspiration from the idea that a cluster is almost always more pleasing than a single unit. This concept of organized chaos is the basis for Tam Tam, which takes its shape from a drum/percussion instrument as well as the shape of the universal basic lampshade. Tam Tam has multiple individual shades, each which can be positioned at a different angle to create a more personalized approach to lighting. Each shade allows 360 degree rotation. Taking that a step further, there are six different colors (green, orange, brown, white, grey, and black) that you can select for each shade. There are also two size clusters - three satellite shades around the central larger one, or five satellite shades. All these standard options allow for the end user to have a suspended fixture that not only is the scale and color combination they want, but directional for the exact light placement that is desired. These choices are right in trend with today's products that allow for personalization and user involvement, not unlike your ipad or car. And if you don't have room for a large scale suspended fixture? Tam Tam comes in a sconce version too.

 

Here is a cool video posted on Vimeo by AloyMas, a design consultancy in Barcelona. The video shows Fabien Dumas describing his design process and sharing sketches, while showing how the fixture is suspended and arranged. We also get a glimpse of his working and personal life in Berlin. 

Fabien Dumas // Tam Tam from AloyMas on Vimeo.

Shaw Contract's COLOREVOLUTION

Shaw Contract, one of the largest commercial carpet manufacturers, has launched a color marketing campaign called COLOREVOLUTION. They have been presenting this in the form of a one-hour video for designers around the globe, with the the hopes of sharing color and design inspriation for all of us. The color forecast takes root in six different categories that define contemporary shifts in our world, whether it be political, ecological, sociological, technological, financial, etc. These dramatic shifts have left in it's wake six personas that exemplify each major societal trend, merged with even more timely trends in all design fields such as architecture, interiors, industrial design, graphic design, and fashion. The presentation is amazing on all accounts - very well orchestrated with high level concepts, high level imagery to support the concepts, and all we can say is that this video is a must-see. Below are snapshots highlighting each category, but be sure to go to Shaw's website to see the video for yourself. You will get CEU credit if needed for AIA, IIDA, ASID, and more importantly, you will see the world in a whole new way while being insprired and amazed. And who couldn't use some of that?!

THE RADICAL 

 THE VISIONARY

THE NOMAD

THE FUTURIST

THE RESIDENT

THE GLOBESEEKER

Shaw is hosting a contest around COLOREVOLUTION, where designers create Pinterest boards based on their favorite persona. Which one are you? 

Carnegie's "Tribute" to a Textile Legend

Shown above: "Lineage" by Carnegie

Textile manufacturer Carnegie just launched a wonderful new collection that pays homage to the company's founder Bob Goldman. Bob (aka Mr. G) is the father of current company president Cliff Goldman, and the company couldn't be more proud to provide a textile collection that honors the legacy of one of their own. The "Tribute" collection consists of four textiles, and was inspired specifically by Mr. Goldman's 60-year old military jacket. The coat, along with the 1940's menswear, provided the backdrop for Carnegie's designers to think about a collection that bridges heritage with contemprary design, and also contract and residential interiors. As such, the fibers in the collection are a mix of traditional high quality wool and mohair with today's synthetic ones to give the fabrics more durability and stain resistance.

“This collection embodies all of the things I love about my work with Carnegie: honest, classic, high quality and timeless design and color.” says Mary Holt, Executive Vice President of Creative for Carnegie.  “It was a privilege to design a collection in honor of Mr. G – he is a pioneer in our industry and an inspiration to all that work with him."

Bob Goldman in his WW2 Era Military Coat

Shown above is "Heritage", a herringbone pattern in a wool, cotton, and polyester blend. The scale is larger than what is typical in fashion, to translate better into contemporary interiors. The weight and texture has a great hand, and is the most expensive in the collection at $149 per yard.

Above is "Icon", a plush mohair that has longer nap and is incredibly soft and supple. Mohair was used in the World World II military coats and therefore was a given for the collection. This one is well priced at $89 per yard, compared to other mohairs on the market. It also has 15% nylon content, which gives it some stretch and makes it upholster easily.

To complement the collection is "Legacy", a drapery comprised of wool and polyester. Legacy is a wide horizontal color-blocked stripe, no doubt referencing the military stripes on the jacket. However, this drapery is anything but formal, with a more open weave and understated color.

Meet Durat

Durat is a new solid surface material on the scene from Finnish manufacturer Tonester Ltd. The material is polyester-based, contains 30% recycled content, is also 100% recyclable - it can be reclaimed from the field. One great feature of Durat is their extensive palette of 70 colors, many of which are clear and vibrant, and they can do custom colors. Also, all base colors are available in any of the particluate (speckle) colors - black, white, single or multi color. That makes customization pretty unique. Most of the solid surface products we are used to using and specifying are limited in that only a small portion of the overall line has recycled content, and the available accent color range is pretty small. Not so with Durat, so it's just a matter of time before this line becomes a designer favorite.

Durat color range

Durat also offers ready-made products fabricated from their solid surface material, which includes benches and tables, sinks, bath tubs, and shower stalls. There are 20 standard sink shapes, which makes it easy to integrate into countertops of the same material and will make specification easy. Durat does have reperesentation in the US, and also has a 15 year warranty. They can also recommend fabricators that are well versed in their working with their material (even though it's not too different from other solid surface materials), so that should also make specifications easier for designers.

What's Old is New: Wegner's CH33 Chair by Carl Hansen and Son

A chair designed by the Danish master Hans J. Wegner is being re-introduced for a new wave of mid-century enthusiasts by Carl Hansen and Son. The CH33, originally designed in 1957 and only in production for ten years, is making its way back for another generation to discover Wegner's work as well as the hallmark of amazing Danish craftmanship. For a design that is 55 years old, the chair looks as relevant and fresh as any other wood chair on the marketplace today. With its organic shape and subtle countours that match the body at the seat and back, Wegner always designed with the human form in mind. He was also concerned with using natural, honest materials that spoke to authenticity and never betrayed their origin. He was especially taken with wood as a material, and showed respect for it as a resource. He was also extremely adept at merging formal minimalism with soft, organic form.

The CH33 chair comes in natural wood, such as Beech and Oak, as well as a myriad of finish options (oiled, varnished, or soap treatment). It is also now available in colors taken from Wegner's traditional palette, although the original design did not offer these colors. Updated for contemporary interiors, the color choices enhance the product offering making the chair more usable for all types of designed spaces. The chair is also avalable with a wood seat or an upholstered seat - both leather or fabric. CH33 will be available in March through Carl Hansen and Sons as well as select retailers.

CH33 with wood seat, shown in colored finishes

Hans Wegner has had a long and fruitful partnership with Carl Hansen and Son, starting with a friendship that began in Odense, Denmark in the 1940s. Sharing a similar approach to design and quality, Carl Hansen began manufacturing Wegner chairs in 1949 - actually four models were produced that year, including the now famous Wishbone chair and the Paddle chair. Working side by side with Holger Hansen, Wegner challenged both himself and the Hansen staff with his use of materials and techniques. After Holger Hansen's death, his widow and son carried on the relationship with Wegner as well as the company, bringing the legacy of Danish design for the forefront. Over the last decade, a new factory was built to handle the demand for their hand-crafted pieces. Wegner died in 2007, leaving behind a tremendous amount of designs - over 500 chairs! - that still today continue to fascinate the public.

CH33 shown upholstered in black leather

FilzFelt joins the Knoll family

Knoll had not one but two big announcements this week, including the exciting news that they acquired FilzFelt. The modern furniture giant purchased FilzFelt - a small woman-owned company based in Boston that has been selling felted wood textiles - in order to increase their portfolio of desirable goods and materials for both the commercial and residential markets. FilzFelt joins leather companies Spinneybeck and Edelman as Knoll-owned companies producing luxury goods for the A&D community, and it seems to be a smart pairing.

The wool felt produced by FilzFelt is milled in Germany at a wide width (up to 71") and is available in many different formats. Not just intended for upholstery, felt has structural and dimensional stability and can be used in appropriate thicknesses as an architectural material for screens, wall and ceiling panels, and flooring. It can be die-cut, water-jet cut, laser-cut, laminated, stitched, or receive an adhesive so there is inherent flexibility in the installation of felt as a material. Since the felt is 100% wool, it is natural and biodegradable, renewable as a resource, and is warm and resilient. It has wonderful acoustic properties, and provides insulation. It is also non-directional, which makes it most flexible as a material with little waste factor. It is also water resilient, another feature from the wool fiber which contains lanolin - a natural protectant for sheep's coat. And if that's not enough, wool is also inherently flame retardant. FilzFelt has tested their products tro ASTM E84 standards, and rates as Class A for dyed products (Class B for undyed). It comes in five thicknesses (1/16" up to 3/8") for the various architecural applications, and 58 colors. Speaking of color, since wool is porous as a fiber, it takes dyes beautifully, leaving true clean saturated color behind in gorgeous hues. The color palette used bu FilzFelt was established with a select grouping from the Pantone PMS system, but for a mimimum you can get any custom color. Another bonus working with felted wool is that since it's non-woven, it can be cut without compromising the structure of the fabric, and therefore you can have exposed edges if desired.

FilzFelt screens used in a corporate pantry

FilzFelt wool rug with decorative stitching detail