Since I am an architect, a visit to the International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF) at the Jacob K. Javits Center in New York City means That I pay more attention to the booths Compared to furniture. Some businesses put a lot of effort and money into their booths, but others take a more minimalist approach, allowing their products do the work. Have a look at these design classes from the more interesting stalls in the 2012 ICFF.
John Hill
Shipping containers continue to be cool. Reusing transport containers for architecture has turned into a fad in recent decades, but I really don’t see it moving away soon. They’re inexpensive, sustainable in their reuse and pretty cool, especially when covered with colour, as with this Kohler booth highlighting Jonathan Adler’s vibrant sinks.
John Hill
Red rugs are extremely powerful. They are not only for film premieres. Interiors from Spain represents a number of organizations and designers. Red joins the numerous booths together, also developing a solid axis of flow.
John Hill
Be creative. Carnegie could have draped its Xorel Graphic fabrics as other booths did, but it picked for a intricate construction with folded pieces of this fabric. This produces a space that’s striking yet retains the focus on the fabric.
John Hill
Don’t be afraid of colour. Molo’s Softwalls have made an appearance at ICFF before. This year they look new in a striking Yves Klein–like blue.
John Hill
Everybody loves balloons. Especially big red ones above pop-up shops, like this one by Kikkerland.
John Hill
Walls can angle. Istanbul’s Autoban utilizes fabric walls that angle at the corners to highlight its furniture layouts. Some shading on the top and those will make excellent cabanas.
John Hill
Walls can be porous. Westyle shows off its toilet fixtures through clear glass and some porous, gridded walls. The latter helps the booth stand out.
John Hill
Walls can wave. Amuneal’s booth uses wavy aluminum bars, some spaced apart, to show off its abilities and hint at the products inside.
John Hill
Tile will curve. New York’s High Style Floors introduces a number of its tiles with undulations, reminding visitors that tiles do not need to be flat.
John Hill
Don’t forget about infrastructure. The above Interiors from Spain booths ran into a spot with a fire extinguisher and pipe. Technically the cutout functions, but in addition, it puts these things on display, like a commentary on art and design.
John Hill
Storage can be anywhere. A similar place with a fire extinguisher and tube is utilized by Urbio to highlight its own modular, magnetic storage. This stood out over its booth.
John Hill
Design can work anywhere. The Javits center has plenty of concrete columns, some with notches for drain pipes. Surprisingly this Eames chair seems at home in front of a few of those columns.
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More from ICFF 2012:
5 Questions for Lighting Designer Lindsey Adelman