Contemporary looks stay rooted in mainstream
By Carole Sloan -- Furniture Today, May 26, 2003
New York — It was a good show, but symptomatic of the economy and home furnishings design directions today, the 15th International Contemporary Furniture Fair here last week offered a showcase of mainstream designs with few "Wow!" looks.
But visitors were not disappointed with the overall array of products, which weren't as gimmicky or artsy-craftsy as in previous years.
Rugs — especially those in the high end of the category in price and quality — were increasingly influential. Hand-knots, silk and sophisticated combinations of color and texture were clear favorites. Surprisingly, textiles appeared to have a narrower role than in past shows.
Directions generally followed those of the exhibitions earlier this year in Europe, where clean lines and more subtle color palettes prevailed. Overall, some visitors felt, the ICFF was an affirmation of recent trends.
"One of the more interesting directions was that there was a lot more reusable, recyclable and collapsible items," said Krista Hartman, fashion coordinator for Bloomingdale's New York. "There also were lots of uses of natural materials and plastics, and there was more Scandinavian design influence from accessories to furniture. In color it ranged from black and white to lots of color."
Among the collapsibles and reusables was a simple, foldable cardboard seat — Pause, from Design-frame, inexpensive at $10 cost and able to hold a well-proportioned adult.
For designer Jean Baudrand, some of the highlights were "the great amusing kids' things and the beautifully made Italian bedrooms, especially those with the impeccable sliding doors."
Judith Rose, vice president of Textillery, said the show "was very safe, with no surprises, and no new colors that spoke to me." Rose pegged the show as a "middle of the road. It's not a particularly high-end nor avant-garde exhibit in terms of design and direction, but today that's not a bad thing."
From a logistical perspective, Rose said she believes that exhibitors in the tent away from the main hall of the Jacob Javits Center here would be better served in the main arena.
First-time visitor Mark Aizawa, president of fabric converter Chris Stone, said he was impressed.
"The trend toward clean lines and a color palette that ranged across the board from very muted to brights was significant," he said. Also noteworthy to him was that "there was little in chenille or prints with the exception of a lot of '70s retro prints."
For Katie Mark, president of Italian furniture and accessories manufacturer Stone International, the use of wood rather than other materials as the predominant statement and the proliferation of artists versus "real furniture designers" were the two major statements of the show.
"There were some nice warm contemporary designs, but there also was an overkill of '60s retro," she said.
