ICFF spreading its commercial wings
Carole Sloan, Senior Contributing Editor -- Furniture Today, June 12, 2006
The International Contemporary Furniture Fair marked its 18th anniversary last week, and it was evident the show has more than hit its stride.
From a merchandise perspective, there was a broad range of both quality and experimentation. That's of critical importance to a market that has emerged from its earlier days, when stuff was crafted in some of the exhibitors' garages and little thought seemed to be given to how it could be made commercially.
This year's event at the Javits Convention Center in New York mixed the avant-garde with a level of commercialism that was balanced by the goals of the designer/exhibitor. There were few "tinker-toy" designs and a remarkable absence of the far-out, non-usable creations that often are the result of a lack of understanding of what product design is meant to be.
And presentation took a major step forward as well. Granted, exhibits of home furnishings in this country rarely achieve the levels of many European events, like Maison & Objet in Paris and the Salone del Mobile in Milan, Italy.
But the ICFF clearly has grown into its own in this regard, with many longtime exhibitors offering markedly upgraded booths.
But even more interesting in the overall development of the ICFF is how many non-furniture designers and suppliers have joined the ranks of exhibitors. Rug design companies were abundant, decorative bedding designers and suppliers definitely were on the rise in terms of numbers and looks, and lighting resources, long a mainstay of the show, continued to showcase clever, creative and functional designs.
For many at this year's ICFF, the word du jour was "green," whether or not the products displayed actually used materials that were truly renewable, recyclable and sustainable.
This new round of greenness already seems to be losing much of its substance and becoming more of a buzzword cliché.
