Busy ICFF show goes green
Design and perspective share in the trend
Carole Sloan -- Furniture Today, May 30, 2007
NEW YORK — Black and white provided the backdrop for case goods and upholstery at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair here last week, with orange and green as the accent colors.
 Leatherworks, a chair from Edra of Italy, is inspired by the Old West with its layered and draped leather covering. |
| Leatherworks, a chair from Edra of Italy, is inspired by the Old West with its layered and draped leather covering. |
Green was in vogue both from a design and symbolic perspective as the eco-friendly movement was pervasive throughout the show, across all product categories from furniture to textiles to accessories.
A number of exhibitors, both newcomers and veterans of the show, commented on the rising interest on the part of both retailers and manufacturers towards eco-friendly product. Pricing on the eco goods definitely was a consideration, with many items in the stratosphere of even high-end price points.
 On the Rocks, a sectional from Edra of Italy with seating in both front and back, uses various densities of foam for comfort. |
| On the Rocks, a sectional from Edra of Italy with seating in both front and back, uses various densities of foam for comfort. |
More than 40 Italian home furnishings companies participated in I Salone Worldwide, a representation of some of the product shown at last month’s Salone del Mobile in Rho, Italy.
For Michael Iannone, who brought his namesake company Iannone Design to the ICFF for the fourth time, “The show was really good. We saw some important retailers and we do Web direct business.”
“Traffic was exceptional, and it was really quite a good show,” said Christopher Ralston, U.S. sales rep for The Netherlands-based Leolux Global. Echoing this viewpoint was Douglas Homer, head of his namesake design company, who called the event simply “great.”
First-timer Laurence Mackler of Mackler+ concurred. “We got lots of contacts both at the manufacturer and retail level, and we’ll do it again,” he said.
| Longhi of Italy creates subtle glitter with a sleek chair covered in a feathery patterned silver leather. |  Longhi of Italy creates subtle glitter with a sleek chair covered in a feathery patterned silver leather. |
 No two door handles, drawer pulls or doors are identical in the walnut case pieces at Mackler of New York. Each element is a cutoff from a chair leg or back that is hand-fitted into the frame. The tops are Carrara marble. |
No two door handles, drawer pulls or doors are identical in the walnut case pieces at Mackler of New York. Each element is a cutoff from a chair leg or back that is hand-fitted into the frame. The tops are Carrara marble. |
| Cozy seating for a group is the theme of a round sofa with a large semi-circular bolster back by Giancarlo Vanin of Italy. It is upholstered in white patent leather and highlighted with a tufted seat. |  Cozy seating for a group is the theme of a round sofa with a large semi-circular bolster back by Giancarlo Vanin of Italy. It is upholstered in white patent leather and highlighted with a tufted seat. |
 Trey Jones, one of the winners in the Wilsonart design competition, used a laminate without a substrate to fashion a chair resembling a formation of egg crates. |
Trey Jones, one of the winners in the Wilsonart design competition, used a laminate without a substrate to fashion a chair resembling a formation of egg crates. |
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Busy ICFF show goes green
May 27, 2007
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