ICFF 2019: Highlights from the Week

“This year’s International Contemporary Furniture Fair took place in New York from 18th – 22nd May. Like each year, contemporary and progressive designers showcased ground-breaking furniture designs across home, commercial and luxury modern office furniture. While many of the designs on show are suited to the home, there was plenty of interesting workplace design to be seen, too.  To keep up with the ever-changing design trends in the modern workplace, many brands presented unique solutions for office furniture.
Trends from the show
In recent years, bright, cheerful colours have been dominating the world of furniture design, and this year’s big colour was orange. Also on show were plenty of quirky, utilising playful elements, colours and shapes. Speaking of shape, another big trend for 2019 is curves. Sharp edges seem to be phasing out in favour of more gentle and round shapes. An excellent example of these curves is the modular furniture line from Joe Gebbia. This range of sofas, tables and more are full of room hugging curves that give offices a modern, airy look.
Talks and Innovations
Beyond showcasing new trends and amazing designs, the International Contemporary Furniture Fair always includes some fascinating talks from fresh designers and industry leaders. Some of the most interesting talks this year included:
“Why Some Designs Stand the Test of Time” – Bob King, CEO & Founder of Humanscale and Julie Lasky, a renowned Design Writer & Editor, discussed just what makes a piece of furniture stay current over the years. This fascinating talk coincided with the 20th anniversary of Humanscale’s Freedom Chair.
“The Internet’s Impact on the Furnishings Industry” – this talk, from 1STDIBS.COM’s Cristina Miller, analysed the astounding growth in online furniture sales and what factors have contributed to the growth witnessed. This is a very relevant and interesting topic in our time.
“Creating Purpose-Driven Spaces: What Does it Look Like to Leverage Design for Good? (ASID)”- another fascinating talk, from Meena Krenek, Design Director at Gensler. Meena discussed how closely tied human emotionally to their environment. This has very interesting implications for the workplace and other purpose-driven spaces.

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