Photo-Illustration: Curbed; Photos: Mana Sazegara Studio, Black Oveja, Andi Li, D’Armes
At the Javits Center last Sunday, after moderating a panel with architect Lauren Rottet on the topic of “Good Design for All” — specifically, the brilliant motel projects she has achieved on a limited budget — I paused in front of Liora Manné’s felt Superbloom mural, which depicted a meadow filled with luscious flowers and ran the length of one giant wall. It was a spectacular welcome to the 35th edition of the International Contemporary Furniture Fair, the industry’s annual convention for furniture and interiors.
Next door was the showcase put on by WantedDesign, the design platform founded by Odile Hainaut and Claire Pijoulat in 2011. I remember when it was an off-site affair and the adventure of going to Industry City, where it all started, then, years later, walking through the St. John’s Terminal building a few blocks down from the Javits, where you got a taste of old New York in the architecture of the space. Wanted has since grown to become an international exhibit that is now part of ICFF and the go-to for emerging design talent and independent studios with its Look Book, Launch Pad, and the design-schools showcase. It’s been my first stop since the day it opened. I took note of many great designers, including these ten talents to watch:
Photo: Andrew Finnigan
Finnigan’s interpretation of a basic wood side chair takes the vernacular shape we all know but knocks it slightly off-kilter with graceful, tapered legs and a two-pronged back. His Arnold Chair can be ordered in a range of colors, including natural wood. I appreciate the simplicity of this design, which, like his other work, mixes shapes and slightly odd proportions to create a piece that is both whimsical and bold. His studio is based in the Hudson Valley.
Photo: Black Oveja
This small design studio, based in Córdoba, Argentina, creates handmade wall and ceiling panels as well as rugs. With Abacus, a system of interlocking merino-felted-wool pieces allows for designs in an array of colors and patterns. Charm with a practical edge, and the wall pieces act as acoustical-noise buffers.
Photo: Wendy Goodman
D’Armes, founded by Alex Joncas and Gildas Le Bars in Quebec, introduced two lighting collections with Consors in collaboration with designers Florian Martin and Will Choui. I admit that I was seduced by the all-blue palette of their installation at Wanted, which made their rippled and boxy geometric pendants and sconces look soothing and energizing at the same time.
Photo: Lisa Sacco
Brooklyn-based Sacco introduced her “Haptic” series with a console, side tables, and handblown glass pieces that rested seamlessly on top of the grooves of the CNC-milled surfaces. Seeing glass art express the possibilities of the medium, in such beautiful colors, was startling in its own quiet way. Sacco also won the Next Generation of Originality award from Be Original Americas at ICFF this year.
Photo: FUUGS
Greg Fuguet and Kristen Snow, based in Philadelphia, make hand-built furniture from reclaimed urban trees that they rescue from the landfill. The duo, who are trained sculptors, presented their Yarrow Collection, which took a good decade to produce and includes a chair, coffee tables, and shelving.
Photo: Mana Sazegara Studio
Sazegara is based in New York City, and her architectural background is evident in her vivid, geometric vinyl wall hangings, textiles, and mirrors. This year’s spring collection shows more experimentation in the 2-D realm than in past years.
Photo: Cicil
Cicil is a rug-and-textile design studio based in Durham, North Carolina, owned and operated by two women who met while working in the materials department at Patagonia. The studio uses natural materials like wool and jute, sourced within a 1,000-mile radius of its company and handmade in a slow, low-impact process. The work I saw reminded me of the hooked and braided rugs of past craft generations and displayed an understated beauty. The work is all made to order, so you can customize colors and shapes.
Photo: Cyryl Zakrzewski
Zakrzewski, who is based in Poland, channels the shapes and patterns of the trees and wildlife he saw exploring the forests near his home as a child. The chair and desk in his Nexus collection look as though they’re growing out of the ground with organic, sometimes futuristic forms that highlight the wood grain.
Photo: Andi Li
Los Angeles–based Andi Li presented tubular, flexible lights that are both comical and practical. They would make a delightful addition to a child’s room (or any adult’s, for that matter) with their cartoon colors and adaptive shapes.
Photo: Glenn Byers Studio
Glenn Byers, based in Camden, Maine, doesn’t have a website yet, and his Instagram had only four photos at the time of this writing, but his pieces showed a thoughtful, skilled design sensibility worth following. When he showed me the rotation wheel at the base of his lamp, I thought he could have engineered it with a simple on-off switch, but instead he devised a turntable that you spin around on the base of the stand, making it a more tactile experience.
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