The International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF) is North America’s leading fair for contemporary design. Its thirty-fifth edition, the first under the direction of Odile Hainaut and Claire Pijoulat, closed on May 21 with excellent results in terms of general appreciation. And in figures, too. ICFF’s bold redesign, color-coded spaces on the show floor, diverse programming, and curated approach resulted in a decidedly positive response from participants, editors, manufacturers, academics, buyers, architects and designers, and other members of the design community.
“With a full year as brand directors, we implemented key elements for a successful design fair, merging culture and commerce with a focus on design. This approach has been central to WantedDesign (event created by Hainaut and Poujolat in 2011, ed.) since its inception and is now applied to ICFF,” says ICFF brand directors Odile Hainaut and Claire Pijoulat. “We remained creative in our efforts to build and re-establish this event at the forefront of the international scene. ICFF is more than just a place to source products; it has become a vibrant meeting point for industry leaders. The U.S. market is dynamic and offers significant growth opportunities. ICFF stands out as the premier fair and year-round organization dedicated to helping the industry thrive.”
Over three days, ICFF – held at New York City’s Javits Center – hosted more than 450 established and emerging design brands representing 35 countries worldwide, presenting furniture, materials and textiles, lighting, flooring and rugs, kitchen and bath, wallcoverings, and assorted objects for commercial, residential, and hospitality environments. More than 100 design changemakers and emerging talents participated in over 40 diverse panel sessions, keynote presentations, and intimate talks across the Main Stage, the Oasis, the Bespoke Salon, the Water Studio x Grohe, and the Look Book Lounge.
This year, the total number of attendees to ICFF topped 13,000, and qualified buyers came in over 10,000, up 8% over the previous year, a strong indication of the industry’s desire to engage and the positive response to the new changes at ICFF.
ICFF – Photo © Javits Center
