Preview: ICFF 2018

The main attraction at New York’s annual citywide celebration of design, NYCxDesign (11-23 May 2018), is the 30th edition of the International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF) at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, 20-23 May 2018. Expect plenty of new material from the fifteen or so specialist rug brands exhibiting...

The main attraction at New York’s annual citywide celebration of design, NYCxDesign (11-23 May 2018), is the 30th edition of the International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF) at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, 20-23 May 2018. Expect plenty of new material from the fifteen or so specialist rug brands exhibiting amongst 800 representatives of global design.

Bespoke Tibetan will release Yeti, a collection in neutral colours, hand-knotted from Tibetan wool, matka silk and linen, which takes inspiration from the natural beauty of the mountains, glaciers and the fragile ecosystem of Tibet. From Toronto’s design district, Alan Pourvakil will take W Studio to ICFF for the first time, launching an exclusive to-the-trade programme, while Creative Touch of Seacaucus will debut the first hand-tufted pieces made with an existing collaborator—the abstract artist, Carol Benson-Cobb. The brand has also added Erinn Valencich, the founder and creative director of Erinn V. Design Group in LA, to the expanding list of licensees. Her first three rug designs have a Californian architectural feel.

From London, outdoor rug specialists Shore will return, Scotland’s Wendy Morrison will display her hand-knotted designs inspired by travel and Warp & Weft will unveil the third phase of a special designer collaboration for their indoor-outdoor collection. cc-tapis‘ display ‘3x3x3 A Shared Perspective’ will feature design brands Hagit Pincovici and Saba while more high-end rugs will come from Amadi, Rug & Kilim, New Moon and Samad. Quality brands Bokara, French Accents, Nasiri, Marc Phillips and Woven Concepts will all be present too, plus check out the rug project Niem by Maren Boensch in the Handmade in Germany display.

Besides ICFF, there will be much else in the city to satisfy design hunters; ‘The Senses: Design Beyond Vision’ at the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum invites a multi-sensory appreciation of design, and WantedDesign takes over Industry City, Brooklyn and Terminal Stores, Manhattan, where an Istanbul Design Collective display, sponsored by Turkish rug company Stepevi will showcase the work of Begüm Cana Özgür. This event has played a significant part in launching her career and growing success, with nanimarquina now producing the rug designs she presented at the show’s 2016 Launch Pad.

Sight Unseen OFFSITE at 201 Mulberry and additional sites, will feature brands Tantuvi, Spanish artist collective Formabesta, Block Shop and Studio Proba rugs showing at Roll & Hill.