and finally the furniture...

the furniture at ICFF, well it's technically the International Contemporary Furniture Fair but obviously there was oh so much more there than furniture. these first two photo's were a fabulous booth, quite minimalist but with a few pieces that really had character. the chairs shown here are totally a hoot with someone sitting in them, from behind they really look like some boxy suited person.

the bureau is whimsically made of what appears to be scraps from other furniture, weather made to look so or actually recycled from found drawers and other pieces i love the mixed wood tones and pulls.

there was so much baby furniture. this is either a show suited to that age bracket or lots and lots of people are having lots of kids these days because there were more baby furniture and accessory booths than ever before. the designs were incredibly beautiful ranging from quite minimalist to very sophisticated whimsical takes on classic lines. this line is made to grow with the child from a crib to a small bed it can be reassembled in various configurations.

bamboo was a very popular choice of materials being used for everything from lighting to chairs and tables frequently being mixed with other hardwoods for variation in texture and color.



sorry this post is short on information regarding the exhibitors but large in inspirational imagery. enjoy~


these beauties for the bathroom show some bold use of color and their designs place them clearly in the furniture category even though there is not a traditional bathroom cabinet to be found.


the Italian section was very minimalist and sexy as expected. there was a focus on simple lines but they were a bit more curvaceous than in the past few years and a few exhibitors had some stunning more traditional pieces like the one below but again with a modern twist and a somewhat whimsical edge.




my favorite chair of the show. this was the same booth that had the white feather pendant lamps (again in the Italy section).

both this and the previous photo's are great examples of the subtle color combination of brown and lavender with accents of grey (vey monochromatic).

wallcoverings, floorcovering and textiles

this is my favorite group of products at ICFF, both because i work in this field and because i love looking at patterns, feeling textiles, seeing beautiful textures and innovative developments in this field.

Anne Kyyro Quinn's textiles cross the boundaries between floorcovering, wallcovering and the more traditional textile functions. these works are textural, sculptural and bold. they beg to be touched, walked on or leaned against.

Lawrence of La Brea is one of the floorcovering exhibitors that stood out by crossing the boundary from floor to wall with their patchwork rugs made from denim and other textiles.

wall covering was HUGE at this show. there were several exhibitors last year with wallpaper but the scene has literally exploded in the past year. i remember growing up with wall covering and seeing wall covering in almost every home. then in the 80's & 90's it almost disappeared from the market. right now what is being shown is bold patterns, floral, damasks, and printed textures in vibrant colors or graphic black and white. Miss Print~London lines feature simple retro graphics including florals and small scale organic geometrics that are whimsical and cheerful.

British designer Tracy Kendall Jackson uses materials such as sequins, strips of paper, puzzle pieces, larger than life scale florals and other bold prints. the area of texture in wallcoverins is one that is still open to a lot of new possibilities.

Flavor Paper again exhibited with a large booth featuring pop art like images which were geometric, whimsical and more sophisticated in bright colors and metallic finishes.

ICFF Accessories

there were a lot of accessories being offered this year, many being additions to furniture or lighting lines and others companies with a focus on this category. below was an offering from a furniture company whom i presume was looking for a whimsical way of using up wood scraps. these blocks have wind up music makers with many melodies to choose from and they wobble around as they play. i can't find this company anywhere and apparently i didn't get a business card so let me know if you have additional info on this exhibitor.


Dwell Studio had a nice line up of linens and children's accessories and furniture shown. the designs focused on organic silhouettes, classic fretwork and more traditional renderings of organic subjects such as flowers, leaves, insects and birds.


there was a strong presence of British & UK design this year. this velcro wall system by Rachel O'Neill of northern Ireland, was another creative use of everyday materials. she also creates lighting and other accessories using velcro assembled in various ways.

British designer Lucy Renshaw's accessories are self described as "Bespoke Eco Furniture" which accurately identifies these accessories created using found textiles and other recycled objects in bright and funky color combinations.

there were a lot of black and white accessories with bright pop's of color. eco & green were the buzz words of the show this year with almost every exhibitor featuring products that were made from recycled materials, found objects, ecologically sustainable woods (FSC Certified) and other such materials. due to this there was a strong handmade presence or at least a visible "hand" in much of the work created.

ICFF Lighting

i am always drawn to lighting that is unique and uses new or unusual materials. this year at ICFF there were quite a few lighting vendors that caught my eye.

i don't have all the vendors names since i went for work and it was not my main focus but i do have some images to share.
from sparkles, to handmade papers, beautiful patterns and 3-d surface formations lighting is showing a strong presence and it's more creative than ever.
these feather pendant lights and handmade paper lamps were personal favorites of the show.

Josh Urso uses fabrics that have been formed and "frozen" in space. he also has a beautiful line of furniture using the same technique of molding and shaping fabric and rope into solid forms.

a very eclectic chandelier using found objects all unified by white.

ABC Home Bedding

I just loved all the layered bedding creations at ABC Carpet & Home. Here are a few of my Favorites from my recent visit.

Muleh Lighting

I have always had a fascination with lighting design. I first came across these beautiful silk cocoon "chandeliers" last May at ICFF. I thought I would share their delicate forms with you here. I think I like them so much because they bring together the organic nature of the silk cocoon with simple form to create stunning lights. Muleh's website.

Table project finished!

Phew, sorry it's been so long. I've been busy in preparations for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday, house guests and our Black Friday Party! All of these things were super motivation towards finishing the Table and Chairs purchased off ebay this summer. All together we got a new cherry dining table and 6 chairs for under $400! I'm very VERY pleased with how this project came out. It was a lot of work but so worth it. Brendan and I really work well together on these type of projects and I love doing them, especially with him.

After



In Progress




Before