Function over form

When Form Follows Function
Originally uploaded by queenbeeamy

Seems I'm not the only one who noticed that furniture shows were more subdued this year. The WSJ ran an article [subscription may be required] discussing the Milan show and noted that gone are the days of iconic attention getting pieces. In its place are thoughtful, functional pieces that get their cache from craftsmanship and perfectly executed details rather than outrageous design. Personally, I'm fine with the shift.

ICFF Ottoman Rugs

I love Turkish rugs but they tend to dominate any space you put them in unless the room is enormous. This happens for two reasons – the colors and the patterns.

This rug company in NY called Classic Rug Collection has come out with a line of Ottoman inspired rugs that pull and enlarge patterns and motifs from classic Turkish rugs. I got a glimpse of one but plan on investigating further soon, as their showroom is not that far from me.

ICFF Koncept LED Lamps

Now available from the MoMA design store is this LED lamp from Koncept, which comes in both table and floor heights.

I love LED lights; I have two standing ones I bought from Levenger. They consume very little power and they look great. The only thing I dislike is the fluorescent-like blue cast to the light, which is not always flattering or soothing. Koncept lamps solves that problem by offering the option of both warm and cool LED bulbs. I hope the industry standardizes on the warm bulb.

ICFF - overall thoughts

The next few posts will deal with the ICFF I mentioned earlier. It was a really cool experience, right off the bat. I've been excited by furniture design for a long time so it was great to immerse myself in a show on the topic, much like the NY Auto Show I attended a few weeks ago. For those who are well versed in this exhibition, pardon my layman's analysis.

All things considered, it was a pretty sedate show. In fact, it was much more sedate than expected. I thought I would see lavish displays – and there were a few – and lots of incredibly unique pieces that were more design statement than a piece of usable furniture. While there were a few of those, it wasn't the predominant theme of the show. By far, 'green' designs were the most prevalent. Green can sometimes mean bland but designers rose to the challenge and focused on simple forms and texture. Mid-century modern hasn't released its grip on design minds and it was great to see it hasn't, since it's a favorite of mine.

It is reflective of our economic times that the focus of the show was on sales. I disappointed many by saying that I wasn't an interior designer or a retail shop. On the plus side, so many vendors sold direct on their website.

I wish I had gone to the big Milan show this year. I may put it on my list of places to go next year. That and the Frankfurt Auto Show. More from the ICFF to follow soon.

Returning to normal

I'm 50% finished with my move and 100% finished the NY part of my move. The other 50% – the move of stuff long languishing in storage in San Francisco – will take a few weeks to complete but will happen sooner than later. It's amazing what a difference a new space can make in one's life. I've gone from dark and small to light and large. It's awesome.

I'll kick off the 'summer' season shortly with posts from the public day at the ICFF – International Contemporary Furniture Fair – at the Jacob Javitz Center here in NY. I've avoided my design blogs so that I can approach the show with my own lens without outside influence. It's my first ICFF show so I'm excited to see what I usually see second or third hand.