icff

Best of Inhabitat: ICFF 2010

May 28, 2010

Inhabitat at ICFF photo

The annual International Contemporary Furniture Fair showcasing the hottest new interior furnishings and products from around the globe is always a treat for us and, surprisingly, the 2010 show was even more kickass than years past despite a sleepy economy. We spotted so many fab furniture finds from eye catching newsboxes turned into terrariums and aquariums to a stylish <a href="http://inhabitat.com/2010/05/18/chair-made-from-350-cut-up-playing-cards-is-a-winning…Read the full story on TreeHugger

A Rat Lamp? Sublime to Ridiculous Furniture Design Seen During ICFF (Slideshow)

May 26, 2010

rats design new york icff photo

Yes those are stuffed rats I saw while in New York, covering the International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF). Back home for a week and I don’t think I could look at another light fixture or chair. We have done nearly 35 posts and now three slideshows. I am sweeping up what’s left into a final slideshow of some sublime work that I missed earlier, and some of the sillier, fun stuff. And what could by sillier or more fun than a lamp made from stuffed rats?

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Local Food in Pretty Packages Displayed at Art Gallery, of All Places

May 25, 2010

local food table photo
Lloyd Alter

Local food is popping up everywhere, but in art galleries? That’s what I saw at Partners & Spade in the NOHO district of New York City. It is an exhibition of the packaging of foods made in Brooklyn, and range from the self-conciously designed products to the more traditional designs that have become part of peoples lives….Read the full story on TreeHugger

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Innovative Student Furniture Design at ICFF Steals the Show (Slideshow)

May 20, 2010

modular terrain yale icff furniture fair photo
Yale’s Modular Terrain chair. Image credit: Lloyd Alter

It happens every year at ICFF, the International Contemporary Furniture Fair held annually in New York: The big manufacturers roll out the fancy booths and their latest wares, but the kids get all the attention. Students don’t suffer from the limitations of mass production or the vagaries of the marketplace; they are just trying to do the coolest and most interesting stuff. And once again they do.

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Best of Inhabitots: New York Design Week 2010

May 20, 2010

April Hannah furniture photo

With BKLYN Designs and the International Contemporary Furniture Fair all in one week, New Yorkers were hardly in want of good, green design. Here are some of our favorite pint-size pieces for the younger set, from ant farms you can frame and mount to <a href="http://www.inhabitots.com/2010/05/17/glowing-hexagonal-crystal-led-light-is-a-lamp-puzzle-toy-al…Read the full story on TreeHugger

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The Street (or at Least Some Street Paraphenalia) is in the House

May 20, 2010

newspaper box street icff photo
Carlo Sampietro

A side effect of the slow death of print is the surplus of newspaper boxes. Carlo Sampietro helps solve the problem by recycling them into all kinds of things, from aquaria to hydroponic gardens, from wine coolers to dishwashers. He had the most subversive booth at ICFF; According to his website, “It began with Carlo scoping out specific cabinets to create each piece, then quietly (and in the twilight hours) bringing them back to his workspace.” …Read the full story on TreeHugger

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British Columbia Designers Display (Mostly) Calm and Elegant Work at ICFF (Photos)

May 19, 2010

dexel wood chair photo
Dexelcrafted

They have a lot of wood in British Columbia, Canada, and a lot of talented designers who work with it. A flying squad of them arrived at ICFF with some of the more serene and elegant work in wood. Their booths were all simple and white, showing nothing but their work in the most minimal of settings. …Read the full story on TreeHugger

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Graypants, the Kings of Cardboard, Move into Metal

May 19, 2010

graypants icff aluminum lamp photo

We have been fans of Seattle’s Graypants for a while; Seth, Jonathan and Jon “strive to come up with designs and ideas that are thoughtful and have an impact, whether it be furniture, lighting, architecture or graphics.” Most of the work we have shown to date has been made of cardboard, but this year they introduce Steplight, a new lamp made of aluminum….Read the full story on TreeHugger

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What Makes Ecosystem Paper Notebooks Green Instead of Greenwash?

May 18, 2010

ecosystem notebooks image

They were holding a stationery show on the floor above ICFF at the Javits Center in New York, and every door had a sticker advertising an “Ecosystem” green notebook. My first reaction was surprise that the name was available, and second was that it was probably greenwash- a notebook with a name like that?

But in fact, it is an interesting story of what happens when a company designs a product to be green from the ground up….Read the full story on TreeHugger

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The Latest from MIO: Flatpack Pop-Up Bike Baskets

May 18, 2010

mio flatpack bike basket photo

Another year, another great new product from MIO, who we have been covering since TreeHugger started. This year they offer these clever flatpack bicycle baskets. It is part of their “Design on the Go” series of pop-up products….Read the full story on TreeHugger