The Crossroads exhibition at ICFF 2024 – Photo by Alice Gao.

Design–ICFF – International Contemporary Furniture Fair is North America’s leading fair for contemporary furniture design. Archipanic’s founder and Editor-in-Chief, Enrico Zilli, has selected seven furniture and lighting designs at THE CROSSROADS exhibition, which shone a light on how American designers seek to preserve long-honoured craft traditions with more than one eye on sustainability.

• RELATED STORIES: Read more about NYCxDESIGN 2024 on Archipanic.

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THE CROSSROADS “is an ode to both the fantasy and dreams of American design and a hands-on approach to sustainability practices,” explained Creative Director David Rockwell and his firm Rockwell Group, and Editor/Co-Curator Pei-RuKeh who created a vibrant environment at the core of ICFF 2024.

“This year’s exhibition also highlights the different ways creative communities band together to ensure the longevity and enrichment of design as a whole, whether it be through the more inclusive representation of different cultures or deeper, community-wide engagement to make design more accessible to all.”

Photo by Alice Gao.

“Each month, 15 million discarded t-shirts are imported to Ghana under the guise of recycling and philanthropy. This is actually just the waste trade, the Global North polluting more vulnerable countries with overproduced garments.” Explains NYC artist and activist Elise McMahon, who founded LikeMindedObjects. From here, her responsible furniture and accessories design project launched the T-SHIRT WASTE LOOM, a tool kit to empower creative individuals to get rid of their unwanted, old or forgotten t-shirts and transform them into new, more functional designs.

Chair dressed with upcycled T-shirts using the T-SHIRT WASTE LOOM by LikeMindedObjects – Photo by LikeMindedObjects.

Alexis & Ginger is a promising NYC-based studio founded in 2023 by freshly graduated Ginger Gordon and Alexis Tingey. Sustainability is at the core of their material exploration, which includes carved wooden forms, textured textiles, inlay, and stained glass. We particularly liked their Tapestry chair, inspired by delicately draped textiles. The Vignette chair is designed to show the passing of time, with the contrasting materiality telling a story of changing light and shadow within a space.

Courtesy of Alexis & Ginger.

Thehighkey is the artistic name of John Vieweg, a Brooklyn-based creative working at the intersection of physical and digital design. At ICFF 2024, he presented the Glove Couch, conceived in 3D software by thickening a curved line reminiscent of throwie graffiti. The sofa is part of the Relief design collection. “Historically, reliefs have been made by carving away natural materials. The series puts a contemporary spin on this technique by cutting into common industrial products such as plywood and foam.”

Courtesy of Thehighkey.

Loose Parts is a component-based modular furniture system hand-crafted by Jennifer Jun and available as individual pieces or self-assembly kits. Named after the founder’s grandma, the Mamá Cari Chair allows you to change the height of the backrest to fit the curve of your back. All Lose Parts’ multitasking designs are inspired by ad-hoc furniture assemblies found on NYC streets. “Our mission is to design sustainable and creative opportunities for people to engage with the objects that fill their lives.”

Mama Cari Chair by Loose Parts – Photo by Black & Steil.

Skram presents BOLOTA, a limited series of seating and tables featuring high-density black cork, blackened aluminium surrounds, and satin bronze tension pins. Founded by Jacob Marks, the design company from North Carolina produces formaldehyde-free furniture made using only non-toxic adhesives and industrial strength, low-VOC water-based polyurethane finishes, and certified and locally sourced timber.

Courtesy of Skram Furniture.

NYC-based designer Daniel Michalik creates objects that explore the intersections of material, culture, and manufacturing. “Recently, we have explored the secrets of cork, a sustainable material, regenerating every nine years for harvest. The Portuguese regions of cork production hold centuries-old farming and manufacturing traditions that can teach us how objects can be made more responsibly.” At ICFF 2024, he presented the simple and petite Cross Chair that allows for a momentary perch to gather one’s thoughts.

Cross Chair by Daniel Michalik – Courtesy of Daniel Michalik.

Founded by Michael Yarinsky and Kelley Perumbeti, the Office of Tangible Space furniture company explores design as a conduit for strengthening connection and community. The Extruded Coffee Table has an oak top and a base made from clear anodised aluminium. Inspired by stone stacking, the Pebble lighting collection is a composition of rounded, interlocking planes and illuminated milk glass globes.

Extruded Coffee Table and Pebble lighting design by Office of Tangible Space – Photo by Jonathan Hokklo Photography.

All photos are courtesy of ICFF 2024 and the exhibitors.

Glove Couch by Thehighkey – Courtesy of Thehighkey.