
ICFF + Wanted Design Manhattan 2021. PHOTOPHORES collection by Daniel Effet x Ooumm – Photo via IG by @ooummparis.
Design – For the first time, ICFF, North America’s leading platform for contemporary furnishing design, and WantedDesign Manhattan, a trade event for high-end North American studios and international emerging designers, joined forces for New York Design Week 2021. Check what we liked the most.
- RELATED STORIES: Read more about New York Design Week 2021 on Archipanic…
Founded by Jodie Fried and Sally Pottharst, Armadillo responsibly creates rugs primarily handcrafted in India with natural materials and energy-efficient processes to counteract today’s throwaway culture. The ultimate collection “is loosely inspired by travel. It feels exhilarating to immerse myself into a new culture, not just in terms of the sights, sounds and smells but also the light, scenery and architecture.” Armadillo strongly supports the Care & Fair program – an initiative set up to combat illegal child labor in the Carpet Belt Region – and improve living conditions for artisans and their families by donating 10% of net profits through the Armadillo Foundation.
Studio D’Armes creates enigmatic and modern lighting with a poetic and singular approach. At ICFF, they presented the Gigi collection, “the result of a professional love affair,” with the Montreal glass blowing studio Verre d’Onge. “This joint project is the alliance of two domains: the mastery of glass and light.” Under the breath of the glassblower, the unique shades and tones of the color spread throughout the material. It allows itself to be discovered, to be revealed in alternating opacity and transparency.
Founded by Rasmus and Ida L. Hildebrand, Friends & Founders is a Copenhagen-based furniture studio creating contemporary designs with a strong focus on architecture, art, and craft. The eye-catching Knockout tables have a distinct geometric DNA. Selected marble is untreated and leaves a honed, matte, silky finish. The tabletop is made from solid aluminium, making the furniture suitable for outdoor spaces.
Based in Puebla, Mexico, Bandido Studio presented the NAGA pendant lamp. The lighting design is the result of a balance between the exploration of shades, brightness, and shadows with vitreous and stone materials. NAGA is inspired by the sparkle show that fireflies make in the forest of light in Nanacamilpa, Tlaxcala.
oOumm is a French company founded by art collector Maria Bosoni exploring the boundaries between high-quality home fragrances and exceptional objects. The Photophore collection features bespoke candleholders and vessels made of marble and glass and designed by Dan Yeffet.
Boston-based Tomma Bloom, a multidisciplinary design studio founded by textile designer Tom Lerental, was awarded the Best of Launch Pad 2021 in the furniture/home accessories category at Design Wanted Manhattan. The Sonia and Rene collection presents a contemporary interpretation of the Art Deco aesthetic and brings together the essence of Sonia Delaunay and Rene Lalique’s creative practice in a vibrant collection for interiors and spatial design.
ArtCenter student and product and spatial experience designer Echo Zhan won the Best of Launch Pad 2021 in the lighting category for her Revolve decorative wall light aiming to “anchor ourselves among the chaos.” The design is conceived for those who spend a significant amount of time in the same environment, like students or people in smart working. As the led light source changes position through the day, the design constantly and seamlessly changes colour soft, creating and subtle rhythm.
Lucy Wang presented her Make a chair project which consists of a puzzle composed of three distinct pieces that can be arranged in different dispositions to function as an ergonomic seat but also as a tool to perform posture exercises encouraging stretching and movement.
Brooklyn-based studio Opiary launches the Hoodoo Lamps series of quirky, hand-sculpted and fully customizable standing lamps. The studio integrates nature into its designs, incorporating live greenery and organic shapes into bespoke furniture, planters, and sculpture. “Through the ethos of biophilia, our work reflects the shifting, yet the timeless relationship between humans and nature.”
York City-based Bowen Liu Studio creates artistic furniture collections inspired by life experiences immersed with local cultures. At ICFF, they presented the HELLE collection. Named after the Hell Gate Bridge in the East River of New York, the designs celebrate the unique view of the bridge as seen from a ferry during the many sailing trips to the Long Island Sound the studio founders did in the past few years.