Shopping has never been more communal. If your home needs a lift, then your timing is impeccable, as this week, thousands of design thrill seekers descend on New York (and Brooklyn) for that very reason. Aesthetes will find no shortage of inspiration and eye candy over the coming fortnight with the kickoff of the sixth edition of NYCxDesign. The annual citywide celebration, which runs through May 23, showcases the latest in contemporary design at a suite of trade shows as well as exhibitions, open studio tours, public displays, and presentations by leading architects and designers from around the globe—not to mention a host of parties and some splashy events.
The centerpiece is the International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF), which runs May 20 to 23 at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center. Billed as “North America’s platform for global design,” the trade-focused ICFF, which attracts some 36,000 visitors, is nothing short of encyclopedic in its offerings, boasting more than 800 exhibitors specializing in all manner of furnishings for residential and commercial interiors, including lighting, flooring, fixtures, and wall coverings.
A dinner service by potter Tulya Madra—the Turkish-born, New York-based founder of Santimetre Studio—is available at the WantedDesign fair in Manhattan. Photo: Courtesy Santimetre Studio
One of the standout events during NYCxDesign is WantedDesign, which hosts two fairs—one at Industry City in Brooklyn, which runs May 17 through 21, and a second at the Terminal Stores in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood, which takes place May 19 through 22. WantedDesign founders Claire Pijoulat and Odile Hainaut see both events—which include pop-up shops, lounges for socializing, and forums for conversation between notables in the field of design—as immersive and thought-provoking experiences. WantedDesign’s come-as-you-are vibe has always felt like an open invitation with both Pijoulat and Hainaut encouraging visitors to engage in the kind of international creative dialog that the show has fostered for years.
A tea service created by students at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago—the results of a seminar class taught by designers Jonah Takagi and Pete Oyler. Photo: Courtesy School of the Art Institute of Chicago
Another must-see is Sight Unseen OFFSITE. A place for the insider/collector crowd, the show takes place May 17 to 20 at 201 Mulberry with additional presentations located at partner venues around Manhattan. Curated by Jill Singer and Monica Khemsurov, founders of Sight Unseen, an online magazine “dedicated to discovering what’s new and next in contemporary design,” the event presents 44 exhibitors showcasing works by up-and-coming talents. Notable among them is GH X MVNGMTNS, which is offering a lighting collaboration between Giselle Hicks and Moving Mountains, and Birnam Wood Studio and Suna Bonometti Jewery Design, which have come together to create a stellar suite of low tables executed in aluminum, glass, and concrete.
