Design Show FOMO? Don’t Worry, We Saw It All at ICFF & Here are Some Favorites

Every year during New York Design Week I like to get out of the office and head over to ICFF (aka the International Contemporary Furniture Fair) to check out new design trends. There is always SO much to see, and I admit to having design show FOMO: I can’t help but walk every single row and check out every single booth. I somehow managed to get out of the Javitz center within a reasonable time frame, but not without a bag filled with business cards and fliers galore from all the sellers I visited. Though there were so many inspirational things to see, I managed to narrow it down.

The lighting creations of Pablo Designs never cease to amaze me, but their newest product, the UMA Sound Lantern, was particularly captivating. They have redefined the portable lantern for the modern age, and it is both elegant and smart. The LED light provides a soft glow, and the lantern also includes a surround-sound Bluetooth speaker. Essentially you’ve got light and sound all combined together in a seamless, cordless, and completely portable package. This is such a perfect centerpiece for gatherings indoor or out, and now that I have one I can’t wait to try it out this summer.

Mobiles — no, not the ones hanging over the baby crib, actual adult hanging decor — are a new trend that’s starting to make waves in the design community. This mobile by Atelier Oï caught my eye immediately when I walked in the door at ICFF, and it is truly mesmerizing. Made entirely out of rice paper and wire to hang it, the whole thing is sold in a flat-pack for you to put together yourself. The pieces are pre-folded and the instructions are clear — I did it in under 30 minutes! Now that it’s hanging in our office, it moves slightly with the airflow, catches and diffuses the light, and overall makes for an incredibly calming visual.

In case you don’t feel like you’re ready to DIY your own message board, you can always buy one of these super stylish boards from Danish Company Design Letters & Friends. These message boards are available in four colors, two sizes, and work perfectly in just about any room of the house. Use them for notes to your loved ones or as a simple, chic way for your children to practice letters and spelling. Everything from Design Letters incorporates typography in such a playful way, and while the message boards were certainly my personal favorite, our Danish friends have given us so many unique design options to explore. Be sure to check them out — they have expanded to 55 countries and counting!

The Dyson booth had a variety of different products on display, from air purifiers to vacuums, but their new Supersonic hair dryer just begged to be tested out. I personally don’t have much use for a hair dryer but this thing was incredible. Using the revolutionary thinking that Dyson always uses with their products, the Dyson engineers have created a new hair dryer that keeps consistent heat (it measures the temperature 20 times per second!), dries hair super fast, and has rebalanced the weight and shape of a typical blowdryer so that the motor is actually in the handle, rather than the head. Each comes with add-ons (like a diffuser or smoothing nozzle) that magnetically attach to the blow dryer as if by magic. Dyson has outdone themselves yet again.

And of course a design show round-up wouldn’t be complete without some representation from our friend Rebecca Atwood. Her new embroidered collection is beautiful, but what especially caught my eye was her Sashiko Stitch Fabric which she also sells as a throw pillow! This embroidery technique (translating to “little stabs”) comes from an ancient Japanese style originally used to reinforce cloth. The result is a beautiful textile with a subtle design, that only gains complexity upon a closer look.

Got a great idea for a Fantastic Find? Send your submission to molly@apartmenttherapy.com!