Attendance at the 2024 ICFF increased year over year. All photos courtesy: CFF/Jenna Bascom Photography
NEW YORK -- The International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF), North America's premier contemporary design fair, concluded its thirty-fifth edition, and its first under brand directors Odile Hainaut and Claire Pijoulat, to resounding praise and applause.
ICFF’s bold redesign, color-coded spaces on the show floor, diverse programming, and curated approach drove the enthusiastic response from participants, editors, manufacturers, academics, buyers, architects and designers, and other members of the design community.
The Crossroads by David Rockwell featured a curated selection of sustainable products.
“With a full year as brand directors, we implemented key elements for a successful design fair, merging culture and commerce with a focus on design. This approach has been central to WantedDesign since its inception and is now applied to ICFF,” says ICFF brand directors Odile Hainaut and Claire Pijoulat. “We remained creative in our efforts to build and re-establish this event at the forefront of the international scene. ICFF is more than just a place to source products; it has become a vibrant meeting point for industry leaders. The U.S. market is dynamic and offers significant growth opportunities. ICFF stands out as the premier fair and year-round organization dedicated to helping the industry thrive."
Over three days, ICFF hosted more than 450 established and emerging design brands representing 35 countries worldwide, presenting furniture, materials and textiles, lighting, flooring and rugs, kitchen and bath, wallcoverings, and assorted objects for commercial, residential, and hospitality environments. More than 100 design changemakers and emerging talents participated in over 40 diverse panel sessions, keynote presentations, and intimate talks across the Main Stage, the Oasis, the Bespoke Salon, the Water Studio x Grohe, and the Look Book Lounge.
ICFF 2024 hosted a range of intimate discussions across the fair including at its Main Stage.
This year, the total number of attendees to ICFF topped 13,000, and qualified buyers came in over 10,000, up 8% over the previous year, a strong indication of the industry’s desire to engage and the positive response to the new changes at ICFF.
“As a result of our team’s efforts over the past year, the show floor is better curated, featuring design brands that are contemporary and original, with a balanced mix between US and international, emerging and well-known brands. The floorplan is well-designed, making it more digestible and easier to navigate, with multiple destinations to discover new products under one roof. The programming is rich, inviting the audience to engage in conversations on diverse topics and high-quality content with global impact. The overall show experience has improved, welcoming visitors with fresh, bold branding, better signage, color-coded features, and multiple designed areas for lounging, socializing, and networking. Additionally, the ICFF Editors Awards ceremony was more entertaining this year, thanks to our new master of ceremony, Dan Rosen,” continues Hainaut and Pijoulat.
“Congratulations on another incredible year at ICFF. It was a thrill to see the fair so busy and full of energy. We really enjoyed working with the ICFF team to make The Crossroads come to life," states David Rockwell, Founder and President, Rockwell Group.
HIGHLIGHTS
2024 AWARDS
This year, ICFF hosted the ICFF Editors Awards, WANTED’s Best of Launch Pad Awards for furniture/home accessories and lighting, Best of Schools award, and Best of Students award. New this year, Launch Pad and WANTED Lounge sponsor Lumens hosted the first People’s Choice Award on the show floor and online.
ICFF EDITORS AWARDS WINNERS
Furniture: Bernhardt Design
Outdoor: Brown Jordan Outdoor Kitchens
Lighting: Stickbulb
Flooring & Rugs: Warp & Weft
Kitchen & Bath: Graff
Materials & Surfaces: Turf
Craftsmanship: 9 & 19*
Exhibit Design: Molo
Body of Work: Pern Baan
Emerging Designer: Juntos Projects*
American Brand: Heller
International Brand: Dooq
Sustainable Design: MushLume Lighting*
Best in Show: Stickbulb
*From WANTED’s Look Book
“One of the things about being in the United States is the importance of Design Week in New York. We need to celebrate the greatest city in the world which gives New York and their ability to bring designers from all over the world to one place for one week. The energy at ICFF, WANTED, and Launch Pad is overwhelmingly strong. The evolution of the event is palpable. Everybody is seeing it. From the no carpet on the floors to the signage in the skies, everyone is reacting to it. We couldn’t be prouder to be here, and we couldn’t be prouder to represent American design. This is just the beginning. If you haven’t booked next year’s ICFF, book now. Everything has changed and demand is through the roof,” states John Edelman, owner of Heller Furniture.
ICFF showcased companion event Wanted Design within a special pavilion and attendees gave a thumbs up to the convenient setting.
OTHER AWARD WINNERS
BEST OF LAUNCH PAD, Furniture/Home Accessories Winner: Reggyyy
BEST OF LAUNCH PAD, Lighting Winner: Another.World
LUMENS PEOPLES CHOICE AWARD WINNER: Black Oveja
BEST OF STUDENTS WINNER: Lutum by Eduardo Sampson, Universidad Anáhuac Mexico City
BEST OF SCHOOLS WINNER: Material Opulence by RISD, Rhode Island School of Design
ICFF thanks its partners who also hosted their awards on the show floor this year: Adorno, ASID NY Metro, Be Original Americas, Female Design Council, and IFDA. More information on these awards can be found here.
“ICFF represents a great opportunity to meet with our US clients, helping us to reinforce relationships. In the time of e-mail, conference calls, and socials, I feel personal contact is a must and ICFF gives us every year the opportunity to meet with our clients, partners, and friends. Sharing in an informal environment all the information that leads us to improve cooperation, and that gives us a clearer view of the market opportunities helps us to better react to the market requirements,” states Michele Mantovani of Sevensedie.
Dates for ICFF 2025 are set for May 18-20, 2025. For more information, please visit icff.com.