David Trubridge of David Trubridge Design
WANTED DESIGN SHOW
I spent the first couple of days working and walking Wanted Design, a relatively new alternative to the well established International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF) located just down the street at the Javits Center. On display were dozens of up-and-coming designers and international brands trying to wedge their way into the hotly contested US market. Just inside the doors I stumbled upon some great items that were not for sale, so in the spirit of Materialology, I quickly passed them by and ignored them. “Not For Sale” signs translated as “dead to me.”
The first brand of interest and available for immediate sale was David Trubridge (www.davidtrubridge.com), a design group out of New Zealand (Disclosure: Ford&Ching is their agent). The new Aluminum Coral takes its form from an older design and updates it in shiny anodized colors suitable for use outdoors.
Another group of designers were showing their take on the espresso coffee cup at the Express Yourself (www.no-slip-till-brooklyn.com) section. Limited edition runs of 100 slip casted cups are available now. One of the contributors was student Loren Kulesus who gave me his three holed interpretation. I’m still unsure of how to use it, but it does look good on my mantelpiece.
Some of the most interesting design items were still in the prototype phase. This is done under the pretense that it helps student designers break into the business. But in most cases, including Wanted, the inclusion of prototype work confuses the sales process and makes it hard to do any real work. I did see Giulio Cappellini walking the show, so perhaps I’m being unfairly critical. The more I write and talk the more I’m wrong about things.
Giulio Cappellini
ICFF SHOW
Walking into to Javits and descending the escalator to ICFF provided a stark comparison to Wanted. ICFF was bustling with buyers and design fans. It felt like “money.” Directly in front of the main entrance was RS-Barcelona (www.rs-barcelona.com ), another brand represented by Ford&Ching. The booth was one of the busiest, showcasing excellent designs sourced from around the world, including the Matt Gagnon (USA), Shigeki Fujishiro (Japan), and Rafael Rodriguez (Spain).
Walking the show I ran into Graypants (www.graypants.com), a design duo out of Seattle. I first met them a few years back at ICFF and was happy to see they are growing as both designers and a brand. According to partners Seth and Jon, Graypants has been doing a lot of contract work and selling direct online. Look out for their CNC cut cardboard lighting fixtures at a hip restaurant near you.
My last stop was Modko (www.modko.com), the brains who brought you Modkat, “where modern pets do their business.” Ingenious design coupled with tight aesthetics. Done and done. They were also introducing the Flip, a price point sensitive offering sure to fly off the shelves.
I closed the show with a quick loop through the Designboom cash-and-carry area for designers of small products. A bit disappointing compared to years past. Maybe I’m just getting old. Thank you for your time, this is the first of many FEATURE STORIES SERIES from the FORD&CHING agency of the best of interior design world, edited by yours truly Willard Ford the founder of FORD&CHING exclusively for MATERIALOLOGY.
-Willard Ford
