Design is in the Air in NYC

May is always a buzzing time in NYC with design events and showcases galore at every corner of the city. This year, we popped into ICFF, the original cornerstone of the city’s design festival, plus the new show in town Shelter, cleverly dubbed the Mart Nouveau, to see the latest from design brands big and small. Here are a few things that caught our eye…

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 Lighting design had quite a moment at the show this year. This dreamy ethereal lighting installation from Larose Guyon had us absolutely swooning and featured several rooms and a live demo of an artist in action.

In contrast, we saw a lot of sculptural, stackable and petite portable lighting at the show from brands like A-N-D, tala and Koncept, pictured below left to right.

Interactive maze-like experiences created a fun and inviting atmosphere. Molo Design’s accordion partitions and furnishings were irresistibly touchable. While, artist CJ Hendry’s latest cheeky balloon exhibit titled Keff Joons popped up and served as seating in the common areas.

Meanwhile, at Shelter, visitors could appreciate gallery-inspired displays at the Starrett Lehigh building featuring independent designers and studios like A. Space, Pieces Rugs, Stickbulb, and Parmatile, pictured below. With strong foot traffic for a satellite show, it will be interesting to see how the new show in town evolves in the future.