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ICFF 2009: The International Contemporary Furniture Fair

Crystal clear Recession notwithstanding, touches of super-lux design could be seen at the show, and had there been a prize for the category, Swarovski would have won. The company employed Orion to showcase Swarovski’s renown crystals. Orion obliged, lining the booth’s walls with 24-inch panels in an array of materials, such as Corian, Ultrasuede, marbleized steel, black mirror, ash wood and teak, each embedded with brilliant stones. A lemon leaf motif in acrylic was particularly beautiful, embedded with a narrow band of crystal flat-backs that roll up like ribbon and are sold by the meter. www.crystallized.com.

Crystal clear

Recession notwithstanding, touches of super-lux design could be seen at the show, and had there been a prize for the category, Swarovski would have won. The company employed Orion to showcase Swarovski’s renown crystals. Orion obliged, lining the booth’s walls with 24-inch panels in an array of materials, such as Corian, Ultrasuede, marbleized steel, black mirror, ash wood and teak, each embedded with brilliant stones. A lemon leaf motif in acrylic was particularly beautiful, embedded with a narrow band of crystal flat-backs that roll up like ribbon and are sold by the meter. www.crystallized.com.  (Jennifer S. Altman / For The Times)

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The number of exhibitors may have been down 7% and talk of the recession may have dominated, but clever ideas did manage to emerge from the nation’s premiere modern design show. Click to see what Times staff writer Barbara Thornburg discovered.

Quarter lounge

Got a quarter?

Vermont welder turned furniture designer Johnny Swing seemed more apropos than ever with his pieces made of loose change. He clad his lounge chair with 6,800 quarters, welding each one onto an intricate steel frame. And he used one-dollar bills to create pillows and teddy bears. His Dollar Pig unzips at the bottom — just in case you need easy access to the piggy bank. “I have the only business in the world where the cost of my materials will go down due to inflation,” Swing said. www.johnnyswing.com.  (Jennifer S. Altman / For The Times)

Mangrove Chair

Organic, with a Japanese accent

The lyrical Mangrove chair designed by Japanese artist Eiji Shibata for Teko Design walks the line between design and art. Inspired by the convoluted roots of its namesake tree, the sculptural seat is made of 1/16-inch steel that has been powder-coated a delicious pistachio green. It’s also available in red and white. www.tekodesign.com.  (Jennifer S. Altman / For The Times)

Modulari Architect tiles

Expandable screen

Kiril Kirov of RazortoothDesign created a system of interlocking tiles that form expandable screens. A box of 18 Modulari Architect tiles makes a 31-by-62-inch partition that can be hung from the wall or the ceiling. The swirl, leaf and drop motifs are available in several colors, including green. The lightweight tiles are made of ethyl vinyl acetate, or EVA, that’s non-toxic and UV-stable, good for use indoors or out. www.modulariscreen.com or www.razortoothdesign.com.  (Jennifer S. Altman / For The Times)

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Nesting tables

Multi-tasking tables

Compact nesting tables designed by Paul Loebach for Areaware serve as tables, seats and storage — a welcome addition to a small apartment or house. The verdant hues represented one of the most popular colors at this year’s fair. Hiding out in the top drawer: Harry Allen’s black resin pig, a 2004 design that continues to be a bestseller for the company. www.areaware.com.  (Jennifer S. Altman / For The Times)

Eiji Felt pattern rug/wall hanging

Felt good

Warm, fuzzy felt continued it renaissance, making yet another strong showing at this year’s show. Colorful wool fibers were fashioned into a range of home furnishings: rugs, wallcoverings, pillows, even bowls. Danish designer Lene Frantzen, currently featured across town at the Smithsonian’s Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum exhibition “Fashioning Felt,” laid out loose raw fibers in layers of color, then rolled them up like a jelly roll.  (Jennifer S. Altman / For The Times)

Eiji Felt pattern rug/ wall hanging 2

After a warm, soapy bath — which locks the fibers together — the rolled material is dried and cut in slices, revealing a colorful wool “grain” that can be used as a wall hanging, seat cushion, trivets or coasters. www.berin-design.com.  (Jennifer S. Altman / For The Times)

Lamps by LZF

Sweet lamp

The deft hand of Irish designer Ray Power is behind the Link floor lamp for LZF of Spain. He twisted a 30-foot-long veneer of tulipwood, selected for its versatility and grain, into a Moebius strip that resembles a piece of ribbon-shaped Christmas candy. It’s delicious design. The piece also is available as a ceiling light and hanging pendant in other colors. www.lzf-lamps.com.  (Jennifer S. Altman / For The Times)

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Robal glass table by Green Grove Design

Recycled glass

Green Grove Design from Rochester, N.Y., introduced Robal Glass, a new material made of 82% recycled landfill glass. Beer and wine bottles, liquor containers, old windows, beakers and jars are pulverized, then mixed with a soy-based resin. The material can be cast into indoor or outdoor furnishings, including tables, shower stalls, vanities and cabinets. www.greengrovedesign.com.  (Jennifer S. Altman / For The Times)

Nebu chandelier by Francois Chambard

Everything repurposed

Old things took on new lives, and that included the buzzword “repurposed.” A light fixture featured at the Bklyn Designs show earlier this month and at the group’s booth at ICFF featured a chandelier made of reincarnated glasses. The 250 vintage glasses — one of them an 1880s vaseline glass etched in gold — were purchased from estate sales and Craigslist.  (Jennifer S. Altman / For The Times)

Nebu chandelier by Francois Chambard detail

“It’s named Nebu — short for nebulous — because it resembles a floating cloud of glass,” designer Francois Chambard said. The frame is aluminum cut by water-jet and powder-coated a glossy black. All 250 glasses can be lifted out for cleaning — or for use as barware for your party. www.umproject.com.  (Jennifer S. Altman / For The Times)

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