Wanted Design 2013: The coolest and newest from young designers
Wanted Design 2013, the independent home furnishings show that ran concurrently with the International Contemporary Furniture Fair in New York this month, reported an increase in visitors this year: More than 10,000 people stopped by the Terminal Stores building in Chelsea to check out emerging talent from around the globe.
From the packed opening night reception May 17 that drew lines around the block (exhibitor Evan Crane joked that he struggled to get his father into the show) to the ICFF floor at Javits Center, the positive buzz was strong.
“I like how they put together big names with small designers,” Patrizia Moroso, creative director of the Italian furniture company, said from her showroom in SoHo. “It is interesting to see new thinking from young artists.”
Moroso was referencing Jerry Helling, president of Bernhardt Design, who presented a colorful collection of modern lounge chairs, accessories and textiles called the Carrot Concept created by a Salvadoran design collective.
“We have fantastic weather, fantastic energy in El Salvador,” designer and co-founder Harry Washington said. “It’s wonderful inspiration to design colorful products that have character.”
In what was a welcome departure from the furnishings on view at Javits Center, many of the designers at Wanted melded modern craft with traditional furniture design. Boston designer Debra Folz displayed oak stools braided with colorful leather spiral strips, while New York designer Sinje Ollen covered an Arne Jacobsen Egg Chair in hand-knitted, hand-dyed merino wool.
Wanted Design organizers Claire Pijoulat and Odile Hainaut said they were happy with the third installment of the event. The Launch Pad, a space for market-ready furniture prototypes, worked well as a special destination, they said in a statement to The Times. “A strong presence from Latin American exhibitors and artisans was well balanced with representation from the U.S.”
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