New York’s ICFF was buzzing this year with a creative energy that felt like a refreshing reset for the design world. Established brands brought back beloved classics while a new wave of designers pushed forms in unexpected directions, creating a show full of exciting contradictions.
Metal took center stage with designers forming steel, aluminum, and brass into structures that looked impossibly light. Furniture that folded, bent, or transformed appeared throughout, showing growing interest in designs that adapt to our changing spaces. What stood out most was the contrast between the furniture and lighting worlds: seating was weird and experimental while lighting stayed elegant and refined.
This year’s ICFF wasn’t defined by a single trend but rather by designers finding their voices again, creating work that felt both fresh and familiar.
Part of Astek’s Kinetic collection, these motion graphics-turned-wallcoverings feature layered surfaces that appear to gradually wear away, revealing unexpected textures beneath. Photo courtesy of Astek
Astek’s Kinetic Collection Becomes Art
Astek’s Topo wallcovering stopped visitors in their tracks with its mesmerizing meditation on erosion and time. Part of the group’s Kinetic collection, these motion graphics-turned-wallcoverings feature layered surfaces that appear to gradually wear away, revealing unexpected textures beneath.
The effect creates a visual narrative of transformation—cracks, pits, and mineral-like details emerge in what feels like a geological discovery frozen in time.
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- Heller reintroduced the Bellini chair during ICFF.
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- Originally designed in 1998, this sculptural classic has now evolved into the “ArcoBellini” through a collaboration between Mario Bellini and his son Claudio. Photos by Chris Force
Heller Brings Back the Bellini
Sometimes the best innovations are actually revivals, as proven by Heller’s reintroduction of the beloved Bellini chair. Originally designed in 1998, this sculptural classic has now evolved into the “ArcoBellini” through a collaboration between Mario Bellini and his son Claudio.
The chair’s angles and curves create a piece that’s as visually striking as it is comfortable. Made from a single piece of injection-molded plastic, this stackable chair features thoughtful details like a metal-reinforced grommet for water drainage, making it useful for both indoor and outdoor settings.
Larose Guyon’s Abysse light evokes the intriguing atmosphere of the seabed and its fascinating creatures with its brass finish, textured by the sea. Photo courtesy of Larose Guyon
Larose Guyon’s Ethereal Light Seascape
Larose Guyon’s new Abysse light was both theatrical and tasteful. Abysse evokes the intriguing atmosphere of the seabed and its fascinating creatures with its brass finish, textured by the sea, and its multiple suspended bold chains lit by hand-blown glass globes. The effect is somewhere between shipwreck treasure and luxury hotel lobby in the best possible way.
Artist CJ Hendry brought her sense of humor to ICFF with “Keff Joons,” an exhibition inspired by Jeff Koons and his iconic animal balloons. Photo by Chris Force
CJ Hendry’s “Keff Joons” Art Installation with a Twist
Artist CJ Hendry brought her sense of humor to ICFF with “Keff Joons,” an exhibition inspired by Jeff Koons and his iconic animal balloons. The tongue-in-cheek homage featured balloon “knots” that deliberately forgo structure and form, creating playful juxtapositions that challenge our perceptions of space and volume.
“Balloons are so simple, yet they carry this enormous emotional weight—joy, nostalgia, fragility,” CJ says. Her installation embraced the balance between lightness and impermanence, encouraging visitors to interact with their surroundings and explore how movement, placement, and material transform spaces both physical and internal.
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- CJ Hendry showcased a limited collection of eco-friendly children’s chairs that turned sustainability into a design feature.
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- Each chair displayed unique random flecks revealing its sustainable composition. Photos courtesy of CJ Hendry
Eco-Friendly Children’s Chairs
Alongside her art installation, CJ Hendry showcased a limited collection of eco-friendly children’s chairs that turned sustainability into a design feature. Made using 65% recycled materials on behalf of indoor sensory playground Space Club, each chair displayed unique random flecks revealing its sustainable composition, with the remaining 35% consisting of the powder used to bind the recycled components in the rotomold process.
“We chopped up the “Public Pool” flower inflatables and blended them into these chairs and tables,” CJ said on Instagram, referring to her 2024 inflatable pool installation ringed with chaise lounges in the Sandy Valley Ranch outside of Las Vegas.
Limited to just 150 pieces in each color, no two chairs are alike thanks to the organic manufacturing process.
Drawing inspiration from monochromatic interiors, radical design, animals, and space-age aesthetics, Reggy St-Surin’s Tom Chair embraces exaggerated curves and a creature-like form that demands attention and invites interaction. Photo by Chris Force
Reggy St-Surin’s Tom Chair
Designer Reggy St-Surin’s Tom Chair exemplified the bold, experimental spirit prevalent among emerging designers at ICFF. Rather than creating a conventional seating piece, Reggy set out to challenge expectations with a design that doesn’t immediately register as a chair despite being meant for sitting.
Drawing inspiration from monochromatic interiors, radical design, animals, and space-age aesthetics, the Tom Chair embraces exaggerated curves and a creature-like form that demands attention and invites interaction. While ergonomics weren’t neglected—seat height, foam density, and backrest angle were all considered—the primary goal was to spark curiosity.
The Solis daybed by Ethnicraft represents a fusion of comfort and artistry, designed for pure indulgence whether poolside in Ibiza or on a New York rooftop. Photo courtesy of Ethnicraft
Morpho x Ethnicraft’s Luxurious Surrender to Nature
Morpho, the design label of music festival Tomorrowland, made its debut under the creative direction of Antwerp-based architect Dieter Vander Velpen, extending the festival’s experience into lasting architectural legacy. The Solis daybed by Ethnicraft represents a fusion of comfort and artistry, designed for pure indulgence whether poolside in Ibiza or on a New York rooftop.
Drawing inspiration from nature’s patterns, colors, and materials, the collection features contemporary Art Nouveau approaches influenced by architects like Victor Horta and Antoní Gaudí. The fantastical dragonfly serves as a primary inspiration, with its wing patterns reflected in delicate metal detailing across the collection.
The Leon Speakers Ente SoundTile flipped the script on technology as that thing you hide behind plants or inside cabinets, creating speakers you actually want to display. Photo courtesy of Leon Speakers
Speakers You Actually Want to See
The Leon Speakers booth tackled a pet peeve of designers everywhere: the audio equipment eyesore. Their Ente SoundTile flipped the script on technology as that thing you hide behind plants or inside cabinets, creating speakers you actually want to display. The front panel doubles as a canvas for custom artwork or photography, turning the speaker into a focal point rather than something to hide. A Sonos Amp is integrated inside providing reference-grade sound and full access to the Sonos platform.
The next edition of ICFF will be held in NYC May 17 – 19, 2026.
