IFDA Selects at NY NOW

NEW YORK, August 28, 2017 — IFDA Selects rolled into town once again with the opening of the NY NOW show at Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, which ran August 19-23, 2017.  Volunteer judges and board members from the New York Chapter of the International Furnishings and Design Association (IFDA NY), all major players in the design field, were on hand to walk the floor of this expansive home, lifestyle and gift show and choose Best in Show in various categories.  Here, the winners share their inspirations.

Innovative Booth Design: Fornasetti Profumi  

The IFDA Selects award-winning Fornasetti Profumi booth featured a curved design and striking wallpaper from Cole & Son, based on a Fornasetti design, against which the home fragrance vessels were displayed. CEO Laurent Delafon is featured at the booth’s curve.   

In a space-saving design the Fornasetti vessels for a selection of three or four fragrances floated against “Lost in the Clouds” Cole & Son wallpaper, based on a design by the Italian master.  The newest products were highlighted on rectangular pedestals on the carpet.  Most interesting from a structural standpoint, the booth curved at the end.  “We wanted the booth to be a comfort zone, offering privacy and a cocoon-like feel,” said Laurent Delafon, CEO of Fornasetti Profumi CEO.  “The curved panoramic expanse of the wallpaper reinforces the trompe l’oeil effect, so important to Fornasetti; it feels as if the clouds are three-dimensional.”

Art: Ngala Trading

“I don’t bring a product in unless it has a story,” advised Lawson Ricketts, Creative Director and Co-Owner of Ngala Trading Co., whose designs are handmade in Africa using organic materials.  The hand-stitched leather chandelier, “Romantic Leather Chandelier,” won Best in Show in the Art category. “It was handmade by women outside Johannesburg. With this design, we wanted to use less leather for a more commercial design,” continued Ricketts.  To give it a modern look, they introduced brass into the chandelier, and it also comes in silver or copper and any color leather. Glass beads were also added to bring texture.

Ngala Trading Co. Creative Director and Co-Owner Lawson Ricketts under the IFDA Selects award-winning “Romantic Leather Chandelier.”

Decorative Accessories: Ercole Home

“My work is a continuous evolution of material and designs,” said Ornella Pisano, President of Ercole Home, based in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood.  “In the award-winning round mirror sunburst table we used antique mirrors in new applications.  We made the antique mirrors ourselves and created the sunburst pattern composed of rays.”

Furniture: Kifu Paris

The IFDA Selects pick for Best in Show for Furniture was  the Bullion side table by Kifu Augousti. Her table was inspired by gold bars and how they stack; the geometry of them. They bars are actually drawers. “It’s Art Deco with a playful cheekiness and mystery,” said the Paris-based Augousti. The design is brass with a bronze finish.

Gourmet Housewares: Mukul Goyal

“My inspiration is playing with human forms,” said Mukul Goyal, Principal Designer and Director of his eponymous company headquartered in India.  It’s no wonder then that his mortar and pestle is called “Headbanger” and features a chromed brass, stainless steel human figure as the pestle and a granite mortar — and that it won the praise of the IFDA Selects judges. “I love rock and head bangers go into a frenzy, just like with a mortal and pestle, which I use to make my ginger and lemon tea,” explained Goyal.

Green Sensibility: Lost & Found by Kiro Design

“This is field is luxury; I wanted a brand that gives back, a conscious brand that is sustainable,” said Kimberly Rodgers of the company she founded.  Lost & Found specializes in the purchase and redesign of retro, antique, mid-century and vintage furniture.  Items obtained by Lost & Found are commonly reupholstered, refinished, reinforced and redesigned to achieve a fresh new look.  The core concept behind lost and found is reuse, renew and give back. In line with this concept Lost & Found also provides a line of readymade pillows produced from upholstery remnants. Ten percent of all furniture and fixture sales and 20 percent of all soft goods purchases goes towards the UNHCR (the UN Refugee Agency). 

Kimberly Rodgers of Lost & Found by Kiro Design, at left, and Dionne Watson of Villeroy & Boch and an IFDA Selects judge, at right, holding the IFDA Selects framed certificate.

Lighting: Zenza Home

“Teardrops are the inspiration — not something sad, tears of joy as well,” said Yasmina Chahbar, Managing Director and Co-Owner of the Dutch-based Zenza Home, of the award-winning Elegance Collection of pendant lamps.  “They are made in Egypt of nickel-plated brass and each hole is hand-drilled.

Tabletop: Honi Werner

Honi Werner is inspired by the thicks and thins of the calligraphic line and contemporary shapes when creating her ceramic one-of-a-kind centerpieces.  She combines these sculptural designs with aged surfaces.  “I like to experiment with colors and glazes to blend the old with the new,” she said.

Textiles: Flavor Paper  

“We’re the first people to take Andy Warhol’s Flower paintings into wallpaper,” says Jon Sherman, Founder and Creative Director of the Brooklyn-based Flavor Paper. “The goal is to get as many colors in as possible.” No wonder the Small Flowers EZ Papes design won an IFDA Select award in its category.  Flavor Paper’s new EZ Papes are pre-pasted and easy to install versions of digital prints.  

Wallcoverings:  M3LD

Unique interpretations of mid-century modern and brutalism style and the desire to improve communities influence M3LD.  The new company’s architecturally driven recyclable PVC wall tiles won IFDA Selects in the Wall coverings category. They are paintable and can be used for an entire wall or fireplace surrounds, backsplashes, indoor/outdoor and more.  A team of three design experts, M3LD is shaking up design in its native Salt Lake City and beyond. 

The International Furnishings and Design Association (IFDA), founded in New York City in 1947 and now with 14 chapters worldwide, provides a professional forum for communication and interaction among its high-profile members.  The IFDA, a not-for-profit volunteer-run association, also promotes career advancement and educational opportunities and is structured to increase public awareness of the furnishings and design industry through specialized programming, networking and service to the community.

IFDA NY thanks its INTERNATIONAL Platinum Sponsors: The Shade Store | Sunbrella; INTERNATIONAL Silver Sponsors: .design | Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams and Chapter GOLD Sponsors:  Benjamin Moore & Co. | Hunter Douglas | Kravet Inc. | New York Design Center | Resource Furniture | Stacy Garcia New York.

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