The floor at ICFF at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City on Monday, May 21st, with a view of the Spanish Pavilion.
The International Contemporary Furniture Fair, which brought over 500 design exhibitors from more than 30 countries to the Jacob Javits Center in New York City, recently wrapped up its 24th annual event. The GLASS Quarterly Hot Sheet attended the fair that ran from May 19th – 22nd on the hunt for the most notable new directions for glass lighting design. While LED technology generated several notable high-tech task-lamp designs, mostly metal and plastic, there was also plenty of hand-blown glass on view in the form of architectural lighting. Some basic trends in glass lighting fixtures for 2012 can be summed up by the following keywords: “timeless,” “geometric,” “organic,” and “craft.”
While not exactly retro, several exhibitors were displaying lighting that shared in classic design elements from previous decades. Case in point was the Spanish design firm Santa & Cole, which included several metal and fabric lamp designs that date back to the 1950s and 60s and distinguished by oversized lampshades and clean, pure lines that blended well with contemporary designs. On a more glittery note, an American distributor for the Milan-based firm Cristallo Nuovo brought the usual Swarovski shimmer while designer Michael McHale opted to distill the chandelier’s overt glamour by incorporating gas pipe/fittings and leaded crystal—a reflection of “the times that we’re in,” according to McHale.
Design House Stockholm, Form Us with Love, Form Pendants, 2012. Blown glass, metal. courtesy: isabella webbe
Perhaps the recession is the reason for the current surge of austere designs, many of which recall minimalist trends of previous decades. Design House Stockholm’s “Form Pendants” exhibit a simplicity of shape, their “Block Lamps” a durability of form that are both reminiscent of [insert like work here]. “Timelessness” also denoted a design’s sustainable features; for instance, Lukas Peet’s “Rudi” series utilized a simple, paperclip-like shape along with energy efficient cold cathode lamps for lighting.
Siemon & Salazar, banded orb pendants, 2012. Blown glass, satin and polished nickel and dark bronze. H 9, W 9. courtesy: isabella webbe
A return to refinement of design was often paired with a recognition of glass’s volatility as a material, with the word “organic” being used to describe the creation, appearance, and intended effect of specific works. Caleb Siemon’s (of Siemon & Salazar) Banded Orb Pendants paired an understated, or as Siemon describes, “Scandinavian-inspired” shape with a modern palate, which was derived from the “rich hues and undulating topography of Southern California.” Tracy Glover’s Silver Lining Chandelier described a similar marriage of contemporary color and simple shape, as well as the Open Pendant Lights of Urban Glass’s own Jamie Harris. As would be expected of designers whose instructional background ranges from RISD to Pilchuk to Murano, all three spoke intently of their dedication to craft; in fact, a majority of their works are available on a custom-made basis, hand-forged by the designers themselves.
SkLO, hold sconce, 2012. Blown glass, metal. H 18, W 8, D 4 in. courtesy: isabella webbe
A handful of designers exhibited all three of these (what I’ll tentatively refer to as) trends, two of which are relatively new to the scene. SkLO (Czech for “glass”) is “rooted in the unique synergy found between design and craft.” Husband and wife team Paul Pavlak and Karen Gilbert combine their respective architectural and jewelry design backgrounds with Czech glassblowing craft, in order to forge sleek, innovative glass works that blur the line between form and function. Also relatively new is Apparatus Studio, whose self-described “buried in the backyard” aesthetic is the product of their use of aged/repurposed materials and a thoroughly modern sensibility. Stylistically they’re often compared to Lindsey Adelman, who was also in attendance several aisles away. Her Spike Pendant and “Branching Bubble” series evoke precise and elegant shapes of handblown glass connected by repurposed brass or bronze; each piece is different, especially since much of it is custom-made.
Lindsey Adelman, Branching Bubble fixture. photo: isabella webbe
For more information about the exhibitors mentioned, check out the ICFF website.
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