Happy In New Yawk : ICFF Day 1

There is nothing like running towards loved ones in New York. I entered Penn Station dragging about 300 pounds of STUFF for my loved ones - I brought bird houses, I brought home made cheese, I brought HAM BISCUITS, honeychile, oh I did, I did, I did.

I walked, lugging that weight, straining up to 39th street where my old room mate is now some hooty-hoo insert-important-title-here at Vera Wang. : ) I felt very bridal and feminine, y'know, with the sweat and leaden limbs of trudging, balancing wobbling boxes and suitcases and laptops over curbs and sidewalks.

And suddenly here I was in a design studio, with bolts of precious fabric standing waaaaaay too close to my Virginia clay-laden boots...

I could see Vera working at her desk and lowered my voice...
I met P's coworkers and offered them cheese.
"Hi, I'm Copeland, would you like some cheese?"
It breaks the ice.

They were on deadline for Vogue so I left them quickly, which was probably a good thing as P. promptly began telling all kinds of stories about me - about how I used to roller skate around our apartment, how I would fix my shoes with a hammer (like I can sew)...

Revenge? I am now talking about YOU, P. ; ) (Don't worry, NO ONE reads this!!!!)

We filled up on Murray's bagels, then headed to ICFF.
I explained my criteria of what interests me:

gorgeous, compelling, modern design
use of environmentally-friendly materials
PRACTICAL, honeychile, it needs to stand up to wear and tear!

So it might be gorgeous, it might reuse materials, but when I look at something I picture it four years later: will it have dust and dirt engrained in it? I avoid felt for that reason, I avoid wall paper with texture for that reason (much less wallpaper made up of thousands of jig saw puzzles at all heights like I saw last year; I took one look at that and thought, "Oh, imagine the dust...")

Can you wipe it? Can you clean it? Because that makes your life EASIER, more simple.
And finally, one thing I do *not* like in design? Whimsy. Overtly whimsical, ha-ha-I-get-that-you're-overly-colorful-and-curvy-baroque-gone-bad-modern. Really, chile, work on your wit, don't just buy furniture to imply you're witty.
And that's how I feel about that.

P. and I headed out the door to ICFF.

We did not anticipate the blocks-long STOOP SALES on 22nd!!!! Before we'd walked a block, I had bought three dresses for $7 apiece to reuse, and P. found two, perfect condition mid-century asian rosewood chairs with the original, perfect condition cushions - $160 for the pair!!!!

So we dragged our treasures back to P.'s...
Wait, aren't I here for ICFF?
We began our second attempt to walk past the stoop sales without stopping...and succeeded!
So what have I liked at ICFF so far?

As always, the Material ConneXion booth was full of new, cool materials.
As always, I really liked DesignBoom's pick & choose offerings, especially the little egg & wheatgrass vase...

Round up for today:

DUNN table and chairs, GORGEOUS craftsmanship!!!!
www.StudioDunn.com

Graypants recycled cardboard lamp shades, good price point, locally sourced cardboard and craftspeople involved with these 3 sweet architects: www.graypants.com

"Each scrap light proudly tells the story of its journey from being a dull, discarded cardboard box to a stunning, unique light fixture."

Pratt Institute's collaboration with Herman Miller: Sara McBeen's Aata bench, celebrating family and sharing - you sit in the middle and use the ends as a table, she explained it came from her experiences of a generous family in the middle east who welcomed her, the giving and warmth and sharing...

Qlocktwo: THEY RETHOUGHT TIMEPIECES!!!! Who'da thunk it?!?
www.Qlocktwo.com

Reconstructed wood lamps by LZF - especially the link lamps... www.lzf-lamps.com

Material Culture: Santa & Cole: Amigo light. www.santacole.com

The Corso "Just Slide" by Antoni Arola: Fantastic. It moves, adjusting the way the light emanates... and is easily wipe-able... slick, clean, modern design that is DURABLE.