ICFF 2024: Homing in on Craft, “Bespoke: The Art of Making” Is Set to Unveil

When the 35th edition of the International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF) unfolds at the Javits Center May 19–21 as part of the NYCxDesign festival, design aficionados will rove between 450 exhibitors, listen to enlightening industry panels, and partake in new happenings, including Bespoke: The Art of Making, a brand-new fair section. (Psst: AD PRO members get complimentary access to ICFF. )

This dedicated pavilion—located at the northeast corner of the fair, near the ICFF Main Stage—is a celebration of craftsmanship, putting the spotlight on techniques embraced by high-end artisans. Consider French furniture maker Arca Ebenisterie’s sculptural wood pieces, Santa Barbara–based Neal Feay’s bold aluminum designs, or the moody, colored ceramics from Montréal’s Atelier Pascale Girardin. Straight from Paris, Ulgador’s gilded works and Trame’s digital ones—including Martin Grasser’s algorithm-generated portraits that incorporate Venetian glass—will also be on display, as will creations by French-Lebanese architect, designer, and artist Annabel Karim Kassar. Attendees can further anticipate Pimar Italian limestone, Flowstone glazed lavastone, and bespoke WonderGlass installations from the Source Euro portfolio.

The centerpiece of the section is the Bespoke x AD PRO Salon, crafted by New York firm and AD PRO Directory member MA | Morris Adjmi Architects. “In creating this space, Morris Adjmi Architects transports fair-goers to a classic drawing room in a Parisian apartment. The lounge is outfitted with thoughtfully crafted furnishings and accessories—many bespoke—that are both worldly and curated but never matchy-matchy,” founder and principal Morris Adjmi tells AD PRO.

It’s a setting made for lingering, indeed. “Elegant partition walls frame the space to provide a sense of perimeter and, in turn, protection, from the hustle and bustle of the fair outside,” adds Adjmi, who also called upon Salon sponsors Steinway, the Invisible Collection, Atelier Viollet, Steven Leprizé of Arca Ebenisterie, and Pascale Girardin to elevate the space.

Ceramics by Atelier Pascale Girardin, a Bespoke exhibitor

Photography courtesy Pascale Girardin

Following a special grand opening for AD PRO Directory members on May 19, the Bespoke x AD PRO Salon will be a hub of programming and events for fair attendees. Even amid the planned festivities in the space, “there is also a spirit of ease that allows fair-goers to find a moment of respite in between more formal programming both within and beyond the lounge,” says Adjmi. “A neutral color palette and rounded forms soothe, while a powerful play of textures in the form of rustic and refined woods and soft, knubby fabrics activates the space. Music will accompany the design thanks to a self-playing Steinway piano in an oxblood hue, allowing for an auditory component to the rich sensory experience as well.”

Need we say more? See below for the full events lineup at the Bespoke x AD PRO Salon—and we’ll see you there.

Monday, May 20

ICFF Talks: Trend Spotting, Then and Now 
10:30 a.m. – 11 a.m. 
The Main Stage (Booth 1377)

One look into the AD Archive is all you need to know that the classic adage holds true: What’s old is new again. Tented rooms, curvilinear sofas, sunken living rooms—they’re as prevalent in today’s home tours as they were in the eras that originated them. Join AD PRO editor Mel Studach, AD100 designer and AD PRO Directory member Leyden Lewis, and Morris Adjmi and Becca Roderick of MA | Morris Adjmi Architects, an AD PRO Directory firm and designer of the Bespoke x AD PRO Salon. The panelists will delve into issues of AD past and present to explore enduring, well-crafted interiors that still inspire today.

Bespoke x AD PRO Salon Social 
11 a.m. – 12 p.m. 
Bespoke x AD PRO Salon (Booth 1657)

Following the Main Stage talk, make your way to the Bespoke x AD PRO Salon Social, a spirited afterparty where you can mix and mingle with the panelists and fellow AD PRO members.

Tuesday, May 21

All-Access Pass to the AD Archive
10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Bespoke x AD PRO Salon (Booth 1657)

Explore more than 100 years of the digital AD Archive in the Bespoke x AD PRO Salon. Lounge in the stunning interiors by MA | Morris Adjmi Architects while searching by year, issue, or design style through the archive—an abundantly inspirational resource generally reserved for AD PRO members.