What We Saw at ICFF: Get Ready for Concrete Light Fixtures and Day-Glo Moss Walls

Think concrete and moss. Those two materials dominated this year’s International Contemporary Furniture Fair, where nature and 1970s-inflected Brutalism were the two most visible trends.

There were concrete tables, chairs, objects and lighting, including an inventive chandelier made of terrazzo, from sculptor Randy Zieber of Vancouver-based Randy Zieber Designs. On the opposite end of the scale weight wise were pendant light fixtures made of wicker, bamboo and rattan.

At least four vendors showed natural moss as a wall covering, available in a variety of dyed hues on various substrates, including felt pockets and mesh. Preserved in the same salt as tofu, it’s sound and moisture absorbing as well as fireproof, said Carl Oscar, founder of Arlov, Sweden-based Nordgröna, which uses reindeer moss.

Brooklyn-based online interiors retailer TRNK showed its new line of 1970s-inspired line of sofas, colorful upholstered chairs, and leather and metal sling chairs.

The fair, which is open to the public and took place at the Javits Center May 20-23, is one of the year’s biggest design events and the anchor of New York Design Week. Vendors come from all over the world to show their latest designs for furniture, hardware, plumbing, rugs and wallpaper and there were sessions on affordable housing and how technology is changing design.

Countries such as France, Germany, Sweden and Denmark had their own sections. So did Brooklyn, in the Brooklyn Design Pavilion, though there were plenty of the borough’s makers to be found elsewhere on the show floor as well. Brooklyn exhibitors included Flavor Paper, Grow House Grow, artisanal furniture maker Stefan Rurick, Me and General Design, and longtime East New York maker of faucets Watermark.