With NYCxDESIGN’s 10th Anniversary Festival under way off this week, Whitewall brings you highlights from the exhibitions, product launches, and conversations taking place.
Thatcher Mother Collection, NYCxDESIGN, 2022, courtesy of Thatcher.
Thatcher launches three fresh collections: Mother and Ether at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF). The Mother collection derives its name from mother of pearl, as the lustrous wallcovering catches the light from varying surface layers and angles, producing a dynamic and brilliant appearance. Ether, a curvy motif tile, translates the circuitous meshing of light’s reflections upon water and the sense of color passing through earth’s atmosphere.
Foscarini, “Uptown: The City of Light,” NYCxDESIGN, 2022, courtesy of Foscarini.
Foscarini debuts an exclusive photography project by Gianluca Vassallo, artist, photographer and video maker, for the 10th anniversary of NYCxDesign. The project exhibits the Uptown Floor Lamp designed by Ferruccio Laviani within the skyline of New York City in iconic locations. In addition, Nile by Rodolfo Dordoni for Foscarini presents a statement piece which explores harmony between contrasts: a lamp that features consistency and lightness, industry techniques and craftsmanship. New collaborators, Alberto + Francesco Meda, drawn to Foscarini for its innovation, introduce Chiaroscura, a triangular illuminator that emits direct light upwards and diffused light to the sides.
Vases Découpage, Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec, Vitra, 2020, courtesy of Vitra.
Vitra partnered with the Festival, commissioning floral artist Lutfi Janania to design a series of contemporary floral installations inspired by the newly released Vitra Flower Guide: a resource of floral design to rejuvenate the spaces we live and work in. To close the exhibition, Vitra will hold a talk titled “Dynamic Spaces” on May 18: a continuation of the recent Vitra Session on flexible office systems, which debuted their new modular system for contemporary workspaces, Comma.
“Craft in Transition,” NYCxDESIGN, 2022, photo by Sara Pettinella, courtesy of the Female Design Council and Carl Hansen & Søn’s.
Female Design Council and Carl Hansen & Søn bring their collaborative exhibition, “Craft in Transition” to the design brand’s New York Showroom during NYCxDESIGN week. Curated by Lora Appleton, founder of the Female Design Council, the project fuses the artwork of 12 established and emerging FDC artists & designers with Carl Hansen & Søn’s heritage furniture, in an installation that honors craftsmanship, process and thoughtful design. The exhibition features sculpture, ceramic, furniture, and fiber art by: Anna Rindos, Arati Rao, Arielle Assouline – Lichten, Colleen Carlson, Dee Clements, Elodie Blanchard, Fernanda Uribe, Kate Dannessa, Kristin Victoria Barron, Luam Melake, Rhinanon Griego and Yolande Milan Batteau.
Design house Ligne Roset hosts a special exhibition at their NYC flagship: A retrospective of designer Philippe Nigro’s body of work for the brand. The installation highlights Nigro’s latest collaboration with Ligne Roset and Mobilier National—the Hémicycle seating collection. “Ligne Roset Presents Philippe Nigro and Mobilier National” encompasses several spatial notions of conversation settings, inviting guests to experience continuity between design history and contemporary living. In addition, Ligne Roset will sponsor the Lounge by Wanted Interiors at ICFF, designed by Rodolfo Agrella.
Courtesy of Poltrona Frau.
The Poltrona Frau True Evolution 2022 indoor product collection, embodies the essence of the company’s 110-year anniversary: an authentic journey based on cultural heritage, with sustainability as the lever of development. Major design innovations developed with Ludovica + Robertio Palomba, GamFratesi and glass designer Assia Karaguiozova, and the expansion of the product range, aim to serve the needs of contemporary living. This year, Poltrona Frau launches an important new product, Pelle Frau ® Impact Less, leather tanned with sustainable components and without chromium, with less water use and fewer chemicals. The Archibald Limited Anniversary Edition, a vibrantly colored version of the iconic armchair, originally by Jean-Marie Massaud, is now created in collaboration with artist Felipe Pantone.
