What, When, Where: Hands On at ICFF

May 16, 2011

By Erin Marvin

Sharp, soft, smooth, rough, cold, hot, prickly, furryâ€¦ ICFF 2011 was a tactile experience.

Though there didn’t seem to be such an influx of cutting-edge, over-the-top products as in past years–a few booths seemed to be in the same spot, with the same offerings, as in 2010–there were plenty of cool new products that invited closer inspection and, in some cases, a hands-on assessment.

Whether furniture, wallcoverings, rugs or accessories, texture was a common thread throughout the show. Below are a few of my favorite touch-worthy creations.

(And please forgive my poor photography skills–I’m no Greg Premru.)

New rug designs by Alpha Custom Rugs included this one made with baby alpaca fur woven within the traditional wool.

A close-up look at the baby alpaca fur used in the Alpha Designs rug. It was so soft!

Detail shot from the Binary low table by BRC Designs; the table base is made from computer towers and covered in motherboards and computer chips, topped with thick salvaged glass

The Binary low table by BRC Designs; image courtesy of brcdesigns.com

This wooden folding screen by Sebastian Carpenter has cowhide-covered panels

On/ON Surfaces from Dazian Creative Fabric Environments, availabe in Tyvek or Drop Paper

These brightly colored, smooth glass orbs are part of the Mod Series by Jamie Harris Studio

The rough-hewn Recyclable Composites collection at the RISD booth

The Softwall + Softblock modular system at Molo Design

The Softwall Softblock modular with LED lighting, also from Molo Design

A detail shot from a bench by Massachusetts-based Douglas Thayer; the bench is part of his Boardwalk Collection, made from salvaged Ipe wood from Brooklyn’s Coney Island Boardwalk