 |
 |
In This Issue |
|
TREND REPORT: DESIGN FOR THE REAL WORLD The masses have spoken: We want affordable, accessible design! Lucky for us, the focus is no longer limited to luxury and price point. What’s more, our palates crave more modern, contemporary design these days; but not too stark, please. And let’s not forget our ecological responsibilities; design needs to have an eye toward sustainability. There’s an unexpected functionality to new design in the gift and home categories. We’re moving beyond tried-and-true chrome and black; texture is emerging. Product designers have to be talented artists, inventors, and risk-takers to get the right balance of functionality and inspired design. Their inspiration, their perspiration, our admiration. NYIGF is home to great design in many guises, with Accent on Design® leading the way with its hallmark, cutting-edge dynamism. Look further, and you’ll find the quality of artisanal design in Handmade®; fashion-forward, on-trend design in Details®; and functional, sophisticated and graphic design in the new STUDIO™ division. Here’s a small sampling of the treasure trove awaiting you at the upcoming NYIGF. |
|
|
| RETAIL SCOOP: MOSS... THE BOSS! Is it a gallery, showroom, or salon? Moss is all three, even while looking like a museum. Hailed as the best design store in the world, for product selection as much as for presentation, Moss has transformed the public perception of industrial product design. Sophisticated shoppers seeking statement pieces from some of the greatest designers of the 20th century depend on Moss for their decorative accessories and gifts, furniture, lighting, watches and jewelry, books, and all manners of tabletop. When making the pilgrimage to Moss in Soho, check out the adjacent “Design Art” gallery space dedicated to exhibitions of work by artists, designers and manufacturers. Moss, 150 Greene Street, (212)204-7100. www.mossonline.com |
See It
Sample books – for over 300 years they’ve been integral in making design choices in wallcoverings, textiles, ceramics, and other decorative arts. Physical samples face extinction, though, as contemporary design industries move to open-sourcing and electronic marketing. Multiple Choice: From Sample to Product, an exhibition at the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum, is a collection of sample books and plates, textiles, ribbons, lace and embroidery, and prints. This is a fascinating history lesson on the manufacturing processes, technological innovations, design tastes, styles, and color sensibilities of other eras. Cooper-Hewitt, 2 East 91st Street, open daily. (212)849-8400. www.cooperhewitt.org
Taste It
Designer Jason Volonec just won’t sit still. On the heels of designing the interior of Allen & Delancey, he’s imparted a “ghetto hodgepodge” aesthetic on the new Cuban restaurant Cantina in Alphabet City. Volonec brings the same authentic, stylish touches to the place as he did in La Esquina and 205 Club. Up next: yet another exotic eatery opening in February, Elettaria,(translation: green cardamom) serving up an eclectic American menu with Indian and Filipino undertones in a former musical venue where Jimi Hendrix once played.
Cantina, 29 Avenue B, (212)228-0599. www.cantinanyc.com Elettaria, 33 West 8th Street, (212)677-3833. www.elettarianyc.com
|
Straight A’s
The New York International Gift Fair is owned and managed by GLM, a dmg world media business.
Register to attend, or apply to exhibit, at www.nyigf.com.