“Designing in Harmony” is the theme of the 2025 ICFF (International Contemporary Furniture Fair) opening this Sunday, May 18th. Makers and brands from across the globe showcase the latest furniture, lighting, textiles and accessories. Photo by Jenna Bascom




ICFF 2025 Presents Nearly 400 International Brands 



by Benjamin Genocchio

Photos courtesy ICFF except where otherwise noted



Spring in New York means prestige art and design fairs from Frieze and TEFAF to the International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF), America’s most important sales platform for global design. This year’s fair returns again to the Javits Convention Center, New York, running May 18–20, 2025 and is organized around the theme “Designing in Harmony,” with exhibitors placing the emphasis on craftsmanship, sustainability, and what the fair organizers describe as “the human connection at the heart of design, creating an environment that fosters connection, sparks creativity, and celebrates innovation.”


On display will be booths and immersive exhibits by nearly 400 brands and design makers from over 35 countries, including pavilions from Brazil, France, Italy, Romania, Mexico, Japan, and Portugal, among others. One highlight is the debut of Morpho, the new collaboration from Tomorrowland, Ethnicraft, and Dieter Vander Velpen. Meanwhile, there are over 80 ICFF talks from “design icons, curators, and industry leaders” going on across five stages throughout the Javits Center venue.


The look, feel and layout of the fair has also changed with the 2025 floor plan redesigned by RADS (Rodolfo Agrella Design Studio) to improve flow and create distinctive show sections. Bespoke: The Art of Making features high end makers, while Wanted Design, a crowd favorite, promotes emerging talent with a section called Launch Pad, spotlighting 87 international design studios and independent designers, as well as Look Book, featuring more than 60 participants. There is also a showcase of international design schools and student works.




Gaspare Asaro’s playful Aria pendant light can be customized with smaller accent globes in a choice of sizes and colors. Photo courtesy Gaspare Asaro.


Gaspare Asaro 

At ICFF 2025, Italian design once again moves into the spotlight with a curated section of Italian brands including Gaspare Asaro, a dynamic design studio specializing in one-of-a-kind lighting and furniture with workshops in Milan and Florence, and a New York showroom. “Our inspiration is vast,” the brand says, “spanning from time-honored techniques, geometric forms, and the natural beauty of Italy.” Among their exhibits is the Aria Pendant Light, a dialogue between tradition and contemporary interior trends.




Mercoeur Edition presents the Pulse armchair, with extravagantly cascading pleats; the Cancale coffee table, a medley of monolithic shapes in brushed black-stained oak with a black-enameled French lava rock top; and the Sérif floor lamp, with a hand-stitched leather-sheathed metal arc structure and matte-varnished lava-rock base.


Mercoeur Edition 

13 French designers, manufacturers and home decor specialists have been assembled together in “The French Art of Making” area in the Bespoke section. The focus here is on craftsmanship in lighting, furniture and decorative arts, with the emphasis on traditional expertise. Mercoeur Edition blends together what they describe as “ancestral manufacturing techniques with state-of-the-art methods and processes from other creative sectors.” Mercoeur’s furnishings and accessories are as much about process and materials as creative vision. 




The Ravine Almond textured hand-tufted wool and silk rug by Ferreira de Sá creates an island of serenity in a softly variegated pattern of warm earthy tones, designed to enhance furnishings in organic shapes and textured surfaces.


Ferreira de Sá Rugs 

Also in the Bespoke section is Ferreira de Sá, the Portuguese luxury rug producer that preserves “traditional craft techniques” updated with “the latest innovations and sustainable strategies.” Based in the coastal town of Silvalde, Espinho, just south of Porto, the boutique brand has a strong and loyal international following, supplying rugs to many high-end residential, hospitality, and retail spaces.




The handcrafted Jurua chair by Brazilian furniture brand Uultis.


Uultis

Once again, the ICFF welcomes a strong delegation of Brazilian producers ranging from fine wood craftsmen and experimental furniture makers to fresh contemporary rug designers. Uultis is a high end Brazilian furniture brand that mixes “contemporary design, artisanal craftsmanship, and sustainable luxury.” Natural textures and refined finishes are a hallmark of everything they make, such as the Jurua Chair, an inventive, original take on Bauhaus tubular steel furniture. 




Les Branches sofa was conceived as a nest of cushions supported by an interwoven branch-shaped wood frame, evoking natural organic form and a sculptural presence to soften modern architecture.


Promemoria

Fine craftsmanship is a hallmark of the work of high-end Italian design brand Promemoria, based in northern Italy, near Lake Como, producing inventive lighting, furniture and design such as the playful Les Branches sofa. Quality in materials and craftsmanship are hallmarks of the brand which was founded in 1988 by designer Romeo Sozzi, who describes Promemoria “as a factory where dreams are transformed into luxury artisan furniture.” 





The Studio Grain  

Shivya Ahuja, founder of The Studio Grain, describes her brand as a “deeply personal way for me to bring together the raw beauty of my Himalayan heritage and the polished, cosmopolitan sensibilities I’ve absorbed over the years.” Her wood furniture combines contrasts: an appreciation for rustic natural materials married to clean, contemporary lines. The results are refined and authentic objects that celebrate nature with a modern eye, such as her curvy, playfully fluted “Verve” bar stools made of teak in the Launch Pad showcase in the Wanted Design section. Everything is made at her studio in Delaware.   




From Winkle Ceramic Design: Blocky the Table Lamp’s hand-applied lime plaster finish softens its bold geometry with earthy, tactile texture.


Winkle Ceramic Design

The Look Book section features more than 60 participants and includes the Look Book Lounge, a communal area for meeting and relaxing during a visit to the fair. Among the exciting exhibitors here is Winkle Ceramic Design, a St. Louis-based ceramics studio founded by the artist and designer Daniel Shapiro. “Winkle creates timeless ceramic lighting and functional pieces that bring a sense of play to everyday spaces,” the artist says. His cube-stacked pendants, sconces, and lamps are new and inventive in style.




The Dogon are an ancient ethnic group from Mali, and the Dogon Stool/End Table takes its cue from the Dogon spiritual leader’s prestige seat, recounting the Dogon cosmology of the sky and earth. Supported on two ends, it leaves the center open for your exploration and interpretation, for the display objects or books, perhaps. Image courtesy Wexler Gallery


Jomo Tariku 

Also participating in Look Book is Ethiopian-American artist and designer Jomo Tariku, who has designs in the collections of many museums including MOMA, The Met and the Dallas Museum of Art. His furniture draws inspiration from Africa’s diverse and abundant cultural heritage, specifically traditional African furniture, craft and artifacts, and even the familiar afro pick comb. He is represented by Wexler Gallery in the New York Design Center and Philadelphia, where he recently had his first extensive solo show titled Juxtaposed: A Portal to African Design.  




A trifecta of inspiration and artistry, The Vime Lounge Chair is inspired by Tomorrowland, designed by Dieter Vander Velpen and produced by the Indonesian artisans of Ethnicraft. A tangible Art Nouveau influence can be seen in the Morpho collection, a contemporary evolution of the historic style. Image courtesy Dirk Alexander


Morpho 

The U.S. launch of MORPHO, a collaboration between music festival Tomorrowland, maker Ethnicraft, and architect Dieter Vander Velpen is one of the most anticipated premiers of the fair. It also marks “the music festival’s evolution into the world of high-end lifestyle products,” with the collaboration described by its members as a translation of “Tomorrowland’s dreamlike aesthetic into a tangible design language, guided by Vander Velpen’s artistic direction and shaped by contemporary Art Nouveau influences.” Ethnicraft makes the furniture and objects.




The Tree Heart coffee table by Rhode Island School of Design alum Kewei Zhao of Brooklyn’s ZKW Studio. Crafted in curly cherry, known for its subtle shimmering texture, of which the designer says, “its natural luster reflects the light. This luminous quality creates a soft halo which is reminiscent of sunlight on water.” 


ZKW Studio 

Kewei Zhao is a furniture designer based in Brooklyn, New York. Her ZKW Studio produces immaculately finished furniture that takes existing shapes and forms and gives them a clever twist, just enough to make them different and distinguish them from everything else on the furniture market. Her craftsmanship is of the highest quality, as seen in her Tree Heart Tables, which mimic the cross-section of a tree. She has also designed a Lego-like modular furniture system that is boldly inventive.






May 18–20, 2025

Javits Convention Center

429 11th Avenue, New York, NY 10001


Sunday May 18th, 10am – 6pm

Monday May 19th, 10am – 6pm

Tuesday May 20th, 10am – 5pm