Luminous Leaves bespoke chandelier with bronze finish frame and cast glass leaves from Texas-based Hibri Design Studio.




New York’s ICFF 
Keeps Getting Better


America’s Leading Contemporary Design Fair Returns with Renewed Vision


Javits Center, New York, May 17 to 19


Show Dates & Hours

Sunday, May 17: 10 AM – 6 PM

Monday, May 18: 10 AM – 6 PM

Tuesday, May 19: 10 AM – 5 PM


More information can also be found at icff.com



By Benjamin Genocchio



The ICFF continues to raise the bar. This year’s exhibition returns to the Javits Center in New York from May 17 to 19, coinciding with the city-wide festival NYCxDESIGN. The fair features its most expansive programming yet — more than 400 design brands and designers, and 25 talks with over 90 speakers spanning design, architecture, media, and innovation at a dozen venues throughout the event.  



The Mikado armchair from Vitra was designed by Edward Barber & Jay Osgerby. It is distinguished by the dynamic movement of the tilting backrest and upholstery on all sides, which can be removed for cleaning or replacement. 



“What we have been focusing on is creating an environment where design becomes a bridge, connecting people, ideas, and cultures through a shared creative language,” the fair’s Brand Directors Odile Hainaut and Claire Pijoulat told Incollect. “We’re excited for ICFF 2026 to spark discoveries, partnerships, and creative momentum. At its core, ICFF is about people. We look forward to welcoming the community together to build relationships and celebrate design.”



Maker Karen SImon’s Wave Embrace wall light. Steam-bent ash, brass and LED. 



Although the 2026 event is officially themed around “ideas of shaping the built environment and contemporary culture,” the real allure lies in the wealth of outstanding work on display. The core ICFF exhibitors are a balanced mix of leading brands — such as Vitra, Ligne Roset, and Moroso — and specialized boutique designers and studios including Incollect dealers Victor Gallery, established by renowned dealer and rug aficionado, Victor Mashihi (showing artistic rugs and tapestries from 20th century artists) and Pfeifer Studio, known for sculptural wood furniture. The fair also includes an impressive range of makers and studios including Emma Hayes, Mike Serra, and Studio Baldo, Apadana Rugs and Carpets, Christo Logan, Tala, Corston Architectural Detail, Elm and Ochre, and Hatsu.




Left: Incollect dealer Pfeifer Studio will debut this new bistro table with hand-carved textured base and walnut top. Right: The solid ash Whorl Table from Acht Studio in Ontario, Canada. 



“Pfeifer Studio is excited to present our collection at ICFF for the first time since 2018,” AJ DeForest at Pfeifer Studio says. “We look forward to debuting new designs that highlight the handmade quality of our work, including pieces crafted from distinctive natural wood and finished with artisan details, such as hand-laid wooden bowties.” Among the offerings will be a new, as-yet-unnamed bistro table, crafted in walnut and featuring a carved pedestal and base. 


The news in other sections includes an expansion of the enormously popular Wanted programming for up-and-coming designers. Wanted includes Schools Showcase, featuring designs from over 20 top design schools; Look Book, showcasing 70 North American design studios curated this year by Julia Haney Montanez; and Launch Pad, which highlights the very best in fresh, new design talent. Well worth a visit are Crafted Glory in the Look Book section, showing new designs, and Caely Melford Studio in the Launch Pad section is a must-see.



Caely Melford Studio’s Hame Side Table, inspired by various temple designs, is part of an ongoing study on sacred spaces and their ornamentation.



Caely Melford is a furniture and lighting designer based in Mystic, Connecticut. She makes handmade objects informed by what she describes as “the belief in a sacred, intimate connection between the material, maker, user, and environment.” Among her offerings at the fair is the Hame Side Table, part of an ongoing study on sacred spaces and their ornamentation. “The concept draws from various temple designs, such as the tomb of Muhammad Shah Sayyid, the Shah Mosque in Isfahan, and the Painshill Gothic Temple in Surrey,” she says. “But rather than adding, or adorning, I am interested in exploring what the absence of something can reveal — the ornamentation is accomplished through removing material.”




Dormefa Console (left) and Alti End Table (right) by Ashville, North Carolina studio Crafted Glory. 



Kwadwo Som-Pimpong, owner and founder of Crafted Glory, based in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, views the ICFF as an opportunity to show what a West African design sensibility looks like, fully realized in contemporary fine furniture. “I’m bringing the Ati Collection — sculptural seating and tables in American black walnut drawn from West African form language — alongside a bench carved from reclaimed oak that carries its own material history. I’ll also be speaking at the fair on how African artistry can transform contemporary spaces, because for me, that’s the real mission: demonstrating that this design tradition doesn’t just add decoration, it brings warmth, depth, and story.”



From Incollect dealer Boccara Gallery, Alexander Calder’s “The Waves” handwoven tapestry in wool and silk. 



Collaboration with international partners has been expanded, with sponsored “country” sections in the fair spotlighting exhibitors from Brazil, Canada, France, Italy, Japan, Mexico, as well as Romania. Business France has a booth in the Bespoke section featuring 14 French brands. Rug and tapestry specialist (and Incollect dealer) Boccara Gallery, under the direction of expert Didier Marien, is included in this section and will be presenting contemporary artists' tapestries and rugs made by hand in contemporary French traditional artisanal workshops. 


Bespoke: The Art of Making, in its third year, highlights the expertise of high-end ateliers and single artisans from around the world, with exhibitors specializing in everything from handmade furnishings, textiles, and architectural finishes and surface treatments to unique decorative techniques. Highlights this year include participation from specialized makers Hibri Design Studio, Samir Mazer, and Procedes Chenel International. Anchoring the section is the Bespoke Salon, an architectural environment that speaks to artisanship and craft designed by the Post Company.


Other notable displays include a special exhibition section devoted to “new materials,” developed with Jonsara Ruth and Parsons Healthy Materials Lab, sponsored by Hydro, Cosentino, and Habitat Matters. This section sounds exciting — let's see what the designs of the future may well be made of.