Have you ever attended ICFF, the International Contemporary Furniture Fair? It's a terrific source of contemporary design ideas to incorporate into your own bathroom design.
May 2014 marked the 26th year of ICFF. This year's fair ran from May 17 through May 20 at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York. It also coincided with BlogTour NYC.
Every year, ICFF draws exhibitors and visitors from all over the world to share four days of modern design inspiration, information and networking. According to ICFF,
"North America’s premier showcase for contemporary design, the ICFF annually lures those in determined pursuit of design’s timely truths and latest trends to an encyclopedic exhibition of up-to-the-moment offerings, as well as a series of fascinating, fun, edifying programs, and a packed schedule of exhibits and features."
It should be no surprise that BlogTour NYC designers found plenty of inspiration at ICFF 2014 - not to mention at AIRE Ancient Baths. (See Bathroom Remodeling Inspired by Steam at AIRE Ancient Baths New York.) Based on what they identified, we picked three trends for contemporary bathroom design that we'll highlight for you in this article:
(For additional visual inspiration, be sure to check out In Pictures: ICFF 2014 Highlights.)
Contemporary design often unleashes creative reinterpretations of how traditional materials can be used (see Highlights from New York’s International Contemporary Furniture Fair which refers to the "5 most elemental building materials). During ICFF 2014, BlogTour designers commented on the innovative use of laminate and wallpaper - both of which could be incorporated into a contemporary bathroom design.
BlogTour bloggers were inspired by the creativity exhibited in "Wilsonart Challenges...", an annual design competition and scholarship opportunity for emerging design students. It is sponsored by Wilsonsart, fellow sponsor of BlogTour NYC and a leading manufacturer of decorative surfaces.
The 2014 program challenged students from the University of Houston to design mid century modern chairs using Wilsonart laminate materials. The result: a variety of functional, innovative and creative chairs as you can see in designer/blogger Iris Havekes of C-More Interiors' article titled BlogtourNYC | Wilsonart student chair competition | ICFF | New York Design week.
Winner Jenny Trieu claimed 1st place with her "Infinite" mid century modern design chair, pictured above right, created with a plywood rib cage, layered with veneer and Wilsonart Laminate. The laminate, titled Zebrawood, creates the look of wood grain without needing to manipulate the shape of solid wood. Anya Jensen of Anya Adores in The Wilsonart Annual Student Chair Design Competition commented about the "Infinite" chair design,
"I loved the bold colours, the finish and the continuous flow of the chair - it is an infinity sign after all."
Imagine the vibrant statement any of these chair creations would make in a contemporary bathroom design.
From a practical perspective, as Courtney Price explains,
"The wallpaper designs are also available as window films, in either bamboo or rice paper textures, provid[ing] an innovative alternative to window treatments. It can be applied to windows, glass doors, shower doors, glass partitions, cabinetry and more."
Imagine how you might use wallpaper in your bathroom design on the walls as well as the windows. We're intrigued by the idea of LED lit wallpaper in combination with a steam shower and chromatherapy...
Bold color represented a vibrant trend at ICFF 2014, noticeable in furniture as well as lighting. It also tended to go hand-in-hand with whimsy, the third contemporary design trend included in this article.
Bold Colorful FurnitureWe loved how bold, playful and colorful the furniture from Bend was at ICFF 2014. Bend is committed to being 'innovative and playful' in the products it makes.
Pictured above is the Lucy dining chair collection. We could see the Bend Basket filled with rolled towels in a contemporary bathroom next to a Lucy chair or two...
Colorful and Contemporary LightingICFF inevitably showcases lighting creativity (check out images #5, 8, 9 and 12 in Highlights from New York’s International Contemporary Furniture Fair for additional perspective). From a color and lighting perspective, BlogTour NYC correspondant and designer Kimberly Ward of Pink Eggshell highlighted a great color find in My 10 Favorite Finds From #Blogtour NYC!!!: the Jar RGB lighting project designed by Arik Levy for Lasvit.
Arik Levy designed the Jar RGB lighting fixture for Lasvit with thin colorful glass blowing techniques using the RGB - RGB stands for red, green and blue - additive color model. Lasvit continues,
"Using white glass for one of the hanging jars allows it to turn into a large light bulb generating the light for the entire fixture."
We loved the sense of whimsy that so many products at ICFF 2014 included.
For example, look at the image of this lighting fixture from Mineheart. Is it a lightbulb? A chandelier?
This is the Mineheart King Edison Pendant Lamp design which,
"The 'King Edison' pendant lamp designed by Young & Battaglia, combines the pure simplicity of an Edison light bulb with the romance and glamour of a Kings chandelier. It consists of a miniature brass chandelier inside a hand blown clear glass shade and satin chrome fittings."
From a 'furniture' perspective, check out Canvas by Innermost in the photo below. Is this artwork? A chair?
Innermost utilized canvas material and amusing images to create entirely unique seating. It can be used as an art piece or a place to take a rest and creates
"A surreal cartoon feel where the impossible happens; lounge effortlessly on a 2 dimensional image leaning against a wall."
ICFF 2014 didn't disappoint us with its many contemporary design ideas that can easily be incorporated into a contemporary bathroom and steam shower spa. How will you adapt them to your bathroom design? Let us know.