George Yabu, Founding Partner, Yabu Pushelberg founding partners George Yabu and Glenn Pushelberg, are among the design stars on the roster of speakers for the 2022 ICFF + WantedDesign Manhattan Talks. Shown a carpet from the Yabu Pushelberg licensing program with Warp & Weft.
NEW YORK —The International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF), North American platform for contemporary furnishing design, and WantedDesign Manhattan (WDM), a trade event for high-end North American studios and international emerging designers, announce the latest topics and speakers for the 2022 ICFF + WantedDesign Manhattan Talks to be held May 15-17, 2022, at Javits Center New York.
For three days in May, design stars, innovators, and big thinkers take center stage to provide responsive new ideas, dive into original thinking, and share their belief in design for the greater good. From celebrating power couples and discovering the next generation of design, to the relaunch of the Interiors Awards and presenting the ECO Solidarity winners, the Talks programming is a true source of inspiration.
Among the highlights:
Design leader Paola Antonelli shares insights from her latest book, Design Emergency; ICFF’s Power Couples Series debut features Eric Höweler and Meejin Yoon of Höweler + Yoon, George Yabu and Glenn Pushelberg of Yabu Pushelberg, and Friends & Founders’ Rasmus Hildebrand and Ida Linea Hildebrand; Inside Norway: Meet the Makers with executives from iconic and upstart brands Dyfosit, Eikund, Fram Oslo, Hadeland Glassverk, Heymat, Figgjo, Lundhs, and Volver; the ICFF Editors Awards open to all exhibitors; the lively Emerging Designers Showcase returns with host Amy Devers from Clever; and returning this year with Be Original Americas is the Mentorship program for emerging designers.
Located on the Talks Main Stage (#863) and in Oasis, by Float Studio (#261), the ICFF + WantedDesign Manhattan Talks program is sponsored by Mercato Place and American Standard. The Main Stage is designed with the support of Turf Design, Midgard, and Be Original Americas, and Oasis is sponsored by Gabriel North America, Mohawk Group, and Normann COPENHAGEN. For the second year, designer Rodolfo Agrella was commissioned to create the look and feel for the ICFF + WantedDesign Manhattan Talks Main Stage.
DAILY PROGRAMMING HIGHLIGHTS
(full schedule link here.)
MAY 15, 2022
10:30 am | ICFF + WDM Talks Stage | 863
Design for Tomorrow: Exploring The Volume Of Color
Ultrafabrics presents ideas and innovation from thought leaders who use neutral color palettes to elevate, explore, and rebuke traditional notions of neutral tones—stimulating senses beyond the expected.
Saana Baker, Editor in Chief, The Textile Eye
Matilda McQuaid, Acting Curatorial Director, Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum
Nicole Meier, Head of Brand, Ultrafabrics
Kathianna Rousseau, Director | Senior Associate, Rockwell Group
Moderator | Stacy Shoemaker Rauen, Senior Vice President, Design Group, Emerald
11:30 am | Oasis, by Float Studio | 261
ECO Solidarity | Part One
A multidisciplinary design movement, ECO Solidarity strives for global unity through design thinking focused on ecology, climate change, equitability, health and community. Learn how European design studios are implementing solutions for an unprecedented future—through design case studies focused on circularity and social practice.
Anna Horvath, Founder, AHA Objects (Malta)
Eduard Herrmann, Co-Founder and Product Designer, Herrmann & Coufal (Czech Republic)
Lotte Kristoferitsch, Project Management, EOOS NEXT (Austria)
George Marinescu, Architect and Founding Partner, Atelier Ad Hoc (Romania)
Maria Daria Oancea, Architect and Founding Partner, Atelier Ad Hoc (Romania)
Sep Verboom, Founder, Livable Platform (Flanders/Belgium)
Moderator | Simone Rothman, Founder and CEO, FutureAir
Noon | ICFF + WDM Talks Stage | 863
Paola Antonelli on Design Emergency: Building a Better Future
Among the world’s most influential design leaders, Paola Antonelli shares insight from her latest book, Design Emergency, and the remarkable designers, architects, engineers, artists, scientists, and activists, who are at the forefront of positive change globally. Focusing on four themes: Technology, Society, Communication, and Ecology, Antonelli explores how our great creative minds are developing new design solutions to the major challenges of our time.
Paola Antonelli, Senior Curator, Department of Architecture and Design, and Director, Research and Development, MoMA
1:30 pm | ICFF + WDM Talks Stage | 863
Power Couples: Höweler + Yoon
Höweler + Yoon is a design-driven architecture practice and creative studio that believes design is an instrument for imagining and implementing change: social, cultural, technological, and environmental. Over the past 18 years, Eric Höweler and Meejin Yoon have built a reputation for work that is formally and technologically innovative, socially engaged, and conceptually rigorous. As part of a dedicated series on power couples, ICFF scouts the industry’s most intriguing design duos to talk about the impact of partnership and how it drives and influences their work.
Eric Höweler, AIA, LEED AP, Co-Founder and Partner, Höweler + Yoon
J. Meejin Yoon, AIA, Co-Founder and Managing Partner, Höweler + Yoon
Moderator | Stacy Shoemaker Rauen, Senior Vice President, Design Group, Emerald
2:30 pm | Oasis, by Float Studio | 261
Ethical Design: Humane and Environmental Provenance
A discussion on ethical aspects surrounding design production, from material sourcing to labor force and the environment, led by artist/writer/photographer Paul Clemence, this panel will bring together leading initiatives addressing humane and ecological practices in contemporary design production. Featured organizations include Design for Freedom, Dissent by Design, Precious Woods, Slade Architecture, and Mohawk Group. According to Clemence, “Today there is a heightened awareness of products provenance and it’s time now to extend that awareness to the design and architecture world.”
Paul Clemence, Artist | Writer | Photographer
Royce Epstein, A+D Design Director, Mohawk Group | Co-Founder, Dissent by Design
Stephane Glannaz, Board Member, Precious Woods+Precious Collection
Hayes Slade, Co-Founder and Principal, Slade Architecture
3:00 pm | ICFF + WDM Talks Stage | 863
Where Originality Begins: Inside the Creative Mind
The best designers build authenticity right into their creative process. Apart from just brainstorming fresh concepts, a truly original thinker must be willing to explore new possibilities at every possible turn to bring us innovative solutions with lasting appeal. But what allows a successful creative to thrive in uncharted territory? Listen as leaders in the worlds of architecture and design, the graphic arts, and business, share their secrets to creating works that stay true to their own unique perspectives.
Gabriele Chiave, Creative Director, Marcel Wanders Studio
Georgie Stout, Founder, 2×4
Amy Auscherman, Archivist, Herman Miller
Stefano Giussani, CEO, Lissoni US
Moderator | Eric Mutrie, Senior Associate Editor, Azure
Presented by Be Original Americas
4:00 pm | Oasis, by Float Studio | 261
Deep Dive with Simon Legald
Noted Danish designer Simon Legald brings a fresh perspective to both small- and large-scale products. He creates designs based on a dialogue between craftsmanship and industry, and favors incorporating visual highlights based on product structure.
Simon Legald, Designer
4:30 pm | ICFF + WDM Talks Stage | 863
Inside Norway: Meet the Makers
Norway has a style all its own—and it is finally having a moment. Meet the talent behind iconic brands Dyfosit, Eikund, Fram Oslo, Hadeland Glassverk, Heymat, Figgjo, Lundhs, and Volver, as they talk best practices in exceptional design, sustainability, sourcing, and production. From artisanship and beauty to methodology and craft, Norwegian makers share their POV on stand-out design.
Morten Hippe and Jørgen Tengesdal, Co-Founders, Eikund
Annette Hoff, Founder, Fram Oslo
Thor-Anders Lundh Håkestad, CEO, Lundhs
Britte Mannaart, Manager, Hadeland Glassverk
Tina Østrem, Co-Founder, Heymat
Anne Kristine Rugland, Founder, Figgjo
Inger Sjøli, Manager, Dyfosit
Ksenia Stanishevski, Founder, Volver
Moderator | Stacy Shoemaker Rauen, Senior Vice President, Design Group, Emerald
MAY 16, 2022
10:30 am | ICFF + WDM Talks Stage | 863
Designers of the Year
To celebrate the relaunch of Designer of the Year, a who’s who of past Designers of the Year talk about their work, outlook, zeitgeist, inspiration, and moving design forward.
Verda Alexander, Principal and Co-Founder, Studio O+A
Shashi Caan, Founding Partner, SC Collective | Founder and President, Globally We Design
Alessandro Munge, Principal, Studio Munge
Primo Orpilla, Principal and Co-Founder, Studio O+A
Moderator | Stacy Shoemaker Rauen, Senior Vice President, Design Group, Emerald
11:30 am | Oasis, by Float Studio | 261
ECO Solidarity | Part Two
A multidisciplinary design movement, ECO Solidarity strives for global unity through design thinking focused on ecology, climate change, equitability, health, and community. Explore how European design studios are implementing solutions for an unprecedented future—through case studies and research on healthy materials, zero waste, and sustainable practices.
Paulina Grabowska, CEO, NASDRA Conscious Design (Poland)
Anatasiya Koshcheeva-Rasehorn, Founder and CEO, MOYA Birch Bark (Germany)
Vlasta Kubušovà, Co-Founder and Creative Director, Crafting Plastics! Studio (Slovakia)
Ana Mestre, Design Director, SUSDESIGN Sustainable Design Studio & Consultancy (Portugal)
Moderator | Jonsara Ruth, Design Director and Co-Founder, Healthy Materials Lab, Parsons School of Design
Noon | ICFF + WDM Talks Stage | 863
Trends Outlook
Industry innovators explore and discuss design shifts that impact environments both commercial and residential—influenced by consumer, cultural, and global forces.
Tobias Berg, Designer and Founding Principal, Tobias Berg
Presented by Luxury Division of Pella
1:30 pm | ICFF + WDM Talks Stage | 863
Power Couples: Friends & Founders
Rasmus Hildebrand and Ida Linea Hildebrand co-founded the Danish/Swedish design company Friends & Founders in 2013 to encourage the creation of inspiring spaces by embracing an individual’s personality. Through bold and innovative design that exudes character and opens itself up to reinterpretation within new contexts, Friends & Founders forges a new path in the world of contemporary design. As part of a dedicated series, ICFF scouts the industry’s most intriguing design duos to talk about the impact of partnership and how it drives and influences their work.
Ida Linea Hildebrand, Creative Director and Co-Founder, Friends & Founders
Rasmus Hildebrand, CEO and Co-Founder, Friends & Founders
Moderator | Stacy Shoemaker Rauen, Senior Vice President, Design Group, Emerald
2:30 pm | Oasis, by Float Studio | 261
Client Conversation: Can Design Build Brands?
In a compelling collaboration on Glowbar, entrepreneur Rachel Liverman and designer Brad Sherman achieved business-defining, customer-centric design goals that changed the course of the company, and anchored it as a premier brand. Together, Glowbar and Float Studio share how they created a cost-efficient, replicable model—best-in-class in its industry.
Rachel Liverman, Founder, Glowbar
Brad Sherman, Founder and Partner, Float Studio
3:00 pm | ICFF + WDM Talks Stage | 863
WantedDesign Emerging Designers Showcase
Discover the next generation of designers as WantedDesign Manhattan hosts a live Emerging Designers Showcase where rising talent pitches their ideas to design experts. Clever host Amy Devers leads the Showcase with design industry pros onstage—giving top young designers a chance to share their projects and personalities. This program is sponsored by American Standard.
Royce Epstein, A+D Design Director, Mohawk Group
Tati Ferrucio, Industrial Designer, LIXIL Global Design, Americas
Jean-Jacques L’hénaff, Leader, LIXIL Global Design, Americas
Luca Nichetto, Founder, Nichetto Studio
Moderator | Amy Devers, Host, Clever
Presented in partnership with American Standard
6:00 pm | ICFF + WDM Talks Stage | 863
ICFF Editors Awards
And the winner is… Join us for The ICFF Editors Awards, one of the design industry’s premier accolades. Judged by design media editors who tour the trade fair floor and deliberate to determine the “best of the best” in product launches, the competition recognizes and honors winners live at The Fair.
Co-Host | Phil Robinson, Show Director, ICFF + WantedDesign Manhattan
Co-Host | Kevin McGhee, Sales Manager, ICFF + WantedDesign Manhattan
MAY 17, 2022
10:30 am | ICFF + WDM Talks Stage | 863
Look Book Live
Five years ago, WantedDesign Manhattan launched Look Book as a way for high-end North American studios, makers, and entrepreneurs to connect with interior designers and architects. Now, ICFF + WDM bring Look Book creators to the stage for a lively exchange with A+D professionals about projects, original design, and beautifully crafted products.
BOA, Founder, OI Design
Ayumi Kodama, Co-Founder, Ayumiya
Miya Kodama, Co-Founder, Ayumiya
Mana Sazegara, Founder, Mana Sazegara
Alfonso Verduzco, Founder, Alfonso Verduzco Design
Moderator | William Hanley, Editor in Chief, Dwell
Noon | ICFF x WDM Talks Stage | 863
Power Couples: Yabu Pushelberg
Yabu Pushelberg is an award-winning global design house specializing in the practical realization of poetic ideas. With studios in Toronto and New York and over four decades of design defined by purpose and curiosity, Yabu Pushelberg has evolved away from a traditional interior design firm and into creative directors of experience, authoring the next era of design through brand strategy, interiors, product, lighting, textiles, and styling. Yabu Pushelberg’s narrative-based approach celebrates that place and personality are inseparable in meaningful settings. Strategic rigor and a deep understanding of new and legacy brands alike guide the design house’s thoughtful consideration of cultural context and emotional experience in actualizing evocative places and products. As part of a special series, ICFF scouts the industry’s most intriguing design duos to talk about the impact of partnership and how it drives and influences their work.
George Yabu, Founding Partner, Yabu Pushelberg
Glenn Pushelberg, Founding Partner, Yabu Pushelberg
Moderator | Stacy Shoemaker Rauen, Senior Vice President, Design Group, Emerald
1:30 pm | ICFF + WDM Talks Stage | 863
Kitchen Tech + Design for the Millennial Client
Millennials are tech-savvy, eco-conscious, and very aware of what they want their space to do, or not to do. This makes them the perfect client–if you know how to manage them. In this session, look at current technology shifts, then take an in-depth look at how to work, communicate, and design for millennials successfully.
Pamela McNally, Vice President, Marketing, NKBA | KBIS
NEW IN 2022
May 15 | 6:00 pm-8:30 pm | Opening Night Reception
Join your colleagues at the top networking reception of the year. The ICFF + WantedDesign Manhattan Opening Night Reception is hosted at one of the most exciting new event spaces in New York City, the Javits Rooftop Pavilion and Outdoor Terrace. For more information and to buy tickets, click here.
May 17 | 7:30 am-10:00 am | ICFF Interiors Awards
This year, ICFF will relaunch the beloved Interiors Awards and distinguished Designer of the Year Award, formerly presented by Contract magazine, at Gotham Hall. Over its 41-year history, the program has been integral to the design field, celebrating exceptional interior design work across all industries and assisting in launching and supporting the careers of some of the world’s best designers. With close to 40 finalists, the 2022 event will continue this exceptional tradition. For more information and to buy tickets, click here.
HOURS AND REGISTRATION DETAILS
SHOW DATES & HOURS
Sunday, May 15: 10:00 am-6:00 pm
Monday, May 16: 10:00 am-6:00 pm
Tuesday, May 17: 10:00 am-4:00 pm
Registration is open to trade professionals May 15-17 and to the general public on May 17. The badge will allow you access to both ICFF + WantedDesign Manhattan. For more details on the Talks schedule and to register for ICFF + WantedDesign Manhattan, please visit icff.com.
Health and safety requirements for ICFF can be found here.