A muddle of inflatable tubes—knotty, colourful and larger than life—dominated the floor of the Javits Center from May 18 – 20, 2025, as part of the International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF), purportedly 'North America’s leading platform for contemporary furnishing design'. The cheeky installation by contemporary artist CJ Hendry titled Keff Joons, in many ways, mirrored the exuberant creative energy of the annual trade fair. Perhaps more importantly, it offered visitors a space to rest, in between navigating over more than 450 exhibitors from 35 countries, both for the primary show and the sister showcase, WANTED. ICFF has established itself as the event that is not only the largest showing of its kind in the United States—with over 13,000 visitors to the fair this year—but also a platform that sets conversations on the shifts and trends of the American design industry. With design events and fairs taking place almost every month in different corners of the world, the New York-based show is a notable barometer of what to look forward to and what the concerns for the industry are.

To that end, this year's theme for the exhibition, Designing in Harmony, aimed to explore how design can serve as a tool for bridging the divide between process and product, culture and context. The hope is to create a sense of balance between desire and responsibility by centring urgent conversations on regeneration, resilience and collaboration in a practical framework. It was not only Hendry's installation that injected a sense of playfulness into the massive exhibition space of the Javits Center. The trade show's sister event, WANTED, was once again a stand-out, occupying about 20,000 square feet; spotlighting much-needed emerging voices and fresh perspectives. This year, the palpable energy at ICFF—not only present in furniture, lighting, brand and material showcases alongside the public programming—cemented the growing opinion that the fair is evolving from a trade show into a cultural gathering, where dialogue, education and multisensory experience are as central as product display.

Bringing together such a large number of exhibitors, brands and emerging voices onto a singular stage and giving them space to breathe is no mean feat. A revised layout by Rodolfo Agrella Design Studio ensured that the circulation design allowed for chance discoveries. Across the exhibition floor, while disparate displays commanded attention, certain common threads emerged that underscored the fair’s focus on harmony. Many designers showcased products which offered multifarious interpretations of handicraft in the luxury sector and an emphasis on locally sourced materials. This focus on craftsmanship, also a signal of a return to slower consumption, is particularly worth noting.

For instance, a display by Japanese furniture manufacturer, Miyazaki Chair Factory, highlighted the company’s dedication to craft and recycled materials. Another fun, interactive display was put on by Heller to reintroduce the beloved Bellini chair, designed by Mario Bellini and his son Claudio. The chairs were perched on crates of oranges, which visitors were free to take. Lighting design studio Juniper debuted Ground Control at the fair, which was presented in their Recharge Lounge. Leon Speakers and INDO Projects displays deepened their dedication to innovative design with displays on bespoke solutions for home furnishings.

While brands on show focused on sustainability and human-centric values in the design landscape, it was equally interesting to observe how designers responded to the relevance of storytelling, process and emotional connection as vital to practice. Many independent studios and product designers showcased works that conceived of materials and textures in playful ways. Larose Guyon’s new Abysse light, showcased at ICFF, was a stand-out, along with Appartement2’s vibrant modular storage system. Also worth noting were some of the international showcases at the design event. A host of Brazilian companies took to the platform with a wide range of works, highlighting Brazil’s craft heritage and innovative spirit.

Elsewhere, WANTED extended a fresh lens through which to imagine a future for contemporary design. A healthy dose of experimentation and concern for ethics was foregrounded by the emerging voices. With a larger dedicated space for display this year, the organisers were able to give a platform to 18 schools of design, 90 studios as part of the Launch Pad and more than 70 studios in the Look Book. The Look Book showcase was particularly riveting this year, with a focus on high-end North American designers, makers and entrepreneurs. Zack Nestel-Patt's Ah Um Design Studio, Anna Dawson, Cuff Studio, Unform Studio and Elizabeth Lyons had curious offerings at Look Book.

On positioning both emerging and established designers with such grace, ICFF brand directors Odile Hainaut and Claire Pijoulat, stated in an official release, “The balance between the expanding WANTED area and the core ICFF exhibition was especially powerful. Emerging designers brought fresh, exciting work that infused the fair with energy and excitement, while established brands such as Juniper and the launch of Morpho by Ethnicraft and Tomorrowland surprised and delighted with unexpected presentations and thoughtfully designed spaces.” The vibrancy and hopeful spirit of ICFF was particularly worth noting in a landscape where the US' mounting tariffs have made it unclear how trade will be affected.

ICFF provides ample space for discourse through their talks programme, which centres conversations on these issues, also giving the stage to questions on diversity, inclusivity and bespoke craftsmanship. In ‘Bridging the Gap’, a talk moderated by Amit Gupta, Editor in Chief of STIR, Mohammad Al-Thani, director, Institute of Arab and Islamic Art; Hibah Albakree, co-founder and managing partner, Designlab Experience; Andrea Caesarman, partner, Design Week Mexico; and Emilio Cabrero, contemporary design director, Design Week Mexico spoke about the necessity of the discipline to address issues of social and economic disparity. Another powerful dialogue emerged in AAPI Voices in Design: Navigating Identity and Visibility in Creative Fields, which featured influential Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) creative professionals who spoke about how their design work and identity mutually shape each other.

A panoply of voices, innovative perspectives, experimental works and an abundance of optimism in design’s ability to shape a better tomorrow, ICFF presented an interesting glance at the ways in which design is positioning itself to deal with the world’s polycrises. Where on the one hand, the emergence of handcrafted techniques look to redefine how we view luxury, on the other, the emphasis on recycling and local materials offers a sense of collective responsibility. It’s interesting to observe how designers balance innovation with consciousness, as on display at the three-day event. As Hainaut relayed to STIR in our recent reportage, speaking about the relevance of the fair in a world defined by tension, "Designing in harmony goes beyond form or function—it is a holistic approach that centres on respect for people and the planet. It is about combining empathy with imagination to resolve challenges and create meaningful experiences that support both human well-being and ecological integrity."