Travel: Mexico City

by Troy

I came to Mexico City for Zona Maco – the largest art fair in Latin America. The artwork was incredible.

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Troy at Zona Maco, Mexico City

While I had a lot of professional responsibilities and I didn’t get to visit the numerous museums I did get to do a bit of exploring in the neighborhoods of Condesa, Roma Norte and Polanco.

Mexico City reminded me a bit of Brussels – lots of different styles of architecture from many different decades – from 19th century to 70’s brutalist to hyper-contemporary. Unlike Brussels, Mexico City is enormous.

I hope you enjoy some of my snapshots…for “Cabaña Blanca”.

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 finding white in Mexico City

Photos by Troy.

 

Event: International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF)

The centerpiece of many design events taking place in NYC last week was the International Contemporary Furniture Fair (known as ICFF).

While oriented towards furniture retailers and “the trade” (aka interior designers and architects) the fair is open to the public for one of the four days.

This was my first year attending (for inspiration and potential new merchandise for Caviar20) and many design professionals I spoke with shared my enthusiasm for this year’s display.

While it was no surprise to see powerhouses like Vitra and Knoll, the strength of ICFF came from the small and medium sized studios that offer bespoke furniture or manufacture their own products (Grain, Rich Brilliant Willing, and Misewell are paradigms)

Strong American design was out in full force – earnest young talent creating work with great lines out of fine materials. Brooklyn-based studios were noticeably well-represented.

While some say ICFF lacks the avant-garde creativity found at the rival fair in Milan, there is a significant and consistent display of fresh, commercial, and livable furniture. Another surprise is how affordable many of the pieces are. If you’re looking for preposterously priced limited edition à la Marc Newson you’re at the wrong fair.

Below is a selection of amazing white pieces I encountered. With the exception of two pieces – everything is priced below $750.

Rock Chair designed by Fredrik Färg

Grant side table by Gabriel Scott

Tiffin lunch kit by Sinclaire

Dakar chair by Skitsch

Hanging light by Lukas Peet

Fern table by Egg Collective

Sydney pendant by Mary Wallis

Delta V pendant by Rich Brilliant Willing

Lockwood chair by Misewell