ICFF New York 2013

The International Contemporary Furniture Fair is a yearly trade fair held in the big apple, NYC. And this year Candana went a long to check out what was happening in design in one of the most prominent design capitals of the world.

'The ICFF hosts more than 500 exhibitors from more than 30 countries in 11 categories from furniture to materials to kitchen and bath to fabricators.

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.'

One of the great things about this fair was that you were greeted most of the time by the actual designers/owners of the companies exhibiting. 

The passion in their product was evident and it was great meeting some of the local NY designers and manufacturers.

On the first day of the fair, I ran into none other than one of the most prolific designers of our generation, Karim Rashid. It's pretty hard to miss him, towering over me at over 6ft and wearing an all white suit with the exception of a pink shirt and matching shoes. He is the definition of an eccentric designer. If you know me, you'll know that I am a huge fan of his work and was completely starstruck. Definitely one of the highlights of the fair.

Another highlight was sitting in on a talk with world renowned architects Claesson Koivisto Rune. I've admired their work for many years and was extremely lucky to listen to their thought process and have them talk us through some of their projects.   

Back to the fair. One of the biggest trends I spotted was minimalism.

Modern lines, block colours and clean shapes were in abundance. Very chic, very New York.

From furniture to jewellery, there was a heavy use of luxe metals such as gold, brass and copper which was also carried through to the bathroom finishes. Samuel Heath's new art deco inspired range 'Style Moderne' was on display in a lovely range of finishes, the antique gold my personal favourite.

The other obvious trend was the use of bright colour. Cerulean armchairs, lime green bath tubs and tapware powder coated in every colour imaginable were on display.

Bathroom favourites were also on show, Philippe Starck's new Axor Organic range was on display (working model and all!). The lovely Devon & Devon range as well as amazing new bathtubs by Victoria & Albert. 

ICFF is the 'couture fashion show' of interior design and I felt extremely privileged to visit one of the most influential fairs within this industry.



All photos by Candana

Cersaie 2012

Bologna is not only a beautiful city with beautiful people and great food, it is also home to the Cersaie bathroom and tile fair once a year.

Staff at Candana have been coming here for over 15 years now and we have watched not only the size of the exhibition grow but also the quality of product displayed.

Over the years you see the way the European market changes. Four years ago it was the introduction of black. Black was back.

Before then it was hard edged square that was the fashion. Not only in tiles, basins and toilets but black tapware was all the rage. 

This year it is colour. Everything is colour and we love it. 

Tiles are changing, pastel colours are back in fashion but we are now seeing this applied to ceramics.

Baby blues, soft yellow, pastel pinks and warm greys. Often we see that some trends don't follow through to the Australian market but I think this one is a winner.

Designers are now looking at how to introduce colour and simplicity to an ever expanding market. 

The renowned Philippe Starck has introduced a new tile line that erases the concern over tile lines that don't match up. Displaying these in the usual colours but also introducing soft pastel colours in a way that says to me "let's have some fun now".

We have all experienced the gfc in one way or another and the stress that comes with it.

I think if anything has come out if this fair it's an attitude of "Let's enjoy life and the colours that come with it".

I know I will take that on board when we look at new product in the future. 

Stay tuned for our launch in to the tile world, early 2013.

Marc Reed- Managing Director of Candana

Cersaie 2011

This year I was lucky enough to attend the Cersaie Bathroom and Ceramics fair in Bologna, Italy.

I visited the fair in 2009 and was quite curious to see how much it would change or whether it would be affected at all by the recent world economic state.

I have to start by saying the fair was as massive and impressive as ever. Cersaie is held in an exhibition centre which spreads over 176,000m2, there are about 1,016 exhibitors (approx 750 of those are Italian) and is visited by roughly 82,500 architects, designers and importers over the 4 days of the show. So in summary, its huge.

Luckily we don't sell tiles, so I could cut out half of the halls but it still tired me immensely and forced me (as touristy as it sounds) to take the little courtesy train from hall to hall over the 2 days I spent at the fair.

I should also mention photography isn't allowed so all the images taken were on the sneaky (and if you're a Cersaie official, my friend Mrs Feyk took the photos).

One of the first stands I visited was Gessi. They wowed me last time with a tremendous stand which included a cafe, bar and stylish Italians sipping coffee, and delivered again this year. I was given a tour of the stand and got to see their newest electronic range ISpa. The range was designed with the I-Pod shape as inspiration and features temperature and pressure electronic controls on top of the spout. Very sleek, very clever. Of course they also displayed the stunning Goccia range but this time all were working models which was great to see.

Simas had a fantastically kitsch and colourful stand. They displayed their ranges against OSB walls and neon lights, creating a very industrial and fun display that was extremely effective and drew me in immediately. What can I say? I'm a sucker for neon lights!

Antonio Lupi is a favourite of mine, their stand is always beautifully styled and very, very popular so with that comes their very strict no photos or touching policy! Unfortunately not even Mrs. Feyk could take pictures to share with you. They showcased their contemporary freestanding baths and basins against traditional elements. Resin oval baths sat by Louis armchairs and Carrara marble freestanding basins in front of renaissance style paintings. Divine.

At Cersaie, Vola team up with Rapsel and Nito for their stand to put together a classic, sophisticated range of products that compliment each other perfectly. Vola displayed their new R-Series, a range of wall mounted tissue dispensers and waste bins which have already won awards and are a favourite of the Candana team. And of course all the Vola classics were there, HV1's (basin mixers) KV1's (kitchen mixers) and the more recent FS3's (freestanding showers).

Giants in the bathrooms world, Hansgrohe and Laufen rarely disappoint. Hansgrohe showcased the wonderful Urquiola, PuraVida and Bouroullec ranges, which as featured previously on the blog here, offers a huge array of options and configurations.

Laufen kept their display simple but effective whilst highlighting the additions to their already extremely popular Palomba and Alessi ranges.

During my wanderings through the fair I discovered an Italian company called Cielo, who displayed their very alluring freestanding basins against grey, textured walls. Once I tore myself away from them (the walls, that is) I noticed they have a new range  'Amedeo' designed by none other than Karim Rashid. The elegant lines in these basins are a perfect example of Karim's understanding of unique shapes.

Known for their mosaic tiles, Bisazza launched their second line of bathroom furnishings at Cersaie this year. Designed by Marcel Wanders the aptly named 'Wanders Collection' is like nothing I've seen before in bathroomware. It's ornate, shapely and a little OTT, but I love it! The hints of red in the tapware are perfect against the black, white and crystal. And yes, that is a crystal chandelier shower!

Bisazza Bagno's first range 'The Hayon Collection' is a contemporary take on 1930's shapes and incorporated mirrors, tapware and lighting into the basins. The finishes include black, white and radiant copper. Its a totally conclusive and practical range.

Finally, Galassia was another Italian brand I hadn't seen before and I was drawn to their stand right away. They very cleverly displayed their sanitaryware with an artistic edge. They extended their console legs in a sculptural way that was very effective. And I absolutely loved the 'hand' accessories, so fun!

In conclusion, it seems bathroomware is having a bit of a break from being too serious which I think is great. Have a bit of fun with it, add a crazy bright coloured tap or a fantastic light fitting to your bathroom and instantly transform the space from 'wash-room' to a place where you can escape from every day life.

All images by Candana