Design bites: the best the Big Apple has to offer for this year’s NYCxDesign

Design | 11 May 2015 | By Pei-Ru Keh

With Collective Design Fair, Frieze New York and the International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF) converging on New York City for the first time during the same week, the Big Apple's annual NYCxDesign festival offers more creative happenings across the city than years past. Here's a quick guide of what's in store...

NYCxDesign runs until 19 May 2015 at various locations across the city

'How Posters Work' at the Cooper Hewitt: Graphic design buffs will enjoy the chance to get up close with the Cooper Hewitt's extensive poster collection, some of which has been trotted out for its latest exhibition, 'How Posters Work'. Over 125 works are installed in the museum's Design Process galleries and on its second floor where the permanent collection usually presides. The show hones in on 14 key principles that designers implement when creating a visual message. Expect to see specimens from Herbert Matter, M/M (Paris), Paul Rand and Philippe Appeloig on display in the museum's evocative Carnegie Mansion setting.

Until 15 November at Cooper Hewitt, 2 East 91st Street, New York, NY 10128; T: 1.212 849 8400
Courtesy of Cooper Hewitt Museum

Frieze New York: There are always spectacles and surprises to be enjoyed at Frieze New York. A hop, skip and ferry ride away on Randall's Island, the stylish art fair's 2015 edition is brimming over with talking points. From special presentations of Richard Tuttle (Pace, New York, pictured) and Philippe Parneo (Pilar Corrias, London) to the official launch of the Maharam Serpentine Galleries wallpaper collection, which will be installed around the island, and a special tribute to George Maciunas' 1976 Flux-Labyrinth installation in Berlin as part of Frieze Projects, the fair promises to be as inspiring as ever.

14-17 May at 20 Randall's Island, New York, NY 1003

Frieze New York: There are always spectacles and surprises to be enjoyed at Frieze New York. A hop, skip and ferry ride away on Randall's Island, the stylish art fair's 2015 edition is brimming over with talking points. From special presentations of Richard Tuttle (Pace, New York) and Philippe Parneo (Pilar Corrias, London) to the official launch of the Maharam Serpentine Galleries wallpaper collection (pictured here), which will be installed around the island, and a special tribute to George Maciunas' 1976 Flux-Labyrinth installation in Berlin as part of Frieze Projects, the fair promises to be as inspiring as ever.

14-17 May at 20 Randall's Island, New York, NY 1003

Wanted Design: Wanted Design celebrates its fifth anniversary with an even more varied showcase of established and emerging design. This year's edition not only includes a presence at Industry City in Brooklyn, but also sees the fair's usual Terminal Stores location filled with exhibitions from Mexico, Argentina, Poland, Tokyo, Spain, Ireland and Norway, offering a snapshot of different design landscapes around the world. On the homefront, Design Within Reach unveils the Ven storage system, designed by the legendary Jens Risom and rising talent Chris Hardy. Named after the Danish word for 'friend', the modular system is a seamless vision of warm wood and elegant metal finishes, in spite of the designers' 68-year age gap.

15-18 May at Terminal Stores, 269 11th Avenue, New York, NY 10001
Photography: Chris Hardy x Jens Risom, Design Within Reach

Wanted Design: Wanted Design celebrates its fifth anniversary with an even more varied showcase of established and emerging design. This year's edition not only includes a presence at Industry City in Brooklyn, but also sees the fair's usual Terminal Stores location filled with exhibitions from Mexico, Argentina, Poland, Tokyo, Spain, Ireland and Norway, offering a snapshot of different design landscapes around the world. On the homefront, Design Within Reach unveils the Ven storage system, designed by the legendary Jens Risom and rising talent Chris Hardy. Named after the Danish word for 'friend', the modular system is a seamless vision of warm wood and elegant metal finishes, in spite of the designers' 68-year age gap.

15-18 May at Terminal Stores, 269 11th Avenue, New York, NY 10001
Photography: Chris Hardy x Jens Risom, Design Within Reach

Collective Design Fair: Collective Design Fair takes its travelling showcase of collectible design to chic west Soho this year. Pitching up in what once used to be the Highline's southern most terminal, the show's impressive selection of international galleries includes Milan's Memphis-Post Design Gallery (pictured), Etage Projects from Copenhagen, Fuglen in Norway and several more. We're especially keen to see R & Company's presentation of historical works by Jorge Zalszupin and a site-specific rock garden installation from the Noguchi Museum that features Japanese boulders collected by Isamu Noguchi.

13-17 May at Skylight Clarkson Sq, 550 Washington Street, New York, NY 10014

Collective Design Fair: Collective Design Fair takes its travelling showcase of collectible design to chic west Soho this year. Pitching up in what once used to be the Highline's southern most terminal, the show's impressive selection of international galleries includes Milan's Memphis-Post Design Gallery, Etage Projects from Copenhagen, Fuglen in Norway and several more. We're especially keen to see R & Company's presentation of historical works by Jorge Zalszupin (pictured) and a site-specific rock garden installation from the Noguchi Museum that features Japanese boulders collected by Isamu Noguchi.

13-17 May at Skylight Clarkson Sq, 550 Washington Street, New York, NY 10014

International Contemporary Furniture Fair: As the traditional stronghold of the week's design festivities, the International Contemporary Furniture Fair has always been under pressure to stay cool and relevant. With new owners at the helm and by having a number of growing young exhibitors such as Calico Wallpaper, Iacoli & McAllister, Workstead and Rich Brilliant Willing in its midst, things are on the up and up. This year, we've especially got our eye on the debut furniture collection from lighting studio Apparatus (pictured), as well as Claesson Koivisto Rune's range of desk accessories and furniture, which they designed for a gallery in Marfa, Texas.

16-19 May at Jacob K. Javits Convention Centre, 11th Avenue at 38th Street, New York, NY 10001
Photography: Joseph De Leo, Courtesy of Apparatus

International Contemporary Furniture Fair: As the traditional stronghold of the week's design festivities, the International Contemporary Furniture Fair has always been under pressure to stay cool and relevant. With new owners at the helm and by having a number of growing young exhibitors such as Calico Wallpaper, Iacoli & McAllister, Workstead and Rich Brilliant Willing in its midst, things are on the up and up. This year, we've especially got our eye on the debut furniture collection from lighting studio Apparatus, as well as Claesson Koivisto Rune's range of desk accessories and furniture (pictured), which they designed for a gallery in Marfa, Texas.

16-19 May at Jacob K. Javits Convention Centre, 11th Avenue at 38th Street, New York, NY 10001
Pictured: Claesson Koivisto Rune designs the Marfa Collection for Wästberg, Nikari, David Design, Ogeborg and Skultuna

Sight Unseen Offsite: The second edition of Offsite, online design mag Sight Unseen's real-life design showcase, occupies a new midtown location this year, just a stone's throw from the main ICFF stomping ground. As fervent champions of emerging design, Sight Unseen's exciting roster of up-and-coming names does not disappoint. Look out for Luur Design's eye-catching planters and stone bangles (pictured), Bower's elegant nesting tables and Object & Totem's ornamental ceramics.

15-18 May at Hudson Mercantile, 500 West 36th Street, New York, NY 10018

Sight Unseen Offsite: The second edition of Offsite, online design mag Sight Unseen's real-life design showcase, occupies a new midtown location this year, just a stone's throw from the main ICFF stomping ground. As fervent champions of emerging design, Sight Unseen's exciting roster of up-and-coming names does not disappoint. Look out for Luur Design's eye-catching planters (pictured) and stone bangles, Bower's elegant nesting tables and Object & Totem's ornamental ceramics.

15-18 May at Hudson Mercantile, 500 West 36th Street, New York, NY 10018

Sight Unseen Offsite: The second edition of Offsite, online design mag Sight Unseen's real-life design showcase, occupies a new midtown location this year, just a stone's throw from the main ICFF stomping ground. As fervent champions of emerging design, Sight Unseen's exciting roster of up-and-coming names does not disappoint. Look out for Luur Design's eye-catching planters and stone bangles, Bower's elegant nesting tables and Object & Totem's ornamental ceramics (pictured).

15-18 May at Hudson Mercantile, 500 West 36th Street, New York, NY 10018

Sight Unseen Offsite: The second edition of Offsite, online design mag Sight Unseen's real-life design showcase, occupies a new midtown location this year, just a stone's throw from the main ICFF stomping ground. As fervent champions of emerging design, Sight Unseen's exciting roster of up-and-coming names does not disappoint. Look out for Luur Design's eye-catching planters and stone bangles, Bower's elegant nesting tables (pictured) and Object & Totem's ornamental ceramics.

15-18 May at Hudson Mercantile, 500 West 36th Street, New York, NY 10018

Atelier Courbet: When it comes to design-oriented wanderings around town, Atelier Courbet is a mainstay on our list. This week, the craftsmanship-focused boutique/gallery stages a solo exhibition of Droog co-founder Gijs Bakker's designs. Presented in collaboration with Helen Drutt, who first brought Bakker's work to America some 40 years ago, 'The Holes Project' focuses on Bakker's Holes series in which he applies holes to furniture pieces in order to reduce their weight. Bakker will debut several new additions to the series at Atelier Courbet: a statuesque room divider (pictured) and a fresh iteration of the console table.

14 May - 16 June at Atelier Courbet, 175-177 Mott Street, New York, NY 10012; T: 1.212226 7278

Atelier Courbet: When it comes to design-oriented wanderings around town, Atelier Courbet is a mainstay on our list. This week, the craftsmanship-focused boutique/gallery stages a solo exhibition of Droog co-founder Gijs Bakker's designs. Presented in collaboration with Helen Drutt, who first brought Bakker's work to America some 40 years ago, 'The Holes Project' focuses on Bakker's Holes series in which he applies holes to furniture pieces in order to reduce their weight. Bakker will debut several new additions to the series at Atelier Courbet: a statuesque room divider and a fresh iteration of the console table (pictured).

14 May - 16 June at Atelier Courbet, 175-177 Mott Street, New York, NY 10012; T: 1.212226 7278

'Wonder Room' at The Future Perfect: The Future Perfect, an already wondrous design haven, will become the temporary home of Piet Hein Eek's 'Wonder Room' - the famed top floor space in the Dutch designer's Eindhoven workshop where design, art and craft co-exists. In New York, the 'Wonder Room' will include one-of-a-kind pieces made especially for The Future Perfect, special collaborative pieces with Dutch artists Marc Mulders and Linda Nieuwstad, commissions from Hansje van Helam and Calico Wallpaper, as well as a range of Roll & Hill lighting curated by Piet Hein Eek, including designs by Lindsey Adelman, Ladies & Gentlemen Studio, Philippe Malouin, Jason Miller, Paul Loebach and more.

15 May - 20 June at The Future Perfect, 55 Great Jones Street, New York, NY 10012; T: 1.877 388 7373

'This is Not a Duet' at Chamber: The MOS Architects-designed gallery that is Chamber inaugurates two solo exhibitions in parallel this week. The solo aspect of each presentation could not be clearer, thanks to the show's cheeky title, 'This is Not a Duet', yet it still invites discussion. Curated by Maria Christina Didero and owner Juan Garcia Mosqueda, the show pits Gala Fernandez Montero, a Mexico City-based sculptor who created a range of Sottsass-inspired stone objects (pictured), against Sung Jang, an industrial designer who presents a number of architectural structures including two tables, a bench, two suspended light installations and, rather dramatically, a large pavilion enclosure.

15th May - 3rd July, Chamber, 515 West 23rd Street, New York, NY 10011; T: 1.212 206 0236

'This is Not a Duet' at Chamber: The MOS Architects-designed gallery that is Chamber inaugurates two solo exhibitions in parallel this week. The solo aspect of each presentation could not be clearer, thanks to the show's cheeky title, 'This is Not a Duet', yet it still invites discussion. Curated by Maria Christina Didero and owner Juan Garcia Mosqueda, the show pits Gala Fernandez Montero, a Mexico City-based sculptor sculptor who created a range of Sottsass-inspired stone objects, against Sung Jang, an industrial designer who presents a number of architectural structures including two tables, a bench, two suspended light installations and, rather dramatically, a large pavilion enclosure (pictured).

15 May - 3 July, Chamber, 515 West 23rd Street, New York, NY 10011; T: 1.212 206 0236

Makers & Brothers x Superfolk: Makers & Brothers brings a fresh element to its annual pop-up at the Standard Hotel, East Village this year. The Irish retail operation has teamed up with the multidisciplinary design studio Superfolk to stage a print workshop in a shed set in the hotel's cosy side garden. Superfolk's demonstrations of hand-cut lino printing and colour tempering, which will depict wild herbs and botanicals (pictured), will take place alongside a display of new Makers & Brothers goods, such as Irish cut crystal and mohair travel blankets.

14-17 May at The Standard, East Village, 25 Cooper Square, New York, NY 10003

Makers & Brothers x Superfolk: Makers & Brothers brings a fresh element to its annual pop-up at the Standard Hotel, East Village this year. The Irish retail operation has teamed up with the multidisciplinary design studio Superfolk to stage a print workshop in a shed set in the hotel's cosy side garden. Superfolk's demonstrations of hand-cut lino printing and colour tempering, which will depict wild herbs and botanicals, will take place alongside a display of new Makers & Brothers goods, such as Irish cut crystal (pictured) and mohair travel blankets.

14-17 May at The Standard, East Village, 25 Cooper Square, New York, NY 10003

Makers & Brothers x Superfolk: Makers & Brothers brings a fresh element to its annual pop-up at the Standard Hotel, East Village this year. The Irish retail operation has teamed up with the multidisciplinary design studio Superfolk to stage a print workshop in a shed set in the hotel's cosy side garden. Superfolk's demonstrations of hand-cut lino printing and colour tempering, which will depict wild herbs and botanicals, will take place alongside a display of new Makers & Brothers goods, such as Irish cut crystal and mohair travel blankets (pictured).

14-17 May at The Standard, East Village, 25 Cooper Square, New York, NY 10003

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Design bites: the best the Big Apple has to offer for this year’s NYCxDesign

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