KBB - April 2015 - 35

Interiors, FB International, Features Outdoor Living, Furniture Society,
Hudson Company, Imaestri, Insane Luxury, Keuco, Lambert & Fils, Lexington Home Brands, Hydro Systems, Jacuzzi, Littman Brands, Lorin Marsh,
O'Luminary, Oliver & George, Pehuen Designs, Richard Townsend, Simon
Pearce, Solua, Sublime, Suite NY, THG Paris and ZGC/Tapologie.

Chat with a Former
ICFF Studio Finalist

* ICFF Talks. Industry leaders share their knowledge on topics that range
from innovation in materials, through new design approaches in color
and style for residential, hospitality, contract and luxury retail environments.
* ICFF Studio. A collaboration between Bernhardt Design and ICFF, Studio
is a chance for 11 emerging design professionals to showcase their work
for a plethora of manufacturers, retailers and media. Entries are judged
on design aesthetics, ability to be economically mass-produced, marketability and commercial viability. Selected winners will receive a space on
the ICFF show ﬂoor created by New York design studio Truck. This year's
participants include: Hanna Kruse, Jordan Tomnuk, Fahmida Lam, Jonah
Willcox-Healey, Hui Ling Cheng, Funi Ding, Hines Fischer, Laura Yeh, David
Vu, Tamer Nakisci and Jordi Lopez.
* ASID @ ICFF. The American Society
of Interior Designers is offering an
expanded educational program
for industry professional to earn
Interior Design Continuing Education Council/Continuing Education
Units throughout the show.
More than 32,000 architects, interior designers, developers, visual merchandisers and buyers are expected to visit the show's 700-plus exhibitors,
who will feature contemporary furniture, seating, carpet and ﬂooring, lighting, outdoor furniture, materials, wall coverings, accessories, textiles and
kitchen and bath products for residential and commercial interiors.
"ICFF has been an integral part of our business since day one," said
Christopher Poehlmann, owner of CP Lighting."It is the one venue I always
choose for debuting new products and concepts, and it has helped
launch my best-known work. It's not only a show I hold in high esteem but
one I truly enjoy participating in, so I guess mixing business with pleasure
is part of my business model."
Representatives from Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China,
Colombia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, El Salvador, France, Germany,
Guatemala, Italy, Japan, Lebanon, Lithuania, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway,
Philippines, Portugal, Scotland, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden,
Switzerland, Taiwan, U.S., United Kingdom and Venezuela will be present
during ICFF 2015.
"We believe ICFF is a really good event where we can meet with designers, architects, speciﬁers and customers," said Mélanie Savard, marketing
advisor, Julien, Inc. "We look forward to taking this opportunity to position
ourselves as the ﬁrst brand to think about when customers need a speciﬁc
stainless steel item that cannot be found in standard offer on the market."

Nolen Niu is an American industrial designer based in Beverly Hills,
Calif., who is now a judge on Spike TV's "Framework," the ﬁrst furniture
design competition series. But before he became a well-known name,
Niu was a ﬁnalist in the ICFF Studio/Bernhardt Design joint venture in
2006, the year in which it launched.
K+BB had an opportunity to talk to Niu about his winning product
in more detail.

So tell us about the design you showcased:
My piece was called the ZERO chaise lounge, which features a
cantilevered base design. The seat portion is suspended on a stainless steel stem that cants forward off of a 1-in.-thick stainless steel base.
The seat portion is only two inches thick, which is fully upholstered for
optimal comfort.

How did your piece meet the criteria?
ICFF Studio searches for new and innovative ideas that explore the
possibilities of design and manufacturing. It's a platform that allows
emerging designers a chance to showcase their design concepts and
ideas to the masses through this sponsored exhibition. Not only was the
ZERO chaise lounge the ﬁrst cantilevered chaise on the market, it was
ﬂat packable, allowing it to be produced in larger quantities.

How has this competition helped you further your
design career?
Back in 2006, I was literally just starting out with little to no exposure.
ICFF Studio provided me with a proper platform to showcase my designs to the press, media and manufacturers alike. I can't express the
importance and value in being selected to exhibit at ICFF Studio, simply
because it's a sponsored exhibition with the Bernhardt Design name
backing it. To exhibit on my own at that time was ﬁnancially impossible
and wouldn't have had anywhere near the same impact.

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KBB - April 2015

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