The only thing more overwhelming than
ICFF itself is trying to decide which of the many offsite happenings to hit up throughout the city. To help navigate through it all over the coming days, we pared our picks down to 10 must-sees.
If you need a break from all the design, we also recommend making a few detours to some of our new favorite destinations for drinking, eating and shopping.
Opened in February,
Opening Ceremony’s second NYC store, designed by up-and-coming architecture firm Leong Leong, houses an edited selection of their inventory in a thoroughly modern space mixing touches of surrealism, functional vertical storage solutions, cork flooring, and fixtures made by set designers for an elegant concept that “divides the store into two distinct environments: masculine vs. feminine, raw vs. finished, warm vs. cool.”
Head to Williamsburg to experience the unparalleled coffee that
Blue Bottle makes at their first location outside of SF.
If you’re checking out events on Sunday in Noho, Double Crown recently introduced their Nonya dinners, a delicious $35 prix fixe that’s well worth the price.
Straightforward: New Finnish Design
The Finns show what they’ve got in
this content-rich show celebrating the best and brightest design from their country. Spanning a range of disciplines—from fashion to a new Aalto University—the exhibit, pop-up shop and lounge has a lot to sink your teeth into. Of the many objects, we love Pentagon Design’s 22-77° lamp, which unfurls and retracts according to the temperature of its LED lights. Paspas’ Boxbox rug also wins innovation points, stitching together and re-working Anatolian vintage rugs based on customers’ specs. Through 17 May; Chelsea Market 410 West 16th Street
Public: Design Ride Manhattan
The
new Dutch-inspired bike brand by Design Within Reach founder Rob Forbes marries classic good looks with urban-oriented design for two accessible models that we’re currently sweating. Join them on a ride through from Javits to a reception at
Tretorn‘s downtown store, where you can test drive one to see what all the fuss is about. 16 May at 5:30 pm; Javits Center
New Useless Machines
The suspended “useless machines” of Italian futurist and graphic artist Bruno Munari are reimagined in an exhibit of hanging mobiles organized by Sight Unseen. Works by the likes of Tobias Wong, Mary Meyer and Confetti System dangle above shoppers at Noho boutiques Oak and Rogan. Through 18 May; 330 Bowery
Sculpted: Exploring the Nature of the Artful Object
The building blocks of human-made objects—stone, wood, clay and glass—are spotlighted in Designlush‘s “Sculpted: Exploring the Nature of the Artful Object.” For its first year, the show features the organically shaped, hand-blown glassworks of Esque Studio. Through 21 May; 200 Lexington Avenue
Areaware
Known for its evocatively simple, American approach to design, Noho’s Areaware celebrates five years producing housewares and everyday objects. To commemorate, Areaware presents favorite and new pieces by David Weeks, Ross Menuez and other design luminaries. While you’re there, don’t miss Roll & Hill as it debuts its catalog of modern lighting fixtures. Through 18 May; 45 Great Jones Street
NoHo Next
StyleFactory and Wabnitz Editions team up for “Noho Next,” which showcases nine of the who’s who in emerging design. Talents include Uruhu, whose Coney Island line of furnishings reclaims wood from the amusement park itself. Spaniards Xavier Manosa of Apparatu and Alex Trochut create puffy jacket-inspired vases, and Washington, DC’s Johah Takagi ups the ante in flat-pack furniture with elegant birch shelving. Through 18 May; 350 Bowery
Secret Garden
The Future Perfect‘s Manhattan location hosts Secret Garden, a new mushroom-inspired collaboration between ICFF veteran Lindsey Adelman and glass artist Nancy Callan. Through 14 June; 55 Great Jones Street
Sounds Like
Designer Joey Roth ‘s Ceramic Speakers take the stage at Sounds Like , an exhibit at DDCLab showcasing the nine designers and five musicians tasked with reinterpreting porcelain amps. Through 18 May; 427 W 14th Street
MatterMade Collection Number One
Contemporary design store Matter celebrates MatterMade Collection Number One, a 20-plus collection of works from designers Paul Loebach, Jonathan Nesci, Stephen Burks and more. Through 18 May; 405 Broome Street
Think Before You Write
Riverkeeper and The Standard Hotel launch the DBA 98, the world’s first 98% biodegradable, alongside Think Before You Write—a project featuring creative contributions from a cavalcade of 98 artists, designers, writers and other notable figures. From downtown art darling Dan Colen to controversy-baiting literary legend Salman Rushdie and actress Lorraine Bracco, DBA’s seemingly uncoordinated selection of contributors speaks to the universal need for a pen that doesn’t pollute. Pick it up from the shop at the Cooper-Hewitt; 2 East 91st Street
Are you perpetually prepared? Enamored with community service (and 
