Here now, the second and final installment of Curbed's Hotties of ICFF series, which made its debut on the site earlier today. As a refresher: the International Contemporary Furniture Fair, known in these parts ever-so-coolly as ICFF, kicked off on Saturday in NYC, letting more than 500 exhibitors loose in the Javitts Center to show off their shiny new furniture, textiles, lighting, and more. So what does the state of the furnishings industry look like next? What trends can we expect? Who the heck cares! We dispatched two Curbed correspondents to find and interview 20-some-odd beautiful people, from designers to marketing folks to models, lurking within the 145,000 square feet of exhibition space. They may be beleaguered booth babes, but they still look damn good. (Oh, and good news! The fair's open to the public tomorrow.)
? Firm: Ilio
Booth #: 1452
Hottie: Funda Mehter, communications executive
Marital Status: Married
Hometown: Ankara, Turkey
Favorite piece and why? The Cube dish set. In melamine or stoneware, the 12-piece set is stackable and easy to store. It’s just smart design. It has a simple aesthetic and is elegant.
How could an American win a Turkish girl over? Be understanding, polite, be creative in every aspect of life, and have a big smile on their face!
? Firm: Fort Makers
Booth #: 1567
Hotties: Noah Spencer, furniture designer/”the hard stuff” and Naomi Clark, textile designer/painter “the soft stuff”
Marital Status: Married, to each other
Hometown: Both are from Colorado but now live in Brooklyn.
Favorite piece and why? Noah: I like the pieces that we collaborated on, like the Sunday Chair, which is inspired by the Adirondack Chair. I did the frame, she did the cushions. It’s part of the Beaver Gnaw series?it’s designed to look like it used to be outdoors and a Beaver had its way with it.
What do you like best about working together? Noah: You get an honest opinion about everything. I value her artistic input. Naomi: Designing nice-looking things with a nice-looking person.
? Firm: AF New York
Booth #: 1226
Hottie: Gabrielle Rosemond, marketing director
Marital Status: Single and looking!
Hometown: Dallas, but she now lives in NYC.
Favorite piece and why? The 45 faucet, part of the DaVinci Collection. It takes influences from automotive design. There are sharp angles and futuristic design. We call the aesthetic “modern maximalism,” which is all about taking simplicity to new heights.
Which ICFF parties are you looking forward to? OUR party! It’s this tonight from 6 to 9 p.m. We’re celebrating our new collections and AF Design Lab as a service of AF New York.
? Firm: Baccarat
Booth #: 1118
Hottie: Jaime Jiménez, director, marketing and communications, North America
Marital Status: In a relationship
Hometown: Born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, but now lives in NYC
Favorite piece and why? I love them all, but I’d say Sora by Eriko Horiki. The washi paper and crystal are a marriage in craftsmanship.
Complete this sentence: “________ is the new black.” Baccarat Red is the new black! (We’re known for red!)
? Firm: The Belgian Shade Company/DFB
Booth #: 962
Hottie: Ross Fein, account executive
Marital Status: In a relationship
Hometown: Ft. Lauderdale, but now lives in NYC
Favorite piece and why? The Athey Shade. It’s custom pleated, hand sewn, and it comes in so many options—from solar material to canvases.
What's your advice for single folks looking for love in the design world? Go to networking events after work, that’s for sure. The ASID [American Society of Interior Designers] events are great. Also, hand out a lot of business cards.
? Firm: Angell Wyller Aarseth
Booth #: 873
Hottie: Øyvind Wyller, designer
Marital Status: In a relationship
Hometown: Oslo, Norway
Favorite piece and why? Our Steel Mirror. It’s stainless steel polished to a mirrored finish. Steel mirrors are in prisions and institutions, because you can’t hurt yourself with steel. But ours is beautiful and durable with oak and leather details that pull it all together.
This is your first time in New York. What do you think so far? I feel like I’ve been here already because I’ve seen it in so many movies. The people are nice and good at compliments. If you have cool shoes on, people say that. You don’t have that often in Oslo.
? Firm: Nolen Niu
Booth #: 1400
Hottie: Edith Ponciano, Niu's girlfriend who's "here to help him with the show. But I work at Gensler, an architecture and interior firm.”"
Marital Status: In a relationship [with Niu]
Hometown: Los Angeles
Favorite piece and why? The XO Sofa. It’s designed for two people to lounge in. You look pretty in it and it’s comfortable.
Do you and Nolen lounge together in the XO? Yes! We’re actually going to bring this one back to his place after ICFF. That’s why it’s this color. We’re really into grays and neutrals.
? Firm: d-torso
Booth #: 929
Hottie: Ashlea Potts. “I actually don’t work for d-torso. I work for a booth staffing firm. I was hired through ICFF”
Marital Status: Single
Hometown: Charlotte, N.C., but she now lives in NYC
Favorite piece and why? The d+Ropop robot. When it detects motion, it moves and holds poses. It would be so cool in a store window. So many people have been stopping and checking it out, because I mean, come on, it’s a cardboard robot.
How does ICFF stack up to other fairs you’ve staffed? I’ve done five different shows and this is the best one! There are so many interesting types of people here, from designers to museum curators. Each person sees design differently.
? Firm: Andrea Claire Studio
Booth #: 846
Hottie: Andrea Claire, principle/designer
Marital Status: “Together?committed”
Hometown: Brooklyn
Favorite piece and why? The Constantin Chandelier. It’s bamboo with a metal frame. It’s based on my abstract paintings.
How would you describe this year’s ICFF crowd? They are approachable! And much better looking than the crowd at the Coterie tradeshow I went to this year. I was wearing fleece at that show, though. They were hating me!
? Firm: Graypants
Booth #: 847
Hotties: From left: Seth Grizzle, Jonathan Junker, and Alan P. Marrero, all designers
Marital Status: All single
Hometown: All Seattle, all by way of Ohio, “The heart of the earth. We’re all true gentlemen,” said Seth.
Favorite piece and why? The Slice Chair. We cut three chairs from one piece of plywood. All that is left after is sawdust.
I see a trend with the number 3. Do you meet women as a trio, too? Alan: "Yes. And I keep sexy pictures of our furniture designs readily available on my phone to show the ladies." Seth: "We’re going to make Alan go on Match.com but it’s gonna have to be a ‘buy one get two free’ kinda deal."
? Firm: WOKA
Booth #: 1432
Hottie: Christiane Büssgen, creative director
Marital Status: In a relationship
Hometown: Vienna, Austria
Favorite piece and why? I based these chandeliers off an Adolf Loos design from 1911 but updated them with neon cords and different finishes. I called them “Adolf Loos goes Hula Hoop.”
What's the best part about exhibiting at ICFF? Being in New York and meeting everybody. And the parties. I’ll be at the party at Property Furniture on Wooster Street on tonight. They carry our designs.
? Firm: Mambo
Booth #: 166
Hottie: Christina Trepa, manager
Marital Status: Single
Hometown: Lisbon, Portugal
Favorite piece and why? The Circus Lamp. We invited designer Claudia Mello to make these lamps for us. I like the shapes in it—the curves and the circles.
Men in Lisbon vs. New York? In Lisbon, the men are beautiful but more shy, jealous, and possessive. Men here in New York are more open minded and friendly. I haven’t met anyone here at the show, though. I’m here to do business.
· Hotties of ICFF: Ridiculously Good-Looking People, Part One [Curbed National]