With the clocks all across Europe preparing to be turned back an hour and so cast us all into that unlit world so beloved of poets, painters and cat burglars; a ray of light comes from the US of A.

The organisers of the 2010 ICFF have issued a call for entries for the ICFF Studio and ICFF Design School.

We had a fantastic time at ICFF in 2009 and are thoroughly looking forward to returning to the Big Apple in May 2010.

And so, by way of supporting and helping the organisers of ICFF we would like to take a couple of minutes to offer a couple of tips to those planning entering for either the ICFF Studio or the ICFF Design School.

For the ICFF Studio the organisers invite submissions of product prototypes from designers working on any and all the product categories exhibited at the ICFF. The selected entries will then be displayed in a group area at the ICFF.

Now we’re not sure if we mentioned it in our posts from NYC, but one of the weak points of the ICFF is the dearth of tables. That might be a way to wake the organisers interest. Ideally the table should be large enough to support a laptop with enough space for a couple of professional journalists to sit next to it and promote the designers, producers and retailers who have paid to be included in the ICFF. A second advantage would be if the design was sturdy enough to support the uncouth handling by the ham-fisted unionised workforce at the Javits Centre; otherwise the filigree design may find itself spending four days in a store room because its too “complicated” to risk the wrath of the ham-fisted unionised workforce by getting replacement tables from one of the highly professional designer furniture producers at the ICFF.

The colour is not so important.

Entries for the ICFF design School can be made by all design schools hoping to receive a place at the ICFF. Entries must hold a description of a topic, a singular concept with original products and prototypes, designed by students to be exhibited at the ICFF.

Again here we can make us e of our experience of the hard reality at North Americas premier contemporary furniture show.

If you feel tempted to try your luck, the closing date for both events is January 15th.

The closing date for Table Fights 2010 will inevitably be 10 minutes before the start…….

iglooplay at ICFF - and the closest we got to a table all week....

The Top 5 chairs from the smow design spring. In no particular order.

Foldable cardboard chair by Stuart Miller at deignersblock, Milan

We lie: there is a slight order. First up is our favourite chair from the smow design spring: Stuart Miller’s unnamed foldable cardboard chair from the designersblock showcase in Milan. Over the course of the smow design spring we didn’t see any thing that even came to close to capturing Stuart’s simple, practical and comfortable chair. We’ve sadly lost sight of the project a little, and lack the requisite degree in Information Technology to navigate Glasgow Caledonian University Website, If any one knows anything please let us know!! Unnamed foldable carboard chair. Quality seating instrument!

And as of now … In no particular order.

Duct Tape Chair by Jason Miller

Duct Tape Chair by Jason Miller. In our original post from the floor of the ICFF press room we mentioned the similarity between Jason Miller’s Duct chair and Easy by Klausner and Carpenter for Established and Sons. After long and careful consideration, however, we decide to include Duct chair in our  tip five. A form sicher and wonderfully comfortable chair, Duct Chair is also not only aesthetically pleasing but intrigues the viewer so shifts from passive chair to active element of a room. Duct Tape Chair. Quality seating instrument!

404 H by Stefan Dietz for Thonet

404 H by Stefan Dietz for Thonet. In our world bar stools count as chairs, mainly because we spend a lot of time on bar stools - having as we do a raised breakfast bar in the kitchen of the (smow)flat. For Thonet Stefan Dietz has created in 404 H a wonderful addition to one of the most tradition-conscious German design houses. In comparison to some other long established design houses, for Thonet tradition if more than just marketing rights tio the name of a long since deceased designer; rather for Thonet tradition means continuing the tradition that made that designer successful and famous - and in the case of Michael Thonet that means innovation.404 H. Quality seating instrument!

And uncomplicated, high quality wooden furniture.

Such as the 404 H.

Vegetal by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec for Vitra in Milan

Vegetal by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec for Vitra.  Even before the start of the Milan design week Vegetal had already established itself as one of the stars. And it didn’t let us down. Yes it looks like a cheap garden chair, yes it reminds one of Chair One by Konstantin Grcic, but no it is neither of these things. The fruit of four years labour by our favourite porcupine and fox, Vegetal is a wonderful, stable, comfortable and versatile chair perfect for indoor and out. And we’re fairly certain unbreakable. Vegetal. Quality seating instrument!

Bansko Bo lounger chair and Ottoman by Design Apparat

Bansko Bo by Design Apparat. Without question one of the finest proper loungers we saw this spring, and that from one of the best new design studios from the smow design spring. We live in Leipzig, we don’t like nOSTalgia, we do like many elements of the design style that developed in Eastern Europe  during the decades of iron curtains, Warsaw pacts and ICBMs. Bansko Bo is a wonderful new design, but one that has its roots unmistakably in the Bulgaria of the 1970s. Looks good, works and will probably last longer than the regime of Todor Zhivkov. Bansko Bo. Quality seating instrument!

The NYC Post Police - tailed our every move and word

Your (smow)blog team didn’t become the internationally feared and monitored crew we are simply because we travel the world fearlessly attending opening night parties.
Oh no! We achieved our notoriety on account of our excellent network of contacts among designers, producers, critics and delivery drivers. Nothing but nothing passes us by.

As observant readers may have noticed, during our visit to the ICFF we did spend quite a lot of time complaining about the lack of tables in the press room.

And now we must admit that during ICFF we did solve the riddle.
Magis had of course delivered tables for the press room.

Piggyback by Thomas Heatherwick for Magis

In addition to supplying Chair First by Stefano Giovannoni Magis also supplied their wonderful Piggyback tables by Thomas Heatherwick.

Magis are serious and reliable partner, why would they not supply tables?

Only the Piggyback tables became damaged during set-up and spent the show stowed in a store room deep in the bowels of the Javits Centre.

And no-one from the ICFF organisation sought to seek replacements.

Behind the scenes there was a lot of talk of unions and “official processes”, but for us the fact of the missing press room tables summed up ICFF beautifully and underlines why for us it was the weakest and worst organised of the events we attended as part of the smow design spring.

Which isn’t to be interpreted as direct criticism of those who are responsible for the press work, they are also merely a partner of the organiser, and it is they who carry ultimate responsible for the shoddiness: Along with the Javits Center management.

Tints by Jason Miller - one of the true stars of ICFF 2009

The word on the street in New York was that next year ICFF may do away with the press room all together, which is truly a sad indictment on the show and how seriously it is taken. In addition to the established critics amongst the traditional media - alone the vicinity to the New York Times must, must count - America is home to some excellent design blogs, we name alone Core 77 and design milk as two that we follow and read with interest and which amuse and entertain.

When we think of, for example, Milan where from early morning to late evening texts are written, interviews carried out, pictures edited and videos cut in a dozen languages. And then New York where all too often we sat alone on the floor, or when we had company it was inevitably executives from some B2B publication deciding who to sell advertising space to.

Tablefights - we know just how they feel

Instead of further discouraging reports the ICFF should be actively recruiting those who can bring the products to the masses and so encourage other producers to book space. Or should that ugly, dirty and unkempt space at the back of the hall grow even larger?

We will be back in New York next year, not least because we  want to kick Ami timber at the 2010 Table Fights Championships - if we attend ICFF, however, remains to be seen.

We made a few fantastic discoveries at ICFF not least Jason Miller, Blu Dot and Iglooplay; three discoveries that more or less justified the air fares. But if that alone is worth struggling with a barely functioning Internet and inadequate facilities to promote an event run by an organisation who lack the ability to place two tables is a room - and that despite having rented some 145,000 net square feet to furniture producers - that remains to be seen.

Summer on the balcony ... unbeatable(Photo: Christin Bargel)

Before we start slowing down and head outdoors to enjoy the summer we want to take the opportunity over the next couple of weeks to look back on the smow design spring; namely our trips to Milan, New York, Brühl, Basel and Berlin … as well as to start looking forward to the forthcoming smow design autumn.

And no we won’t just be re-visiting old ground, we have saved a few treats from USM Haller, Vitra, ICFF, DMY Berlin and Salone for those long summer evenings on the balcony with a good beer.

smow design spring adieu ...

With the experience of the five very different trips, and the slight pause afforded by the summer, we want to take stock, analyse a little more deeply and for all highlight  those innovations and products that really caught our attention and which we believe are of interest.

There may also be some really, really  weak humour … but we hope not.

In addition we want to  preview a little of what can be expected during the smow design autumn

Not the (smow)blog garden, and that with good reason. Details later (or at flickr)....

We will certainly be at the London Design Festival,  Designers Open in Leipzig, Design September in Brussels, Copenhagen Design Week and we also fancy the Cardiff Design Festival, if they ever get round to confirming the dates
Further shows, trade fairs and especially trips to smow partner producers and designers may follow.

But don’t think we’ll be slacking off over the summer … although there may be a couple more posts about outdooor furniture, barbecues and seat coverings that are good for sun-burnt backs than normal, we will still be actively searching for - and finding - the very best in designer furniture.

...lets fight some tables...

You couldn’t make up.

Before we departed for NYC one of those events that was already written in heavy ink in our diaries was the second annual Table Fights at Magnan Galleries.

Honest.

Even as we sat in Leipzig blithly assuming tables would be freely available in NYC, we were planning watching tables fight.

In many ways the inevitable consequence of too many childish “my table is better than yours” arguments between drunken first year design students, Table Fights has evolved from an underground, quasi-legal event into a global spectator sport.

Last years championships at ICFF was the first official recognition for the sport and in the 12 months since the international expansion has been phenomenal. Aside from the establishment of the trans-national “Balkan League” , national Table Fighting competitions are currently organised in lands as varied as Mexico, Saudi Arabia and the isolated Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan.

And so it was therefore sad to see that once again only American tables had qualified for the ICFF Masters Tournament.

That said the competition was as fierce as we’d expected and the organisation equally perfect - OK a little more free beer would have kept the crowd a little more on edge a little longer, but hey that’s small stuff and we know you’ll get that sorted by next year.

And we’re looking forward to next year - our crack team of German precision engineers are already working on the blueprints in a secret Alpine bunker.

For those of you not yet familiar with the wonderful world of Table Fighting, you can get more information at the official website, or we have packaged our videos from the evening in the smow youtube channel.

A smaller taster can be found below.