For the next 10 weeks, New York City will be inundated with art and design fairs. They sell everything from museum-quality furniture to artisanal soaps, and offer DIY workshops, tattoo salons and playgrounds. Here, a guide to navigating the many options.
The Armory Show
March 3-6
Remodelista
March 12-13
Championing a Portland-meets-Williamsburg aesthetic, it will vend everything from handmade stationery and organic cosmetics to small, bespoke furniture.
Among the finds: Turkish pestemal towels designed by Shelter Island company 8knots ($36); Apotheke Cedar Bergamot Lotion, handmade — not surprisingly — in Brooklyn ($22); Indian cotton pajamas ($158); and gold-handled paper scissors imported from Italy ($44).
Popular with Etsy fans, Remodelista will also encourage visitors to speak with the designers and naturally, will sell artisanal chocolates, food and bitters.
Architectural Digest Design Show
March 17-20
For avid redecorators: Celebrating its 15th year, the Architectural Digest Design Show features everything from mattresses to presentations by master chefs. A massive show spanning two piers, AD sells extremely high-end $200,000 La Cornue stoves, but also great products for DIY projects — like Christophe Pourney’s all natural leather cream ($20) — and decorative items like Jim Franco’s double-glazed ceramic bowls ($125). The show includes free advice, with practical panels on integrating new home technology, renovating kitchens and DIY tips for outdoor spaces.
Collective Design
May 4-8
For contemporary lovers: Helmed by some of the city’s best-known curators and architects, Collective Design displays works from more than 30 international galleries.
While much of the work is expensive, more accessible options include Airan Kang’s light sculptures and Rogan Gregory’s works in marble and bronze.
Besides browsing through well-selected furniture, jewelry and decorative objects, visitors should check out Collective Concept, a special exhibit in which industry stars like “it” lighting designers Lindsey Adelman and Apparatus Studio, Calico Wallpaper and the ceramics firm Cocobolo Design provide glimpses into their creative processes.
Bklyn Designs
May 6-8
For chic hipsters: Interactive fair Bklyn Designs promotes the best of the borough’s furniture, lighting, textiles and accessories designers, with workshops, installations, a temporary tattoo parlor and a David Rockwell-designed playground. Bklyn Buys, the show’s marketplace, has budget-friendly design options like LED Edison bulbs ($20) from Urban Chandy, planters from Come Out to the Coast (starting at $25), and totes and tea towels from CaribBEING, which is also staging a Caribbean art show in a pop-up shipping container.
WantedDesign
May 13-16 (Manhattan) and 7-17 (Brooklyn)
For seekers of new talent: A weeklong fair spread between Industry City in Brooklyn and the Terminal Stores in Chelsea, WantedDesign includes affordable, contemporary tableware, furniture and outdoor products from more than 15 countries, much of it from designers looking for US distribution. Browse Finnish tableware company Iittala’s final collaboration with Issey Miyake, Takeshi Sawada’s whimsical sheep and Bambi chairs for kids, and French company Fermob’s wireless outdoor lamps. While the fair is a showcase rather than a retail experience, WantedDesign does maintain a shop in Brooklyn year-round, and encourages visitors to buy online.
ICFF
May 14-17
For global design buffs: A standard-bearer for NYCxDESIGN week, ICFF is the place to spot international trends in fabric, color, style and design. The large fair fills the Javits Center, and while it’s geared largely to professionals, this year’s new Design Milk pop-up shop is a great place for souvenirs, featuring 13 up-and-coming US designers selling textiles, wallets and jewelry. Among emerging designers, check out Brooklyn-based Noble Goods, who create modern home furnishings in wood and resin, and San Francisco-based Wildebeest, which makes extremely elegant leashes, food mats and jackets for lucky cats and dogs.