WE'RE IN THE PINK
I've limited my surfing the aisles of the Gift Fair to the Home section that is in some respects a misnomer. How jalapeno honey or lingerie for the full-figured woman qualify as home products I'm not quite sure. Furniture again continues to be on the slim side but novelty accessories are still making a strong showing. I've got it down to aisles 1000 through 2900 knowing that as you start to approach the higher numbers the tabletop and jewelry start to take over and I can move a little faster down those aisles.
I have my favorites who seem to show up in the same places show after show and I could highlight their product but since I've done that what I feel is enough times over the past few years I'm going to try to focus on other vendors and the concept of color.
Color was in abundance but none so prevalent as pink in all its glorious shades. From its deepest shades approaching magenta to the faintest hint of blush, pink was on show down almost every aisle of the show.
The faded shades of a vanilla strawberry smoothie poured over these throws were one of the first pink items to draw me in. There's a comfort in the softest shades of pink especially when woven into a throw. Pale pink takes a throw out of the decorative and qualifies it as a security blanket, one you'd want to wrap up in on cool summer night out on the dock as the stars start to pop out of a Maxfield Parrish sky.
I said I wouldn't focus on past favorites but Shiraleah was showing these recycled glass bowls in swirling shades of pink. There are always tons of glass at the show and some that is certainly more creative than Shiraleah but as a utilitarian product Shiraleah's pink tableware is tough to beat.
There were times at the show where pink was like a whisper that you really had to get close to to see. Live edge slabs have been the rage for the past few years but seeing this one made me do a double take. The pale stain on this table allows the grain to show through with the slightest hint of rose. It added a new edge to the mean of live edge
Accessories are always fodder for pops of color and this year's show had plenty of pink in this category. Many lighting vendors were right on point with a big hit of pink in their products. Even the light cast from the pendant fixtures cast a soft pink glow.
There was also a whole lot of pink splashing toward the deep side of this hue. It's not unusual to see this happening in the arena of children's toys and these beautiful free trade animals made in Africa were no exception.
But possibly my favorite use of pink at the show were these faux flamingo feather pillows. Birds of a feather flock together and I'm flying with these amazing pillows.
JUST WHITE
Going through the aisles of NY Now it's very easy not to see all of the white product. White ware can feel like a sea of prototypes rather than actual product. It's the torrent of hot sizzling and assaulting colors that take focus in both good and bad ways. It's why I try to do the show twice. Once to be grabbed and the other to uncover what I wouldn't see if didn't look a bit closer.
I loved this tabletop dinnerware by bidk home. These simple ceramic table settings epitomized sophistication to me at a price point that made them accessible to almost everyone. Form doesn't need to be overly embellished to appear new and fresh to say nothing of elegant.
Bedding is traditionally white and I love it that way but the combination of these cotton and linen sheets and pillowcases was gorgeous. Even when it went to embroidery and intricate thread work it kept its touch on good design.
Accessories like throw pillows and upholstered hassacks are another target for white and this line did not disappoint. Pompoms, fizz and fringe all added to the textural intrigue of these accessories.
When you add a bit of leather to it what you end up with is an equestrian look that is hard not to saddle up and take for a run around the track of your living room.
You might look at this vendor and think blues but if you take the time you'll see that the workhorse here is white. All the white lacquered furniture forms the backbone of this room allowing the blue to shine through. In comedic duos you frequently have a straight man that sets up the laughs and appalause for his partner. In design the results can be very similar where white is the straight man and blue gets all the recognition.
My favorite find from the show was the world metro map from Art+Code+Data that connected 11,924 stations from 791 subway lines in 212 cities on 5 continents. If you look close you can transfer from the 125th Street Station in Harlem to the Louvre stop in Paris. If this is too much for you they will custom make a map for you connecting two of your favorite city's subway systems. I was so fascinated I had to buy one. They are dirt-cheap but framing it is an issue. Still for anyone who loves to travel or has a fascination with Finding Waldo this map is for you.
THE GALLERY
Penn Station, 1958
Louis Stettner, photographer
Represented by Benrubi Gallery, NYC
Love those white dishes!
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