One of the most innovative design companies in the furniture world, International Contract Furnishings, Inc. (ICF), has provided stylish European products to the American design community for over 50 years. Inspired by the modern classics, its collections present creative and diversified solutions for contemporary interiors with products that elevate a room’s design without stealing all the attention. Whether it’s an expressive acoustic wall covering or a series of sleek yet sturdy office chairs, ICF’s design philosophy is always apparent. Its elegant pieces embolden any environment.
Four of ICF’s newest products showcase the company’s commitment to contemporary interior design and the visionary collaborations that they fulfill with bespoke designers. To ICF, strong partnerships result in stronger, longer-lasting furniture.
Bower Armchair by Adam Goodrum
The Bower Collection by Adam Goodrum is part of nau, ICF’s Australian design brand that highlights designers from Down Under. These beautiful and well designed modular pieces evoke Australia’s extreme landscapes — everything from its closed canopy forests to dense dry brush and open plains. The nau collection features honest materials pieced together in minimal ways.
Goodrum’s Bower Collection is the first collection specifically designed for the commercial market. It includes a work pod, an armchair, a meeting lounge and a range of adjustable screens. Within each product, Goodrum references the rambling-style nests of the Australian Bowerbird. The Sydney-based designer describes the collection as “open, organic and gentle, bringing a natural and calm aesthetic to the workplace.” In the hectic and often stressed-out space that is the American office, such tranquil undertones within the interior design are a kind respite.
Bower High Back Meeting Lounge
Goodrum used vertical woven elements akin to growing vines, most easily seen in the screens that envelope that cushy chairs. These screens add privacy and also act as acoustical buffers, their undulating shapes absorbing noise coming from behind or within the pods. The Bower armchair and Meeting Lounge are available as a low-back version or with the integrated high back for visual and acoustical privacy.
Nest Tables
Goodrum also designed a set of two tables that can be nested together or separated individually. These Nest tables evoke totems when stacked, but can be cantilevered over sofas, beds and chairs or simply float around a room when deployed. The space-saving objects act as a contemporary alternative to heavy coffee tables and can be mixed and matched based on preferences. The Nest tables come in a range of powder coated aluminum colors, laminates and wood and can be custom-configured to blend into any home or office.
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One of ICF’s newest collections, Mood, embodies the core of ICF’s mission to harness global design talent for the American market. Created by Danish design company Hans Thyge & Co., Mood chairs are both lovely to look at and comfortable to sit in, combining the simple look of Scandinavian design with the highest performance standards. The collection was inspired by an animated design that plays on subtle references to the human body.
The chairs are created with a textured surface that prevents you from sliding forward on the seat, as well as a slight waterfall on the seat edge that creates an open angle between the upper body and legs. This small detail extends comfort over longer periods of time, while the chair’s distinctive backrest gently meets the lumbar spine to ensure an upright posture. Completely customizable, these human-centric chairs can be ordered in six different models with varying shell color and upholstery combinations.
Penne Chairs
Another one of ICF’s Scandinavian-inspired products, the Penne Chair by German designers Julia Läfer and Marcus Keichel, blends craftsmanship with technology. It is the world’s first chair that incorporates laminated wooden tubes in its design to reduce the weight and use of resources. Winner of the Red Dot Award 2017, the complex product is simple in its style but powerful in its production. Its veneer leg tubes, made of the innovative material LignaTube, make it a durable industrial product. As strong as a wooden chair, the lightweight seat can handle heavy-duty use, making it ideal for schools, auditoriums, conference halls, cafeteria, canteens or waiting rooms.
ICF prides itself in seeking out and sourcing truly radical, global design for the American market. The brilliance of interior design is that while a room can look good with a single style, it can be comprised of several unique design pieces invented and fabricated from around the world. It’s a collaborative effort — a nod toward a global goal of beautiful and ergonomic design. The fact that these distinctive creations coexist in a unified space is a testament to the human spirit and our collective love for objects that are both artistic and effortlessly functional.
Images Courtesy ICF
