After nearly four decades as a May fixture in New York, the International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF) will move to November in 2027, taking place alongside BDNY at the Javits Center. By bringing together two distinct but complementary design audiences, the trade fairs will offer a comprehensive look at the future of the design industry.
For ICFF brand directors Odile Hainaut and Claire Pijoulat, the decision reflects years of industry conversations and an increasingly blurred line between residential, commercial, and hospitality design. Here, they discuss what’s ahead and why two shows are better than one.
What sparked the decision to move ICFF to November alongside BDNY?
Odile Hainaut: This is years of conversations we had with many industry leaders and exhibitors, partners, the design community. We talked to our main exhibitors, partners, sponsors, and visitors and asked them what they thought. Everyone told us to do it. That’s why we made the decision—we’re responding to what the industry needs right now.
How will the co-location benefit attendees and exhibitors?
OH: So many people couldn’t attend both shows, and now people can plan to spend more time in New York and at the Javits Center. The two shows complement each other. You need to see both.
Claire Pijoulat: There’s a reality in the market that we’ve observed in the past few years, and I’m sure you’ve seen it as well. The line between hospitality, residential, commercial has blurred so much.
How do you preserve what makes ICFF unique while complementing BDNY?
OH: We want to stay the destination for inspiration and trendsetting. ICFF is where we want the industry to go to discover things. This is the platform for launching new ideas and discovering exhibitors from all over the world, including new products and new ideas.
CP: We are lucky enough that we are sister brands with BDNY. We are able to do this is because we share a vision. It’s our chance to think of the customer experience and attendee experience differently because we have the ability to do that. It’s rare that when you bring events together, they are owned by the same company and they can work together like we can. It’s a big opportunity for both brands.
With BDNY approaching, you’re offering a preview of next year’s co-location. What are you bringing to this year’s fair to give attendees a taste of what’s ahead?
OH: We are co-hosting a talk on the BDNY Mainstage with Marcel Wanders, who is the perfect example of a designer who’s a pioneer in the hospitality world as well as the furniture world as the cofounder of Moooi. It’s the perfect bridge between ICFF and BDNY.
What can visitors expect from ICFF moving forward?
CP: The features we have are unique to ICFF, and we are working on growing them and making them even more impactful at the show.
OH: We are looking at bringing in new brands that have maybe never exhibited in the U.S., while continuing to look at the U.S. market because that’s for sure.
What’s your ultimate vision for the partnership?
CP: We want the brands and the audience to feel that they have a moment in New York where they come to do business and it’s efficient, but it’s also exciting and inspiring. We want to create something that doesn’t exist yet in New York.