
All eyes in the design industry are on New York this week, as showrooms and galleries across the city unveil new furniture and stage buzzy exhibitions that will set the tone for the rest of 2024. From slurping oysters at Irish brand Orior’s Mercer Street showroom to getting your hands on jewelry-like door knobs from new hardware dealer Petra, here’s our guide to all the best NYCxDesign 2024 festivities.
ABOVE: Artist Steve Butcher‘s “Party Like it’s…” postcard collage art from 1999 can be seen as part of NYCxDesign’s Souvenir exhibition at 20 Hudson Yards.
1
The Main Event

The biggest draw during New York’s busy calendar of events is still the International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF). Last year saw the show regaining momentum under the new direction of Odile Hainaut and Claire Piloujat. This was evident in both the fair’s visual impact (an all-yellow lounge designed by Rodolfo Agrella made a particularly big splash) and its confident curation (The Crossroads, an exhibition planned by David Rockwell and Pei-Ru Keh, celebrated a kind of new Americana that made room for everything from Fort Standard’s wood dining tables to Liam Lee’s felted biophilic wingback chairs).
This year promises to up the ante even further, with a second edition of The Crossroads that zeroes in on sustainability. As for brand booths? We’ve had sneak peeks of a view, and we’re especially excited about new launches from returning faves Heller and d’armes. As always, the fair will be rounded out by a celebration of up-and-coming designers in the Launch Pad exhibition, part of ICFF’s larger Wanted platform dedicated to showcasing next-gen talent and leading designer-makers alike.
ICFF: The Javits Center, 429 11th Ave; May 19-21.
2
Alchemical Illumination


Leave it to British designer Lee Broom to recognize the value of a great theme. After mining religious architecture to great success in his 2022 Divine Inspiration series, the designer set to work exploring another mystical fascination: alchemy. His new Alchemist collection introduces four new product ranges — Mythos, King, Solstice and Gemini — with pendants, sconces and chandeliers that combine welded brass with glass, acrylic and leather accents.
Lee Broom Penthouse; By appointment only.
3
100+ More Lamps

Speaking of illumination, the Head Hi Lamp Show casts an especially bright light on the big city by bringing together 54 unique lamps from a mix of local and international designers. While previous editions of the annual exhibition had been held earlier in the spring at Head Hi (a Brooklyn coffee shop and cultural space), this year the showcase shifts to a new venue in Tribeca and syncs up with the rest of the design week calendar.
Even more great lighting awaits at RBW, which is unveiling a new four-piece sconce collection by Brooklyn designer Little Wing Lee (of Studio & Projects), as well as at “31 Days”, where ceramicist Charlie Dumais is showcasing 62 lamps created over the span of a single month.
Head Hi Lamp Show: 102 Franklin Street; May 17-19.
RBW: 50 Greene Street, 2nd floor; May 20.
31 Days by Dumais Made: 195 Chrystie Street, Unit 102W; May 15-17.
4
Irreverent Design Experiments


We love a good comeback story. Missing from the design calendar since 2021, the conceptual exhibition Jonalddudd makes its triumphant return this year — and everything suggests that the show will serve up another dose of outlandish design. Adding to the fun is this year’s venue: a space occupied, until recently, by sex shop Contact Sports. Organized by Chris Held (of Nice Condo), the 2024 exhibition is guest-curated by Charles Constantine, co-founder and Creative Director of metal furniture maker Bestcase.
Jonalddudd: 43 Mercer Street; May 17-20.
5
More Great Group Work

No guide to NYCxDesign 2024 would be complete without highlighting the various designers teaming up to show their work in conversation with one another. First up, designer co-op Colony has a new home in Tribeca, and is inaugurating the gallery space with a mix of its greatest hits — including Bec Brittain’s geometric lighting and Studio Paolo Ferrari travertine throne — and new arrivals. The storefront also features a range of cash-and-carry vintage items personally curated by Colony’s founder, Jean Lin.
From there, head to Egg Collective for the fourth edition of the showroom’s Designing Women exhibition. This year, the show casts a spotlight on the overlooked portfolio of architect Eileen Gray — specifically her unbuilt 1933 project House for Two Sculptors (which was appropriately planned around an “egg-shaped” atelier). Vignettes imagining how spaces in the project could have been furnished will be accompanied by renderings depicting the furniture represented in the house itself. Along with existing pieces from Egg’s catalogue, the show will also include sculptures from Taylor Kibby and Molly Haynes, as well as a new Eileen Mirror designed by Egg Collective to honour Eileen Gray’s enduring influence.
And over in Brooklyn, Design Dysphoria explores how queer identity informs design in a show uniting work from 17 architects, artists and designers. Expect textiles by Liz Collins and glass designs by Grace Whiteside to be just two of many highlights. Elsewhere in the borough, design shop Assembly Line hosts Time & Materials — a soulful, material-driven show that includes contributions from Fort Standard, Bowen Liu and General Assembly.
Colony: 196 West Broadway; through May 31.
Egg Collective: 151 Hudson Street; through June 15.
Design Dysphoria: 53 Scott Avenue, Suite 401; through May 25.
Time & Materials: 373 Atlantic Ave; May 15-June 23
6
Friendly Neighbourhood Block Parties

As much as New York Design Week is about celebrating American talent, it’s also an opportunity for international brands to introduce their latest wonders to a North American audience. Hence, Irish brand Orior will join in the action by celebrating its freshly imported Eli chair, Walker desk and Umber table with a cocktail event that promises Guinness and oysters. Up the street, Swedish brand Hem will spend Friday night fêting a new collaboration with Ellen Pong (launching under the brand’s collectible Hem X line) and a reissue of Erik Höglund’s Fars Glas glassware (created in partnership with Kosta Boda). Other nearby showrooms participating in the night’s Mercer Street Block Party include Roll&Hill, Henrybuilt, Stellar Works and Calico, Kasthall and BDDW.
On Saturday, the action picks up nearby with a fresh lineup of showrooms: Artemide, Foscarini, Carl Hansen & Son and Salvatori are all joining forces for the 10th anniversary of SoHo Design Day.
Mercer Street Block Party: 32 Mercer Street (Orior) + various other locations; May 17.
SoHo Design Day: Various locations; May 18.
7
Haute Hardware


Leveraging the same great taste that she put to work as a co-founder of Sight Unseen, curator Monica Khemsurov is now launching Petra Hardware — an online showroom dedicated to drawer pulls and door knobs that feel more like jewelry than your average industrial handles. For instance, Ursula Futura’s glass Round handles achieve a magical glow, while Pamela Love and Guillaume Pajolec dreamed up botanical door knobs that are cast in bronze. To showcase the elegant designs in action, Petra is teaming up with SightUnseen for a showcase of ten cabinets by indie design studios — each one kitted out with custom Petra hardware. (Also of note: Sight Unseen is staging a second unveiling with Nordic rugmaker Heymat, presenting three rugs inspired by historic female designers at design boutique Coming Soon.)
Petra x Sight Unseen: 25 East Broadway, 2nd floor; May 16-17, 11am to 5pm
Sight Unseen x Heymat: Coming Soon, 53 Canal St
8
Something to Remember It All By…

Skip the “I Heart NYC” keychain stalls and head to NYCxDesign’s Souvenir exhibition instead. More than 50 designers — including Harry Allen, Joyce Lin, Marc Thorpe and more — offer up their takes on custom trinkets that capture a moment in time. NYCxDesign 2024 may only last a week — but as this guide can attest, its influence will live on much longer.
Souvenir: 20 Hudson Yards Level 1; runs May 16-May 23.
Everything to See at New York Design Week 2024
A guide to ICFF, NYCxDesign and all the other events to put on your New York itinerary.