At the end of the day, we’re all just looking for a place to listen to our tunes. No matter what your preferred musical genre, New York’s May design shows had a seat to match.

COUNTRY

Tortoise
Three hospitality designers — Ruoxi Wang, Chuan Wang and Hines Fischer — joined together to form Forces at Play, a new furniture brand that made its debut at ICFF. The supergroup’s made-in-the-USA lounge chair features an ash base and a down-filled seat, shown here in a marshy Maharam fabric.

INDIE ROCK

To You, Someday
This eclectic medley of maple and walnut veneers (not to mention blue leather) was a standout of Oakland, California, designer NJ Roseti’s new collection, exhibited in WantedDesign Manhattan’s Look Book section and awarded Best Body of Work.

REMIX

Boe Bebop Lounge
Displayed at design gallery Colony, this collaboration between Studio Paolo Ferrari and Hiroko Takeda set out to demonstrate the difference between a knockoff and an homage — taking inspiration from a 1920s design by Pierre Chareau and Jean Lurçat but carrying it in a distinct new direction.

POP

Crcl
At ICFF, textile design studio Minna showcased its collection of fabrics handwoven by Guatemalan and Mexican artisans. Two patterns — Sol Honey and Sol Hibiscus — are shown here on the pine-framed Crcl chair by Hudson, New York, furniture-maker LikeMindedObjects, which creates cushion stuffing from fast-fashion textile waste.

HEAVY METAL

Amadeus
Wang Yichu wowed the crowd in WantedDesign Manhattan’s Launch Pad section with this sculptural throne made from aluminum dryer exhaust tubes filled with urethane foam (meaning yes, you can sit on it!).

CLASSICAL

Sieni
Named for the Finnish word for mushroom, this solid oak three-legged round chair (designed by Office of Tangible Space cofounder Michael Yarinsky) was presented by Nordic brand Made by Choice at the home of Finland’s consulate general.

PUNK

Noodle Throne
After charming us with a few pasta-inspired pieces during the 2022 edition of WantedDesign Manhattan, Caleb Ferris added another dish to his menu with this Baltic birch beauty, which took home this year’s Best in Show award.

EXPERIMENTAL

Pineal Lobotomy
L.A.’s Marta gallery teamed up with NYC auction house Catalog Sale to host Make–Do, a Chinatown exhibition that presented a dozen historical “improvised chairs” alongside 12 new commissions — including this one by Chen Chen and Kai Williams, who assembled it from rope, repurposed steel and tree branches in just three days.

SOUL

Ozo
Another highlight in WantedDesign Manhattan’s Launch Pad area was this poetic expression of “pride and fragility” by Nteje Studio’s Myles Igwebuike. The chair conveys his feelings as he waits to become a chieftain — or ozo — of Nigeria’s Igbo community.