Norwegian Furniture on Display at ICFF in New York City
Four Norwegian furniture manufacturers exhibited their seating products at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF) in New York City from May 17th to 20th.
The four companies, Fora Form, Variér Furniture, Aksel Hansson and Mokasser were all part of the first ever Norwegian National Stand at the ICFF. The stand was sponsored by Innovation Norway, the Norwegian Consulate General in New York, and the Norwegian Furniture Manufacturers Association (MØBELRÅDET) in Oslo.
The ICFF was selected as the trade fair of choice for promoting Norwegian furniture in the US because of its focus on contemporary design and its location in New York City. The Greater New York Metro area is the largest regional market in the US in terms of furniture sales ($2.5 bil) and is comprised of a large concentration of high-income households within a small area, making it an ideal entry point into the US market for Norwegian furniture companies.
According to the participating companies, the response to the Norwegian designs was very positive although it was widely acknowledged that this was just the first step on a long road toward building awareness of Norwegian furniture in the US. “The Norwegian presence at ICFF still pales in comparison to that of the Italians or the Danes”, said Jesper Petersen of Variér Furniture. Petersen maintained that the ICFF was an ideal event for introducing Variér’s avant garde designs to the US market. Variér just concluded a deal with a local distributor and expects to begin shipping its products to high-end furniture retailers in the months ahead. Innovation Norway is already looking forward to expanding Norway’s particpation at next year’s ICFF, as well as other interim opportunities to promote and profile Norwegian excellence in furniture design in the US.
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