New York Design Week 2013: the highlights

Living up to its mantra as 'the city that never sleeps', New York threw down the gauntlet last weekend with NYC x Design - an umbrella title for the stalwart International Contemporary Furniture Fair, the up-and-coming contender Wanted Design and cool hipster offering that is Noho Design District.

This year's event unleashed itself on a rather weary public. The two weeks prior saw the coming and going of two design and art fairs: Collective Design Show and Frieze, leaving only the strongest marching onwards to the end of May.

Nevertheless, New Yorkers and their international counterparts lapped up all the design that was on offer, with pop-up exhibitions, cocktail hours and intellectual panel discussions sprouting up all over the city. Team Wallpaper* was, of course, there in force, supporting friends like Tom Dixon, who launched his Adidas and accessories ranges into the hallowed halls of ABC Carpet and Home, and Neri & Hu, who unveiled a brand new furniture collection produced by De La Espada.

Amidst the frantic, mad dash, it was satisfying to see New York continuing to cement its position on the international design calendar. ICFF once again recruited niche designers and makers to exhibit within the Javits Centre, while Wanted Design upped the ante with exhibitors coming from as far as Turkey, Puerto Rico, El Salvador and Quebec to present their products. New York may have experienced three consecutive weeks of citywide fairs, yet it continued to brim with creative energy. And for that, we are grateful.

One of our favourite West Coasters, Commune, unveiled a furniture collection for Environment in New York this week. The collection includes a dining table, coffee table, chairs and a daybed, which allude to easy California living.

True to Commune's DNA, each piece is uncomplicated in form and tastefully comprises warm wood and metal accents.

Within the larger collection is a series of furniture known as the Cleat range, due to its use of cube configurations to make up larger pieces.

The American Design Club staged an homage to the trophy, inviting young designers from across the country to present their vision of this traditional symbol of accomplishment. The exhibition, 'Trophy: Awards We Live With' was presented at The Standard Hotel, East Village

Situated in the heart of the Noho Design District, lifestyle and fashion boutique Billy Reid got in on the action by commissioning The Principals, a design firm based in Brooklyn, to create a set of dominoes entitled 'Bare Bones'

The angular 'double 6' domino set is cast from raw concrete and shows off a new take on the traditional domino's shape and numbering system

Lindsay Adelman threw open the doors to her newly minted showroom at 1 Great Jones Street this week

Typically open by appointment only, Adelman's studio served as an intimate showcase for her range of works, including new pieces such as the 'Catch' (first seen at Nilufar Gallery), made in floor light and suspension versions…

…the Curiosity vessels made from cast brass, horsehair and glass blown by artist, Nancy Callan…

…and a new zigzag frame table lamp made from hammer bronze

The Merchant's House Museum, the only family home from the 19th Century preserved in tact in New York City, was a unique backdrop to contemporary works from a selection of up-and-coming designers. Here, a collection of lights by Noah Spencer of art collective Fort Makers stands within one of the untouched bedrooms

The sculptural weavings of designer/artist Dana Barnes run over twin beds in the servants' quarters of the museum

A graphic quilt by textile designer Meg Callahan and woven baskets by Doug Johnston blend in with the rest of the furniture

Vitsoe celebrated the relaunch of the legendary 620 chair by Dieter Rams during ICFF

Although the new chair has been reengineered, it still boasts the same traditional upholstery craftsmanship

Paola Navone made her US debut with a fully-formed range of furniture and home goods inspired by the richness of India for Anthropologie. The vibrancy and eccentricity that underlines the colourful 'Out of India' collection is probably best embodied in this four-poster bed

The energetic printed upholstery that accompanies this daybed by Navone is an abstracted take on Hindi writing. In addition to soft furnishings and bedding, wire storage baskets and pendant lamps also rounded out the collection, which is available online

These bookends by fellow Brooklynites Egg Collective and Hangar Design Studios, were presented during Reclaim NYC, a design community initiative comprised of teams of designers benefitting the Brooklyn Recovery Fund and Hurricane Sandy casualties. The polygonal forms are cast in bronze

Dana D'Amico worked with KWH furniture to produce this walnut desk and its accompanying porcelain drawer, shown at Reclaim NYC

The wood of these vessels by Baltimore boys Jonah Takagi and woodturner Mark Supik is reclaimed yellow pine, previously used in vinegar barrels

Windchimes by the Seattle-based Ladies & Gentleman Studio and ceramicist Nicholas Nyland

'Set for One' is a solid walnut side table, inlaid with brass and accompanied by a slip-cast porcelain bowl, by furniture designer Asher Israelow and ceramicist Wyn Bauer. It was also shown at Reclaim NYC

Parsons alumni Souda put together a delectable collection of ceramics, all cast from soft leather molds

They also designed the ergonomic Mitre stool, which is comprised of four slanting wooden planes

A shelving unit and lamps by the Los Angeles based firm, Atelier de Troupe

A table of curious objects by Portland-based designer/maker Jason Rens. His studio is called Rason Jens

A desk by Brooklyn-based designer, Pat Kim

A closer look at a lamp by Michael Rey for Atelier de Troupe

An attractive vignette of works by Californian-turned-Portlander Eric Trine

'Carnasto' small wire floor lamps from the El Salvadorean design hub, The Carrot Concept, which popped up at Wanted Design, courtesy of Bernhardt Design

A small bookcase, 'Maleta' by José R. Paredes of The Carrot Concept

Mark Moderna's 'Lami' metal sheet chair

The 'Circa' metal sidetables, by The Carrot Concept founders, Claudia and Harry Washington

Fort Standard created new ceramic designs for British ceramic company 1882…

…as well as a new trio of 'Crest' bottle openers

'Novela Vessels' is a range of stacking table vessels from Turkish designers Erin Turkoglu and Melodi Bozkurt of Muzz Design

British designer David Irwin contributed this family of wireless table lamps to the inaugural collection of the new furniture company, Juniper

Joanna Grawunder's 'Pink Void' - a stunning aluminum lighting piece made by Neal Feay Studios

A colourful table service set atop a pedestal table by Quebecoise designer, Zoe Mowat

'Twig' dining chair by Chad Wright for Council, as spotted at Design Junction's first US pop-up space, Intro NY

A new desk light by Castor is French for Beaver at Intro NY

Hanging pendants by Castor is French for Beaver

Jonah Takagi's second project, Field, played the role of curator on an exhibition (entitled Here & There) of new objects created by his peers. In collaboration with the multidisciplinary studio, Various Projects, designers including Okolo, Studio Gorm, Hannah Waldron and Takagi himself, worked to the theme of travel, which in turn produced some wonderous results. Pictured are Okolo's posters, inspired by the golden age of jet-set traveling

A canoe crafted by Colgate Searle and Matthias Pliessnig at the Here & There exhibition

Travelling cocktail set by Jonah Takagi and Art in the Age craft spirits

First aid kit by Elizabeth Beer and Brian Janusiak of Various Projects, also for Here & There

Over at ICFF, we spotted this 'Monocole' bedside light by Rich Brilliant Willing

Roman and Williams debuted their first furniture collection with Matter. Available in an array of woods, the robust range makes a nod to the American tradition for heavy wooden furniture, and includes chairs, stools, a coffee table - as well as this barrel-shaped chandelier. The 'Woodrum' design is also available as a standing floor lamp or a single hanging pendant, and is a contemporary interpretation of hanging elk antler chandeliers

A pair of log holders by the French-based Kilian O'Sullivan Design

A colourful, tessellating coffee table by Brooklynite, Volk Furniture

A marble and bronze coffee table by Why Not Bespoke

Symbol is a design and audio company the integrates listening equipment with furniture. This modern LP console comes with an LP storage bin attached

A pair of swiveling standing lamps by Los Angeleno, Phase Design, is named the 'Open Mic Light' for obvious reasons

Assembly Design's quiet approach proved to be just as impactful as its neighbours

A copper framed chair by Assembly

The homegrown lighting studio, Apparatus, did not disappoint with its fashion savvy approach. In addition to the usual finishes, one of its new creations is also available in leather

Sconces in basic shapes by Apparatus

Serving and storage bowls and stacking Corian coasters by 100xBtr

The Future Perfect debuted its very first in-house collection, which included this cheerfully coloured, 1970s-inspired sofa by Lindsey Adelman, as well as a branch-armed chandelier by San Franciscan, Charles de Lisle

The latest notch on Fab.com's belt: a collection of home accessories with the Albers Foundation, featuring several of Anni Albers' prints

More hypnotizing glasses and trays from the Albers Collection with Fab.com

Not your usual chair by bespoke furniture makers, Vonnegut Kraft

David Okum contributed this beautiful family of desk organizers

Rhode Islanders O&G Studio roped in textile designer Meg Callahan and furniture designer Andrew Mau to collaborate on a range of new pieces, including this sofa

The duo also released a new coffee table with removable glass panels

A new hanging light by Lindsey Adelman alumnus, Mary Wallis

Playful shelving by Commonhouse Furniture

Pelle's architectural roots shine through with its latest series, Quadrat, which uses wood lattice grids to form coffee and side tables

A collection of handcrafted porcelain tableware by Brittany Pool, on show at Cranbrook Academy of Art's exhibition space

Another highlight on Cranbrook's stand was this family of welded steel multi-purpose vessels by Mark Baker