When it comes to technology, one of my favorite objects is a Tivoli portable radio. The high-quality sound, the compact size, and the old-school knobs are perfect for simple folk like me. What’s refreshing is that the company in recent years has embraced Design with a capital “D.” This year’s iPAL models, for example, are available in high-gloss red, green, blue, yellow, and black—zippy colors that are bound to please. Read more…

We were both charmed by Amy Butler’s floral wallpapers for Graham & Brown, which offered a traditional counterpoint (and complement) to the of-the-moment designs at the fair. The Ohio-based designer is known for her colorful, bold prints inspired by nature, which she has used on everything from printed fabrics to organic towels and postconsumer recycled gift wrap, but this collection marks her first foray into wall-coverings. The six designs are available in six color palettes—Sunset, Field, Stone, Moss, Midnight, and Ocean—and are produced in the United Kingdom using water-based inks on an FSC-certified base. As you can see from the following photos, each can be a lovely backdrop for your midcentury Modern treasures. Read more…

Sometimes the best designs at ICFF aren’t furniture. Case in point: Black + Blum’s considered High&Dry dish rack, which is as close to beautiful as such a quotidian object can get. According to Martin Blum, he and his co-designer, Dan Black, wanted to create a dish rack that would be at home in a high-end, minimalist kitchen, where such accessories are generally tucked out of sight. So they turned to modern architecture for inspiration and specifically the work of the Santiago Calatrava. Indeed, the polypropylene-and-stainless-steel rack, which unfolds into a flexible wave of spikes to hold glasses, resembles the Spanish architect’s design for the WTC transportation hub. (It can also fold flat for storage or a rinse in the dishwasher.) The tray is free of any flat surfaces or construction lines that might trap grime and features an ingenious drainage spout that can be flipped up when not positioned by a sink.

This morning, two of our editors separately filed admiring reports on a pair of new Karim Rashid pieces at the Council booth:

Could you pick this humble desk out of a police line-up? The furniture world version of the blind taste taste? If someone asked me to guess the designer of basiK, Karim Rashid—he of the swoop, the blob, the bubbles, the…wardrobe—would not make even a semi-short list of ten. And that’s a credit to his rigor as an industrial designer, and to his client, Council, the San Francisco-based company that continues to impress me with its taste, curatorial eye, and attention to detail. For basiK, which was just completed two weeks ago, Rashid rests the elegantly proportioned plywood desk atop a thin and playful steel frame. The two forms complement each other in an almost effortless way. At $1,200, this has DWR written all over it. Here’s hoping. —Martin C. Pedersen

You’d never guess that the Careem chair, by Karim Rashid, was once produced by Cappellini. Council has given the design fresh life with the less technical production processes and a new material palette. The upholstered tops still separate from the bases for stacking. The version with wood legs is especially surprising. “It looks like it could be Scandinavian,” says Derek Chen, Council’s founder. A recycled PET shell is in the works. —Kristi Cameron Read more…

This year Patty Johnson is showing designs from 10 Caribbean nations made by 20 different producers. The collection is defined by traditional materials and techniques, all of them socially and economically sustainable, but as usual Johnson has worked with the artisans to develop pieces that have broad appeal. There are objects made of tobacco leaves, leather, and coconut fiber, but the standout is Johnson’s own chair, produced by Liana Cane, a factory in Guyana that is devoted to renewable materials. The chair is made from kufa, “with properties similar to rattan,” according to Johnson, and finished in environmentally-friendly neon shades. They are displayed to great effect in a twisting tower just below the name of the collection: Love Freedom Flow.

I’m a sucker for the Japanese designer Naoto Fukasawa. He is a master at stripping an object down to just a handful of details—its formal essence—and then resolving those details elegantly, simply, and, ultimately, poetically. His new Shelving System for the venerable Finish company Artek feels like a perfect match of designer sensibility and Alvar Alto–inspired brand. They’re made for each other. The painted MDF shelves snap snugly into the smoothly notched corners of the birch ladders. The zinc and aluminum wire cross-bracing prevents a simple object from appearing too simple—giving it depth—while at the same time allowing it to work as a space divider. It’s curious. The shelves have a warmth that isn’t fully conveyed in the photos. But that makes me love them even more.

Photos: Jouka Lehtola/courtesy Artek

Mark Kinsley, who won a spot in Bernhardt Design’s ICFF Studio, designed his Riveli modular shelving system for his own small apartment. “I wanted something that didn’t always have to be out but could be pulled down when my book collection grew,” says the Chicago-based designer. He quickly realized that the system, made of 9-by-17-inch aluminum plates with a black anodized finish, was a shoo-in for the retail market, thanks to the image emblazoned on the undersides of the plates. DesignTex produced the images for the prototypes; in future iterations the shelves will work more like a picture frame, with a slot for images to be inserted and swapped out. Roll pins provide enough pressure that the plates remain against the wall when pushed up, giving retailers a clever way to show small items against their logo. Though not officially in production, Riveli is currently available on demand from Iconic Revolution.