The International Contemporary Furniture Fair, better known as the ICFF, is an annual design show in New York City showcasing trending furnishing designs. Part of NYCxDesign Week, the ICFF has hosted hundreds of international exhibitors, including established brands and emerging designers, since its inception in 1989. Marking its 36th edition in 2025, the ICFF focused on the theme, “Designing in Harmony,” with an expansive showcase of American-made and international products.
Now that the event has culminated, it is time to dissect what we must. This year’s focus was slow fashion in design, courting craftsmanship, sustainability, and human connection. With these primary elements serving as unifying threads, the fair reflected upon the importance of diversity in design. It explored how design can bridge divides between materials and methods, cultures and climates, and past and future.
The 2025 edition of ICFF witnessed a rise in handcrafted home design, both in furniture and lighting. With a refreshed sense of purpose and a global perspective, the exploration of the unconventional, whether in shape or material, was a leading force of the event.
After closely monitoring the event, we have identified emerging furniture and lighting trends from the ICFF 2025. These trends will shape home furnishing design in the coming months with a strong emphasis on the circularity of it all.
Also Read: NYCxDesign Week Embraces Sustainability as Partner for Secure Future
Emerging Furniture Trends From ICFF 2025
This year’s furniture submissions were marked by a handful of key elements, one of which is the curved silhouettes. Other elements include sustainability, no-waste construction, and recycling, but the celebration of material was focal.
Celebration of Material
The ICFF 2025 celebrated materials and how different materials transform interiors with shapes, textures, patterns, and functions. From return to the traditional to an exploration of the unconventional, we saw a heterogeneous mixture of metal, glass, stone, wood, fabric, biomaterials, rattan, ceramic, and recycled plastics set to shape furniture for our homes and offices alike.
Curved Silhouettes
As predicted by the annual interior design trends, curved silhouettes will be ever-present in furniture design for the foreseeable future. From curved sofas, boucle chairs, round tables, and consoles, the ICFF 2025 witnessed rounded geometric shapes that are designed for contemporary tastes.
Intentionality of Design
One of the most significant things witnessed at the event was the intentionality of design, wherein designers displayed an interest in creating objects that marry form and function. No design is left purposeless or without a specific function. This is further emphasized by the Slow Furniture movement, which presses upon the need to produce and consume heirloom-worthy furniture for only what is required, eliminating over-consumption and ultimate waste.
Craftsmanship Above All
In a fast-moving world of machines, many designers have adhered to the quality of handcrafted furniture. Many brands, big and small, employ artisans with unrivaled craftsmanship, lending their design a timeless charm with durable construction.
Emerging Lighting Trends From ICFF 2025
Aside from a plethora of furniture designs, the ICFF 2025 was abuzz with vibrant lighting designs as well. From unconventional materials to never-seen-before designs, ICFF provided a global platform for hundreds of lighting designers to tell their story through light. Here are the leading lighting trends from the fair.
Ceramic as Favorite Material
Ceramic has emerged as the favorite material to make lighting fixtures this year. From the sculptural table and wall lamps from SIN to Kaleidoscopic patterns on the lamp bases by Ceramicism, ceramic is having its moment in the sun. The material bestows a distinct vintage charm to the lights, while becoming an aesthetic element in both residential and commercial spaces.
Handcrafted Glamor
Handcrafted lights stole the show at the ICFF 2025. Adding a rustic yet modern charm to new-age illuminators, the trend of handcrafting lights for residential and commercial landscapes has become a favorite of designers and consumers alike. We saw multiple entries that were made by hand with painstaking details, including the Puddling Cascade Lamp made from white cotton rope.
Minimal Waste Approach
Given a laser-sharp focus on sustainability, using industrial offcuts and a minimal waste approach to create lighting fixtures has become an ideal methodology. The Tilt + Shift lamps made from recycled wine corks and felt offcuts are one of the best examples from the fair.
These were the primary furniture and lighting trends from the ICFF 2025. Whether or not they will flourish into full-fledged movements remains to be seen. However, these trends have certainly sparked much conversation in the design industry, positioning them to only flourish with time.
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