2010 ICFF: New Caribbean Design

One of our favorite collections at the 2010 International Contemporary Furniture Fair is a new project from designer Patty Johnson called Love, Freedom, Flow: New Caribbean Design. The project is a collaboration between Patty and six designers from the Caribbean region Hansie Duvivier (Haiti), Stella Hackett (Barbados), Andy Manley (Dominica), Philip Marshall (Barbados), Cassandre Mehu (Haiti), and Lesley-Ann Noel (Trinidad and Tobago). Together the designers worked with local artisan producers and craft production factories to produce a group of new furniture, lighting, textile, and ceramic products.

What is immediately striking about the collection is the simplicity and modern shapes mixed with an element of hand craft that gives each object real depth. There’s something interesting as well about the fact that these objects come from a region that you wouldn’t normally associate with contemporary design. We’ve been seeing lots of designers interested in moving back to functional products that have an element of hand made uniqueness. The fact that this booth was crowded with people the entire weekend is evidence people are looking beyond slick design these days.

North South Project