While the architectural and construction industries have any number of trade shows where they can see cool products, most shows don’t focus on high-end and luxury products like the annual Architectural Digest Home Design Show, coming up March 22nd through 25th in New York City.
Sponsored by Architectural Digest and The New York Times, the show features exhibits from nearly 400 premium brands and is geared toward architects, interior designers, contractors, and consumers.
“The show is targeting both groups [professionals and consumers],” says Troy Hanson, director of leasing for Merchandise Mart Properties, the show’s producer. “It’s open to the trade and the press on the first day. On the second day, a lot of professionals bring their clients, but the show is open to the public on the last two days.” Hanson says the focus allows consumers to have access to products they normally would not see.
Launched 11 years ago, the AD Show has been gaining in importance in recent years as show organizers have seen a steady increase in national brands that often skip other prominent industry events. The show has seen double digit growth over the last three or four years and organizers are expecting the same this year. Last year’s show saw 41,600 attendees; organizers are expecting 50,000 this year.
A growing part of the event is MADE, a show within the show that is reserved for individual artists and designers of limited edition and/or one-of-a-kind objects and furnishings. “It’s a venue that allows artists and designers to have access to the architecture and design community that they normally would not have,” Hanson explains. Most of the pieces in MADE consist of lighting, furniture, and sculpture pieces. And the section has grown considerably: when it launched in 2008 MADE featured 34 exhibitors; this year it will have 160.
So what can attendees expect from this year’s show? They’ll see reclaimed flooring from a new brand, Manhattan Forest Products; highly customizable modular modern staircases from Ascendings; and a new line of Italian ranges designed for small spaces from Ilve Appliances, among many others.
Check out our slideshow to see 13 that we like.
