Microsoft Hardware Blog

The industrial design team here in the Hardware User Experience group is always looking for new ways to get inspired, and a few of us had a great chance to experience what’s new in the design world at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF) in New York this May.

“What would Microsoft Hardware get out of a furniture fair?” you might ask.  As we design products for the way people want to use them, we’re finding that designing for a desktop or home office scenario isn’t as relevant for many people as it used to be.  For example, they often want to be using their PC’s out in living room, which is why we make products like the Arc Keyboard now- it’s perfect for kicking back on the couch and using on your lap.  We need to understand design trends in the home in order to fit more seamlessly into that ecosystem.

ICFF brings together a huge number of international designers and furniture makers to showcase what’s new in the field and is a great opportunity to see a lot of great work within the walls of the Javits Center.  Below are a few of our favorite products and booths from the show, enjoy!

Tom Dixon always makes a good showing, this year featured some new, simple wooden pieces with bold colors.  There was also a mini assembly line where workers were putting together die-cut parts for a lamp you could buy right there!

Blu Dot featured some furniture that juxtaposed natural wood and bent steel, a theme that we saw in a few booths this year.

Here are a few more examples of designers mixing wood with brightly colored, powder coated steel.

Floral patterns as well as 3D textures played a big part in textiles as well as products.

There’s always some great lighting on display and this year was no exception.

Our visit to ICFF gave us a great idea of how furniture and interior design trends are developing, and should serve as a point of inspiration as we move forward creating new Microsoft Hardware products.