At The 2017 Architectural Digest Design Show

If you have a low attention span and a preference for rapid changes of scenery, the Architectural Digest Design Show is the perfect venue for you.

The exhibitors ranged from bespoke artists, craftsmen, weavers and furniture makers, to giant manufacturers of appliances, cooktops, flooring, stone, windows and cabinetry. This splashy event is the Whitman’s Sampler of trade shows. Bouncing from unrelated vendor to unrelated manufacturer, you can’t quite settle in and focus, but for some of us who tend toward the ADHD spectrum, this experience wields nirvana.

The most beautiful flat weave carpets by Nasiri greeted you at the entrance. Woven in natural linens, cottons and wools, their casual feel was synonymous with a peaceful yoga meditation. These designs, adapted from tribal rugs discovered in an archive more than 150 years old, were airy, contemporary and effortless. Sophisticated tonalities, veering close to earth and sky tones, suffused their patterns.

Next to be discovered, propped up on up-lit, Plexiglass, platforms, were the recycled plastic furnishings of Kim Markel. Cast of translucent refuse, these all-weather chairs and tables sent the millennials into seventh heaven’s outer orbit. Pastel colors, light catching, and actually reasonably comfortable, their Flintstone forms fit the Boho sensibility to a “T,” and you will find them storming the market soon.

True Manufacturing, whose American-built coolers of solid steel are now dressed in black graphite with copper hardware and hinges, is also showcasing beautiful glass-fronted wine coolers, so classy that you don’t need to build a separate wine cellar anymore.

In general displays around the show and very popular for the kitchen were super-thin counters fabricated from solid half-inch steel. Popping up through these thin counters are gas burners, with minimal clutter for maximal effect. The thick, 3-inch marble counters of modern design seem to be a thing of the past, apparently. Tracy Glover hung ethereal etched glass bells, adding to her treasure trove of beautiful lighting. Hailing from Pawtucket, Rhode Island, she was among good company with other Eastern Seaboard artisanal fabricators. KGBL, built in Brooklyn and renowned for their very modern, quite luxe furnishings, presented a variety of offerings in sumptuous lacquers, jewel-like hardware, and gravity defying stone objects. I was smitten with their dovetailed marble and walnut coffee table. I would have just walked away with it, if it hadn’t weighed 862 pounds.

Brooklyn artisan Aaron Poritz builds furniture with 18th-century craftsmanship and 21st-century style. His tambour-doored credenza was an astonishing example of movement, function and stability.

The company’s ship lights presented exterior lighting of sturdy New England brass, offering more than 10 finishes. A completely different century appeal, these hearty nautical fixtures are well proportioned and of undeniably good quality. They are perfect for our shingled cottages by the sea, as their solid brass weathers but never disintegrates, like some poor quality lanterns that I have tried out. From Marblehead Massachusetts, these Yankee purveyors are as knowledgeable as they are charming.

Designed and crafted in the United States, the thoughtful and rather authentic braided rugs by Thayer Design Studio from Milton, Massachusetts, truly appeared fresh and modern. Turning the traditional braided carpet on its ear, Thayer lightens the palette and sticks to Jersey creams, foggy grays, and soft blues, not only in her carpets, but also in her totes and baskets.

Along with the wood flooring stockists, the tile showrooms, and the door hardware, there suddenly popped up a sophisticated Dutch dealer of mid-century lighting.

As I said, there was something for everyone. Although the Architectural Digest show hasn’t quite found its footing yet and still seems a bit helter-skelter, it does have its merits. Happily, I discovered so many local manufacturers—from New England, Long Island, and Brooklyn’s Red Hook and Williamsburg. These exhibitors are extraordinarily upbeat, young, and enthusiastic—so refreshing. Even if the event may have been a bit chaotic, it was certainly a worthwhile way to spend a blustery March afternoon.