Philadelphia Furniture&Furnishings Show

Suppose you could have the home of your dreams, designed by artists and built by hand, for not much more than you’d pay at a big department store.

Suppose you could step inside the mind and design process of your favorite furniture maker or architect and ask them all the questions their work brings to mind...or for that matter, share some of your ideas. Or, finally find a woodworker to design the stereo cabinet of your dreams. You can, at the

Philadelphia Furniture and Furnishings Show

April 28-30, 2006.

Now in its twelfth year at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, the Philadelphia Furniture & Furnishings Show is the nation’s leading exhibition and sale of artisan-designed and made furniture and home accessories for home and office. Founded by Philadelphia furniture makers in the tradition of a guild marketplace, PFFS now features over 200 juried exhibitors from across the US (and other countries) showing an unparalleled range of high-quality, one-of-a-kind merchandise. The show is a highlight of Philadelphia’s cultural calendar, attracting thousands of collectors, designers and students of the decorative arts to Philadelphia every spring.

In 2005, PFFS introduced a fascinating new section, Art Of The Home, devoted to residential architecture and high-end products and services related to architecture and home design. Coordinated by the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Philadelphia in partnership with PFFS, Art of the Home presents exhibits by up to 30 select AIA Philadelphia architects, and the exclusive opportunity to meet the architects in an informal, spontaneous setting. Adjoining the architectural displays are exhibits by a limited group of manufacturers of high-end architectural products and service providers. Homeowners, design professionals and those considering renovations or restoration can now preview every detail of the one-of-a-kind home environment: literally from the paving stones to the last hand-cast drawer pull.

This year we continue to innovate, by adding the Design Smart Seminars to our Art of the Home program. Design Smart Seminars will put you in the room with the experts - woodworkers will tell you what you need to know about specifying custom cabinetry, solar energy experts will talk to you about placing collectors on your new home, a mold abatement expert will get your fungi under control, learn how and where to use stained glass in your next renovation project, And should you be an architect, these seminars will count toward your continuing education requirements.

With a range of price points from the impulse accessory item (hand-printed placemats) to the custom-designed, hand-built dining room suite of dreams, PFFS offers a breathtaking overview of contemporary design, craftsmanship and fabrication. From sleek, modernist steel shelving to Japanese ceramics and Arts and Crafts style cabinetry, PFFS showcases exceptional work in every genre: what we don’t show are mass-produced items or anonymously-crafted home design accessories.

For those who choose to live with one-of-a-kind, custom-crafted home furnishings, locating the right artisan for a particular project or aesthetic can be a challenge. Craft shows or galleries may not offer the broadest range of choices or the opportunity to talk with the artist in a relaxed and welcoming setting. PFFS presents an enormous range of talents and products -- and perhaps most valuable, a chance to establish a face-to-face relationship between the artist and the collector, designer or architect, which often evolves into a lasting creative collaboration.