Healthy Materials Lab is pleased to announce our collaboration with ICFF to launching a Materials section of the annual international design exhibition in NYC. On exhibition will be materials and active workshops that exemplify concepts of regeneration, repair, reuse, reducing toxics and carbon, and renewing with plants and minerals.  

Part of The OASIS area, our curated booth, developed with manufacturers and makers in healthy, climate-positive design, will spotlight the latest in bio-based, healthier materials, and sustainable fabrication processes. Join us for interactive workshops and hands-on sessions, where we will share practical approaches to innovation. 

In partnership with Metropolis, this collaboration will showcase leaders advancing material health, sustainability, and regenerative design, and is supported by an inspiring lineup of talks and workshops.

Stay tuned for more details. Learn more about ICFF here and their write-up of the Healthy Materials Lab here.

One workshop each day of the show will focus on key aspects for a healthier design future. Workshops will be held in Our Materials Exhibition adjacent to the Oasis stage. RSVP for the workshops here. 

REPAIRING DESIGN, with VETERANS CANING
SUNDAY MAY 17, 1:00 - 3:00 pm

Furniture is often discarded not because it has reached the end of its life, but because the knowledge and craft required to repair it have become less understood in contemporary design practice. These days, it is easy and inexpensive to replace something rather than repair it. 

Veteran’s Caning offers an alternative rooted in restoration, care, and longevity. A family-owned and operated business serving the New York area since 1899, Veteran’s Caning specializes in expert repair and restoration services for caned furniture, bringing new life to beloved objects through skilled craftsmanship, quality materials, and close attention to detail.

Hosted in our Healthy Materials Exhibition at ICFF 2026, Veteran’s Caning will present a rare live demonstration on recaning chairs. By extending the life of existing furniture, repair can reduce carbon emissions from manufacturing, reduce waste, and reduce pressure on landfills, thereby reducing the degradation of ecosystems. By keeping useful materials in circulation, we support a more thoughtful relationship to the objects we live with. 

Join us to learn how traditional repair practices can help shape a more resourceful and ecologically responsible design future—and remind us to repair rather than replace.

UNBOXING CARBON, with MARTHA LEWIS
MONDAY MAY 18, 11:00am - 12:30 pm

The materials we build with carry carbon long before a building is ever occupied. From extraction and manufacturing to transport and installation, construction materials contribute significantly to climate change through their upfront, or embodied, carbon emissions. Martha Lewis, Head of Materials at Henning Larsen, developed Unboxing Carbon, an initiative that gives architects, designers, and industry peers “the knowledge and tools to calculate and understand the upfront carbon of construction materials,” helping make complex carbon data more legible and actionable in design practice.

Join us for an enlightening talk with Martha Lewis, hosted in our Healthy Materials Library at ICFF 2026, as she unpacks how material selection shapes a project’s carbon footprint and why increasing carbon literacy is essential to the future of responsible design.

PAINT WITH MINERALS INSTEAD OF PLASTIC with ALKEMIS PAINT
TUESDAY MAY 19, 11:00am - 1:00 pm

Paint products surround us, often without our awareness of the chemicals they contain. We spend about 90% of our time indoors, exposed to these substances for most of our lives. The most common paint used globally is based in acrylic or synthetic latex, which is derived from petroleum and petrochemicals, and is high in embodied carbon.

Alkemis Paint is made from minerals instead of petroleum. Mineral paint is durable and non-toxic, designed to nurture people’s health and protect the ecosystems in which we live.  Hosted in our Healthy Materials library at the ICFF 2026, this workshop will offer a hands-on painting workshop with Maya Crowne and Price Latimer, Co-Founders of Alkemis Paint.

​Come try out what it is like to paint with rock instead of plastic. In this hands-on workshop, you will experience how mineral paint is easy to apply yet differs in subtle, beautiful ways.

In addition to the events we are hosting, find the full ICFF Talks schedule here and check back often for updates. 

We are grateful to the following partners for donating materials and products for this special exhibition:  Hydro, Duracryl, Ege, Mafi, Habitat Matter, Cosentino, Rarify, Humanscale, TimberHP, Nanamarquina, Olde Good Things.

Equally grateful to our partner with Alkemis, Veterans Caning, and Martha Lewis of Henning Larsen for active workshops demonstrating healthier methods for design.