Irwin Weiner ASID -- The recent New York International Gift Fair here in NYC was at times inspiring and other times exasperating. Inspiring: many new designs, top designers producing creative product, a renewed sense that the industry is starting an economic rebound with orders up in the 6 weeks prior to the show. Exasperating: much of the same old stuff, some very substandard products, a "Handmade" section being overrun by jewelry.

I liked the condensed home goods at Pier 94, instead of spilling over to a number of piers as in the past, but I wished the Pier was open for the full length of the show (it closed early on the penultimate day of the exhibits). It was lovely to see the strong international focus of the Fair, too, with 300 suppliers from 38 countries, many clustered for convenient browsing.

Here are some of the items and vendors who caught my eye at the August 15-20 Fair:

Middletons Old World Library Collection offers great service for homes with empty bookshelves. They offer beautiful antique books and can also specially cover books in colors that match any color scheme or decor to turn ordinary books into design accessories, a fun and unique service.