By Rachel Fasciani
Origins
Design markets are becoming less about transactions and more about connection. At Field + Supply in Kingston, New York, conversations with makers are as valuable as the products themselves—a shift that reflects a broader movement across today’s design industry.
I spoke with Brad Ford, Field + Supply founder, interior designer, and owner of the NYC showroom Fair, on our drive up to Kingston. Ford said the Catskills landscape “reminded me of Arkansas, where I grew up going to craft fairs.” In New York, he was witnessing the smaller, highly skilled furniture and craft makers he treasured being spread across other events, and realized that he wanted to create a market experience. One that celebrated and sold products made by passionate makers and held in upstate New York.
Photo: Anne Pyburn Craig
A recently restored black barn in High Falls, New York made him stop one afternoon and ask the owner his plans for the space. “I don’t know,” the owner told him. In 2014 Field + Supply was born and held in that barn with wild success. Ford recounts that it was so good, he lamented, “This means we have to do it again.”
A market’s movement
One of the key questions I wanted to know was how the market has changed since those early days of 2014. Ford shared, “We’ve grown from what was a few small furniture makers to include lifestyle, jewelry, and other products.”
Ford also stresses that while the event celebrates the makers, it has products across all price points. I found this to be the case as I walked the market over two days. Across from a vendor selling $800 extraordinarily made stools was another maker selling t-shirts and sweatshirts of 100% high-quality cotton starting at $35. Wildly popular vendor The Falls was selling an exquisitely restored Victorian chair for $3,000, while in another part of the market, Bo DiBuono of Manor Sangria sold $28 mason jars of the best sangria I’ve ever had.
The conversation
To gain designer perspectives, I reached out to a group that regularly attends markets of all kinds. Sharon Sherman was among those who responded.
Sherman’s observations echoed many of mine. One of the most important alignments we share is on the entire experience of Field + Supply. Sherman remarked, “The quality level not only of the products but of the presentation, the interactions with the artisans, and the setting. I saw products I have not seen at other shows.” She continued, “it was the conversation and storytelling by the vendors that made it feel different.”
Those conversations are key. In speaking with Demetria Chappo, artist and owner of Demetria Chappo Ceramics, I learned we were born one town away from each other, that her pieces are largely inspired by natural vistas and dreamscapes. And chatting with Meltz owner Alex Meltzer while styling the perfect pic (once a self-appointed stylist, always a self-appointed stylist), I learned that the shades on her new lighting collection are made from vintage goatskins, but are evolving into being made with different materials soon. Those deeper engagements occurred across each vendor I met. They establish connections that run deeper than product. What could be a simple transaction becomes an investment in the maker—a shared laugh, a story, an understanding of what makes a piece meaningful. The connection extends beyond the product itself.
Sherman expands on that throughline when she notes, “It is the interaction with the makers, the quality of the products, and the presentation. There is not a hard sell, it is all about discovering the products and how they speak to you. That is a connection that is evolving in today’s design landscape.”
The future is personal
What does this mean for today’s designers, consumers, and craftsmen?
Field + Supply is a top-tier example of the direction I see in the progression of markets. Whether it is The Design Social at High Point, or Afternoon Light in New York City, the design community, collectively, is enthusiastically embracing smaller moments with highly skilled, wildly talented, and gifted makers. And part of those makers’ magic is their storytelling. In speaking with Claire Resnick of Claire Resnick Ceramics she shared that part of her craft is using differently powered kilns to draw out unique elements within her pieces. The particular glaze on a candlestick is achieved through a wood-fired kiln process. A time-consuming, finicky approach that yields captivating pieces.
Sherman adds to this anchor when she shares the story of clients building their dream home, “The Queen”. She explains, “They are looking for products and materials that have meaning to them, which comes from the story of the products or of the makers. The personal connections that are formed and then brought into the design to become part of the storytelling of the home and the project.”
Those were exactly the individuals making intentional purchases at Field + Supply, and where design markets are moving. To this Sherman added, “Design is moving beyond things and into feelings and the energy of a space.”
Across the industry, designers and consumers alike are increasingly drawn to experiences that prioritize discovery, craftsmanship and human connection over sheer scale and price.
Ford summed it up best. Field + Supply, the makers and the attendees all contribute to what he calls “collective effervescence.”
Collective effervescence.
