Last week, UBIFRANCE United States wrapped up the second edition of the French Pavilion at the International Home & Housewares Show in Chicago (March 10 th -13 th , 2012). With nearly 2,100 exhibitors from 125 countries present at the show, the French Pavilion featured 12 French companies, 4 of which exhibited for the first time .  Both traditional and innovative houseware collections were on display.   Keeping with the current trends in the United States housewares market, colorful items received particular interest from buyers, including Apilco ’s colorful porcelain items from their ‘Colorama collection’, Siguret Concept ’s platinum silicone bakeware shaped as peppers, Fresh Mill ’s hand operated herb mincers, as well as Gimex International ’s multifunctional Ice.bag.     Claude Dozorme ’s knife-sets along with their individual specialty knives & spreaders were presented by color-story and appealed to both modern and traditional households alike.   Opinel ’s eye popping kitchen-cutlery essentials were a crowd favorite and Spoiler Alert by FreezCube exhibited for the first time at the show with their primary-colored food safety device. Thion-Arvix also inspired visitors to dress up their kitchen & bath with its collection of mats, sink liners and other home textiles: all with a positively French flare.   As expected, France’s strong tradition in Knives, Baking and Wine consumption were on exhibit featuring products from Laguiole en Aubrac , Vauzy Chassangue , Daudi   and L’Atelier du  Vin .   Discover our fabulous exhibitors by clicking directly on their company name, above! See you next year at the International Home & Housewares Show 2013!   Follow us on Twitter @UBIdecor and join our French / North American Decor Business LinkedIn group.    

The final preparations are under way for the French Pavilion at the International Home & Housewares Show ( www.housewares.org ) in Chicago March 10th to the 13th, 2012! UBIFRANCE United States is very excited to unveil the second edition of the French Pavilion and introduce the following new exhibitors to the American housewares community:   L’Atelier du Vin (Booth S4443): Since 1926, L’Atelier du Vin has specialized in products for the oenophile, accompanying the consumer from the wine cellar to the glass. A family-owned business, L’Atelier du Vin is focused on creating useful items to enhance the wine tasting experience, including exclusive books and games. Apilco (Booth S4449): Apilco, a leading French porcelain manufacturer since 1826, creates table and serveware combining tradition and modernity, from noble and authentic materials, a true reference within the professional and gourmet communities, Apilco has become the preeminent label of culinary porcelain. DAUDI (Booth S4445): For over 25 years, Jean Daudignac has been designing and creating baking tools and molds for both household and professional use, sold under the DAUDI name. A former French pastry chef, Daudignac simplifies the art of French pastry by offering kits including all necessary tools for creating and decorating your own pastries. FreezCube (Booth S4446) : FreezCube creates, designs, and markets its own innovations. Its most recent introduction, Spoiler Alert by FreezCube (Made in France), is a frozen food monitoring device which alerts consumers about hazardous changes in freezer temperature. Be sure to visit your favorite returning exhibitors as well at Booths S4443 to S4549 in the Dine & Design section of the South Hall in McCormick Place: Claude Dozorme Cultery, Fresh Mill, Ice.bag® by Gimex International, Laguiole en Aubrac, Opinel, Vauzy Chassangue, Siguret Concept, Thion-Arvix. For more information about our French exhibitors, please consult our press release (download right below) Follow us across the web on twitter and LinkedIn group French / North-American Home Decor business 

UBIFRANCE’s 1st edition of the French Pavilion at the New York International Gift Fair (Winter 2012) was a grand success, featuring 18 quality exhibitors of gifts, decorative accessories, textiles and tableware from France.     We had the opportunity to welcome many American industry professionals, notably journalists, buyers and sales reps to our pavilion in its prime placement at the show.    Several new exhibitors from France joined the usual favorites, nothing that the New York International Gift Fair is a key industry event…not to be missed! For more information about our french exhibitors, please consult our press release (download right below) Come visit us at the Summer 2012 edition of the New York International Gift Fair (August 19th-23rd 2012), and follow us across the web on twitter and LinkedIn group French / North-American Home Decor business

After a successful first edition, the French Pavilion, organized by UBIFRANCE United States, will be returning to the International Home & Housewares Show in Chicago (March 10th – 13th, 2012), bringing housewares trends fresh from France. At the crossroads between innovative products for home-kitchen-table and traditionally handcrafted cutlery & flatware, the French pavilion will feature 12 fabulous companies of high quality housewares including: Laguiole knives, dinnerware, serving pieces, wine accessories, bakeware, kitchen gadgets and kitchen textiles. Be inspired by the French Art de la Table and come visit the French Pavilion located in the Dine & Design section of the South Hall in McCormick Place, booths S4443 to S4549 For more information about our french exhibitors, please consult our press release (download right below) Follow us across the web on twitter and LinkedIn group French / North-American Home Decor business    

The French pavilion at the New York International Gift Fair is under New Management! UBIFRANCE-the French Trade Commission will be unveiling the newly designed pavilion featuring several new exhibitors as well as many of the returning favorites at the Winter 2012 session of the New York International  Gift Fair (29thJanuary-2nd February 2012).   18 companies of high quality Home and Gift product lines including: textiles, decorative objects, jewelry, holiday collectibles, exquisitely crafted tableware and cutlery as well as small leather goods will be featured on the show space located in the General Gift section of the Jacob Javits Center, Booths:  2640-2750.

AHALIFE.COM OPENS BOUTIQUE: Discovery shopping Web site AHAlife.com is doing the unthinkable: opening a brick-and-mortar location. The boutique, which opens today in the Regalo at The Bazaar by José Andrés at SLS Hotel at Beverly Hills, is the one-year-old site’s first off-line retail location. It will carry a selection of exclusive items, which include Helmut Newton watches, Akillis jewelry and exotic skin accessories from Khirma Eliazov — with new products being introduced every four weeks. read the full article on wwd.com

Tucked into the rolling hills and breathtaking vistas of southeastern France are ateliers where French artisans make tabletop and other home furnishings the same way they have for generations—by hand, with integrity and a commitment to proven manufacturing techniques, yet with an eye on the modern market. On the other side of the Atlantic are American independent specialty retailers who appreciate custom-made goods and French design, and who crave unique merchandise that will set them apart from their department store and specialty chain brethren. A recent match-making effort between these two groups sewed the seeds of potentially beautiful relationships. In an event organized by the Chambre de Metiers et de L’Artisanat in France and the New York office of the French Trade Commission, seven American retailers from different parts of the country had the opportunity to travel to France to meet with the workshop owners, watch the products being made, and discuss opportunities for partnerships.   read the full article on fhnmag.com