This week in design, Ikea revealed that its newest store will be more than a mile long, the Guggenheim announced the addition of a glass elevator to its Frank Lloyd Wright–designed building, and Madcap Cottage said goodbye to its trademark elephant as industry brands took full advantage of April Fool’s Day. Stay in the know with our weekly roundup of headlines, launches, events, recommended reading and more.

Business News

President Donald Trump is set to impose additional tariffs on foreign goods on April 2, a day he has dubbed “Liberation Day.” As AP reports, Trump plans to unveil his strategy for reciprocal tariffs placed on nearly all U.S. trading partners on Wednesday, along with soon resuming the monthlong delay he imposed on taxes for many imports from Canada and Mexico. In the home sector, industry leaders have voiced their concern over the impacts of new tariffs: Furniture Today spoke to executives who say that a broader effort to build up manufacturing within the country could be hindered by an ongoing domestic labor shortage and suppliers who are fleeing tariffs by moving out of China, but not to the States. Marcus Bontrager, president of Fusion Designs, told FT that although automation may help domestic manufacturers boost production, it may be difficult to ever compete with their counterparts in Asia, and that lower-end case goods may be the toughest category to reshore.

Just a few weeks after its $1.75 billion acquisition of real estate brokerage Redfin, Rocket Mortgage has inked another major deal: $9.4 billion for the country’s largest mortgage servicer, Mr. Cooper Group. As The Wall Street Journal reports, the move to consolidate in the mortgage industry comes after higher lending rates have brought the real estate market down from its pandemic-induced frenzy. According to Varun Krishna, Rocket’s chief executive, the dual acquisitions will allow the company to “own the client experience from beginning to its true end.” The deal, which is expected to close in the fourth quarter, would mark the second-largest in mortgage industry history.

Earlier this month, Williams-Sonoma joined the S&P 500, earning its rank among Wall Street’s top-performing publicly traded companies. As Reuters reports, following news of the announcement, the company’s shares rose 2.4 percent. It posted an impressive performance in its recent earnings report, with its revenue exceeding projections at $2.46 billion and earnings of $410.7 million, up from $354.4 million in the same period last year.

MillerKnoll has announced plans to roll out a 4.5 percent list price increase effective June 2 in response to the Trump administration’s tariff plans, Women’s Wear Daily reports. During the company’s third-quarter conference call last week, CEO Andi Owen said the company will also consider incremental price surcharges and new supply chain efficiencies in order to offset costs.

Generative AI marketplace Arcade—which allows customers to use its technology to create custom products—has completed a $25 million Series A funding round and announced an expansion into home goods. Co-founded by Mariam Naficy (founder of design goods marketplace Minted) and her incubator, Heretic Ventures, the company launched in September 2024 in the jewelry category, allowing users to bring their AI-generated designs to life. Now, the platform will offer the same service for rugs: Users can input text or image prompts to create a piece, which will then be handwoven by the company’s network of artisans. With the new funding, Arcade is also expanding its creator program, which allows influencers and entrepreneurs to create designs that can be sold to their network of followers.

KDR Designer Showrooms, which operates locations in St. Louis and Kansas City that offer furniture, fabric, windowcoverings and drapery hardware, is undergoing a shift in ownership, as founder Kevin Kenney hands over the reins to husband-and-wife duo Brad and Kim Gilmore. Moving forward, Brad Gilmore will become president of the company and Kim Gilmore will become vice president, as Kenney continues to work within KDR in anticipation of eventually fully handing off the business.

QVC Group laid off 900 employees last week, eliminating roles across its HSN, QVC U.S., and Global Shared Services teams, Retail Dive reports. The cuts are part of a larger restructuring within the company, which saw revenue fall 6 percent year-over-year to $2.9 billion in its most recent quarter, while operating losses mounted to $1.3 billion, compared to $103 million in the same period last year. Now the company is aiming to grow its live social shopping content on TikTok and Facebook, along with developing streaming commerce options on platforms like YouTube, Hulu and Netflix.

Launches and Collaborations

Last week, Wayfair announced that it would begin assessing furniture on its site for quality, durability and value—and that each piece that passes its standards will be “verified” with a purple check on the platform and surface higher in search results. As Fast Company reports, the initiative will target just a fraction of the company’s 30 million SKUs, as the company has set a goal of verifying 50,000 pieces by the end of the year.

Pottery Barn has teamed up with apparel brand LoveShackFancy for the launch of a new collection spanning bedding, bath, wallpaper, rugs, furnishings and more. The collaboration (which includes kids and teen items) borrows motifs found in the brand’s clothing lines, including romantic florals, pastel hues and ruffled touches.

Artisant Lane—the parent company of American Leather, Lee Industries, Brookline Furniture and BenchMade Modern—has announced the debut of a new upholstery brand called True Modern. According to Furniture Today, the new brand will offer consumer-friendly, customizable upholstery options, in a style that merges contemporary aesthetics with everyday comfort. The brand will debut at High Point Market this spring in a new space adjacent to the American Leather showroom on the fifth floor of the Showplace building.

Recommended Reading

The client-designer relationship typically involves compromises throughout the process, whether it’s taking creative risks, or flexing the budget and timeline. For her ongoing Elle Decor series, Rita Konig explores what happens (artistically and logistically) when designers become their own clients—or, as she puts it in the column’s title, “The Pleasure, and Pain, of Designing for Yourself.”

Amidst curbed consumer spending and the price of gold hitting an all-time high this week, high-end jewelers are coming to terms with the fact that their luxury accessories may not be what customers are in the market for right now—necessitating a pivot to a category they’re interpreting as a bit more financially friendly. For the Financial Times, Sonia Esther Soltani explores how jewelry makers are introducing home goods as a more accessible entry point into their main offerings.

Call for Entries

The Dallas Market Center is now accepting nominations for the 36th annual ARTS Awards, which honors industry members demonstrating industry excellence across one of five categories: manufacturer, retailer, sales representative, product designer and interior designer. For more information or to make a nomination, click here.

Cue the Applause

The Female Design Council has selected Randall Jones, interior designer and founder of Brooklyn-based design firm Floret Studio, as the winner of the third-annual FDC grant for interior designers of color. Jones will receive $20,000 in unrestricted funding, a 12-month membership in the Female Design Council, a 12-month membership in the 1stDibs Trade 1st program, and one-on-one mentorship from designer Nicole Hollis. In addition to the main prize, four finalists—Alexis Caldera, Komal Kehar, Marosi White and Jialun Xiong—will receive a 12-month membership in the Female Design Council.