As heatwaves ripple across the country, wealthy homeowners are staying cool with indoor snow rooms, which provide gentle flurries even during the hottest Texas summer. Stay in the know with our weekly roundup of headlines, launches, recommended reading and more.
Business News
A major housing bill designed to improve affordability became law last week—without President Trump’s signature. As NPR reports, the 21st Century Road to Housing Act received bipartisan approval from both the House and the Senate last month, after which it was sent to the president for either a signature or veto—while inaction would lead the legislation to automatically become law after a 10-day period, which ended on Friday. Trump withheld his formal approval in protest of the Senate failing to pass the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act. Still, he did not veto the housing bill, which features more than 40 provisions, including restrictions on large investors buying up single-family homes, and reduced environmental reviews designed to boost homebuilding.
Last week, the International Monetary Fund forecasted a sharp slowdown in the global economy this year, driven by renewed inflation as well as disruptions in the global energy supply chain stemming from the U.S.’s war in Iran, The New York Times reports. The organization estimates that global output growth will now fall to 3 percent in 2026, compared to 3.5 percent last year (and slightly lower than the IMF’s 3.1 percent growth forecast in April), while global inflation will increase to 4.7 percent, up from 4.1 percent last year. The group cautioned that its revised projections remain tentative due to the unpredictable nature of the conflict in the Middle East.
San Francisco’s recent housing boom, driven by a surge of AI wealth, is reaching a fever pitch. As The New York Times reports, the city’s market is receiving an influx of activity, with 144 home sales closing at over $1 million more than asking price so far this year—a massive increase from just eight such sales in the first half of 2025. Meanwhile, sales of homes above $10 million have doubled over the past six months compared to the same period last year. The frenzy isn’t likely to cool down anytime soon: According to private market research company Sacra, the wave of tech giant IPOs—including SpaceX’s recent public listing, plus Anthropic and OpenAI’s upcoming debuts in late 2026 or 2027—together could create more than 16,000 millionaires and over 20 billionaires.
U.S. ports are expecting imports to reach an all-time high in July as brands rush to make shipments before new potential tariffs come into effect, Modern Retail reports. Data from the Global Port Tracker anticipates 2.47 million TEUs, or 20-foot equivalent units, reaching U.S. ports this month, up from 2.24 million in May—itself a 14.9 percent year-over-year increase, compared to the slowdown last spring following the debut of “Liberation Day” tariffs. This year, in addition to July and August reliably serving as the busiest months for shipping as companies prepare for the winter holidays, brands are also looking to beat the new Section 301 tariffs. The taxes are set to take effect in August, applying levies of between 10 and 12.5 percent to imports from 60 different countries.
Launches and Collaborations
Robert A.M. Stern Architects and Kallista are expanding upon their Central Park West bathroom collaboration with a new assortment of kitchen fixtures. Drawing upon architectural motifs similar to those found in the original collection, the new launch features sculptural forms, monogram-inspired details and knurled accents.
Weezie has tapped into Lee Jofa’s nearly 200-year-old archive for a new collection of bath products. Spanning bath and hand towels, robes, shower curtains and accessories, the collaboration was conceived as a curated wardrobe for the bathroom, anchored by patterns like the botanical-inspired Palmero, the French indienne Davenport block print, and the rhythmic Marciana, which was developed by the Lee Jofa team for this collab.
Recommended Reading
When Ikea introduced the Impala lounge chair in 1971, the piece was just another one of the Swedish retailer’s affordable home items, selling for the equivalent of $354 in today’s dollars. More than half a century later, the same chair costs over $12,000 on 1stDibs—transformed by time into a rare collector’s item. For The Wall Street Journal, Leonora Epstein explores how Ikea’s vintage offerings have transcended its budget origins, with Gen Z and millennials buying up out-of-issue items as investment pieces.
The expansive, open-concept kitchen has reigned supreme in recent years, but for a growing group of designers, bigger isn’t necessarily better. For Elle Decor, Clare Sartin examines an increasing preference for smaller and enclosed kitchen spaces, which offer additional privacy during the cooking process, more space for other amenities like work-from-home stations and exercise rooms, and a logical cost savings in the face of rising housing costs and shrinking floor plans.
Call for Entries
Fantini USA is now accepting submissions for the 2026 Fantini Design Awards, which recognizes architects, designers and developers who have completed exemplary residential and commercial projects using the brand’s fixtures. The company will select three projects as winners—in return, one representative from each will receive a four-day, all-expenses-paid trip to the Casa Fantini/Lake Time resort designed by Piero Lissoni at the brand’s headquarters in Pella, Italy. To make a submission before the September 14 deadline, click here.
