This week in design, a table lamp designed by Frank Lloyd Wright more than a century ago fetched $7.5 million at the Sotheby’s “Modern Evening Auction”—breaking the iconic architect’s auction record. Stay in the know with our weekly roundup of headlines, launches, events, recommended reading and more.

Business News
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency plans to end an initiative that has promoted energy efficiency in home appliances since 1992, CNN reports. The Energy Star program has long certified household fixtures such as water heaters, stoves, light bulbs and windows, using a recognizable blue label to inform consumers about an item’s energy efficiency. Two sources familiar with the situation told CNN that the EPA—now led by Trump appointee Lee Zeldin—wants to shutter the program, along with closing the agency’s climate change division and climate protection partnership division. As Fast Company reports, a 2023 study found that Energy Star helped Americans save $40 billion on energy bills each year, while operating on an annual budget of roughly $50 million, or less than 1 percent of the EPA’s spending. Meanwhile, Reuters reports that nearly three dozen industry groups and appliance companies, including the Chamber of Commerce and Bosch, have already sent a letter to Zeldin in support of preserving the Energy Star program.

Airbnb announced a major expansion last week, moving beyond its flagship rental offerings and into a new slate of services and experiences. Meant to provide the same amenities available in hotels, Airbnb Services will span 10 categories—including chefs, photography, spa treatments, personal training, hair and makeup, and more—and will launch in 260 cities worldwide to start. Airbnb Experiences features an array of offerings in 650 cities, such as tours of landmarks or cooking classes, often with the addition of a local guide. A walkthrough of the Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris, for example, will be guided by Axelle Ponsonnet, an architect from the building’s restoration team. In a new feature called “Originals,” the company will offer exclusive experiences led by celebrities like Megan Thee Stallion, Sabrina Carpenter and Patrick Mahomes, available through a special selection process.

Though overall U.S. housing market activity remains muted, the highest end of the market has seen an upswing in recent months, The Wall Street Journal reports. The number of homes sold for $10 million or more has “surged” in major markets across the country, according to an analysis by the WSJ, which found that compared to the same period last year, sales between February 1 and May 1 increased by 50 percent in Palm Beach, 48.5 percent in Miami-Dade County, 43.75 percent in Aspen, 29 percent in Los Angeles, and 21 percent in Manhattan. According to real estate agents, some ultrawealthy buyers are investing in their real estate portfolios in hopes of riding out tariff-induced stock market uncertainty.

California has approved State Farm’s request for a temporary 17 percent rate increase on home insurance policies in the wake of the Palisades and Eaton wildfires, which destroyed more than 16,000 homes and structures in Los Angeles earlier this year. As The New York Times reports, the rate hike will go into effect on June 1 and remain in place at least until a hearing scheduled for fall. The move has provoked outrage and opposition from survivors of the wildfires and from consumer watchdog groups, which remain skeptical of the insurance provider’s claims of financial strain.

Tent, the Hudson Valley furniture and decor shop founded by designer Darren Henault in 2020, is closing, according to an email announcement from the brand. In the message, the company says it is continuing to consider other locations for the business, and will be offering sales on remaining merchandise from Memorial Day weekend through June. For now, it seems that Tent’s showroom in Manhattan’s Interior Arts Building, which debuted last May, will remain in operation.

Los Angeles–based furniture and materials showroom Denvir Enterprises is closing on May 16, according to an announcement posted on Instagram by founder Holland Denvir. In the statement, Denvir writes that “it’s time for a new chapter,” and that they will be shifting to brand consulting and continuing to build Los Angeles Design Weekend.

Naturepedic has unveiled its first foray into the furniture industry with the Savona kids furniture collectionCourtesy of Naturepedic

Launches and Collaborations
Kravet announced last week that it had teamed up with Benchmade Modern to pair its fabrics with the company’s custom furniture. The collaboration allows customers to upholster Benchmade chairs, beds or pillows in Kravet’s Sail, Reid and Oslo collections. Just this week, Kravet rolled out another new partnership, teaming up with carpet manufacturer and importer Stanton on a licensed rug collection. The two companies will roll out 91 SKUs in a variety of styles across hand-loomed, wire Wilton and luxury performance categories.

Material sampling platform Swatchbox has launched a new program that allows architects and designers to send back samples—whether purchased from the company or not—to be reused, recirculated or recycled at no cost. More than 90 percent of material samples collected by the new circularity initiative, called Second Life Samples, are able to be reused, according to the company.

Belgian music festival Tomorrowland has debuted a collection of home furnishings in the U.S. The assortment of furniture, fixtures and accessories is crafted in materials like marble, velvet, precious metals and natural wood, and nods to the natural world with the name Morpho—a species of blue butterfly featured in the company’s logo.

Naturepedic has unveiled its first foray into the furniture industry with the Savona kids furniture collection. Each piece—including a bed, bunk bed, nightstand, trundle/divider, dresser, chest and bedside tray—is crafted from solid white oak, and available in either a natural or white hue. Across the assortment, every item also meets the highest standards for chemical safety, with a certified low-VOC foundation.

Athena Calderone is hosting a tag sale consisting of items that were in her former Brooklyn townhouse, according to a post on the designer’s Instagram Stories. The EyeSwoon founder says the sale will feature various “rare, one-of-a-kind vintage treasures” from her home, and more details on the assortment and sale will be released via her newsletter later this week.

Showhouses
Alicia Cheung has been selected as a featured designer in the inaugural Château des Joncherets showcase, in which a rotating group of designers will reimagine spaces within the 17th century estate in France’s Centre-Val de Loire region. Cheung has been tasked with designing the home’s south entrance and south studio apartment, part of the estate’s transformation into a destination for events and short-term stays.

Recommended Reading
At the Venice Architecture Biennale last week, architectural experts from across the globe showcased their respective countries’ design innovations, with the U.S. pavilion featuring a humble yet powerful exhibition centered on none other than the front porch. For Bloomberg, Feargus O’Sullivan unpacks the thesis behind the installation, which traces the history of the porch throughout American history and explores what porches say about the nation’s collective identity.

Buzzy new furniture and decor purveyors continue to crop up around New York, but if you’re only surveying the city’s main shopping districts or design centers, you might miss them entirely. For The New York Times, Craig Kellogg dives into the growing trend among New York design brands to select locations that are more speakeasy than showroom, with spaces tucked away in secretive spots—including a Long Island City warehouse, a Lower East Side loft and an abandoned tech office in the Flatiron district.

Call for Entries
Dwell has teamed up with design and furniture manufacturer Vesta Home for the launch of a new lounge chair design contest, called The Best Seat in the House. The competition asks designers to design a piece that represents contemporary ways of living—in return, the winner will have their chair produced by Vesta and published in the November/December issue of Dwell. For more information, or to submit a proposal before the June 1 deadline, click here.

In Memoriam
Paolo Boffi, honorary chairman of Italian furniture and kitchen brand Boffi|DePadova and son of founder Piero Boffi, has passed away at the age of 85. As Women’s Wear Daily reports, Paolo—alongside brothers Piero Ugo and Dino—helped usher in a new era of the company founded by his father, a craftsman at a metal mechanics factory who made it his mission to craft the modern kitchen. With Paolo’s oversight, the company welcomed key figures such as Roberto Gavazzi as managing director and Piero Lissoni as art director, paving the way for the business’s ascent into the luxury category. “Together, they developed a visionary business model that became a benchmark in the history of Italian design,” the company said in the statement following Paolo’s passing.