This week in design, architecture and design enthusiasts can now step inside the former field office of Frank Lloyd Wright, whose San Francisco workspace has been restored to its midcentury glory and reassembled in Pennsylvania after 30 years in storage. Stay in the know with our weekly roundup of headlines, launches, recommended reading and more.
Business News
Just two weeks after Charles Cohen settled a $187 million personal guarantee with Fortress Investment Group—the culmination of a yearslong legal battle related to half a billion dollars in defaulted property loans—the billionaire landlord is hitting back at the lender with a new lawsuit. As Crain’s New York Business reports, Cohen’s attorney submitted a letter in court this week stating that he will be suing for $204 million in damages related to Fortress’s 2024 foreclosure auction on four of his properties, including the Design Center of the Americas in Dania Beach, Florida. The suit alleges that Fortress failed to hold the auction in a “commercially reasonable manner” according to the Uniform Commercial Code (if a UCC sale is not done in good faith and in line with commonly accepted practice, the obligor’s liability may be reduced or eliminated). It reads, “To maximize the opportunity for generating true and competitive fair market value, Fortress should have utilized different marketing strategies, different brokers and different time frames.” Fortress has since filed a counterclaim. The new litigation adds to several ongoing actions between the two parties, including Fortress’s allegations that Cohen fraudulently transferred assets to avoid handing them over to creditors.
Saks Global has exited Chapter 11 status roughly one year after declaring bankruptcy, reemerging under the new name Exemplar Luxury Group. As The New York Times reports, the luxury department store chain shrank its debt by 75 percent, along with raising $500 million in new financing. Moving forward, the company plans to operate 49 stores, down from about 170 before the bankruptcy filing. The exit could mark a return to stability for Saks, which quickly became cash-strapped following a merger with fellow luxury retailers Neiman Marcus Group and Bergdorf Goodman in late 2024, leading to its Chapter 11 filing a little over a year later.
NY Now has formed a new strategic partnership with Ivystone Group—a B2B marketplace for gift, home decor and fashion brands—ahead of the trade show’s first event under its new ownership, Designers Today reports. The 100-year-old event has been on a new trajectory since Rockview Management Group, led by industry veteran Dorothy Belshaw, acquired it in April. By May, the company had announced a full rebrand and a new leadership team. The deal with Ivystone, according to a release, aligns with RMG’s goals of revitalizing the show’s significance among independent retailers in the region, with plans to create booth packages that streamline the design and installation process. The new vision will begin to unfold at the upcoming summer edition (August 2 to 4), with a full debut at the winter 2027 one.
Shares of furniture giant MillerKnoll surged more than 18 percent last week after the company reported a positive net earnings position for its fiscal fourth quarter, Women’s Wear Daily reports. In last week’s earnings call, the company reported a net profit of $23.6 million in the three-month period ending May 30—a stark reversal from the $57.1 million loss during the same period last year. Elsewhere, sales rose to $1 billion for the quarter, up 4.4 percent year over year and surpassing analyst estimates of $973.9 million. While rising energy prices and inflation dampened markets in Europe, the U.K. and Ireland, interim chief executive officer Jeff Stutz reported a boost in performance from the Middle East, along with a sales increase of 8 percent in North America.
The housing market remains stalled, with new home sales in May down 7.3 percent compared to April, Home News Now reports. According to new data from the U.S. Census Bureau, May’s metrics also represented a decrease—of 6.8 percent—from the same month last year. In a bright spot, existing-home sales were on the rise, up 3.2 percent both year over year and from the month prior. Meanwhile, home prices continue to rise, with the average sales price of new houses sold in May up 5 percent year over year and 7.8 percent from April, and the median price of existing homes up 1.3 percent from the year before.
Launches and Collaborations
Visual Comfort & Co. has introduced a new collection in partnership with Portland, Oregon–based designer Richard June. With a design perspective drawn from June’s Pacific Northwest roots, the lighting assortment leans on natural materials and earth-tone finishes, featuring raw ceramic stoneware shades and sculptural forms.
Humberto Leon, fashion designer and creative director of pop group Katseye, has debuted his first home decor line in partnership with Ruggable. Designed with college student accommodations in mind, the Ruggable U collection features a variety of playful, colorful designs spanning three themes: Regency, Varsity and Stagecoach.
Recommended Reading
As San Francisco readies itself for a new influx of wealth from AI company IPOs, the city’s design community is bracing for the shifting tastes that may come with the next generation of millionaires. For Fast Company, Patrick Sisson dives into the trends and amenities that may follow the AI boom, including a new premium on privacy, high-end wellness features and top-of-the-line security systems.
In recent years, it appeared that the dedicated dining room was on its way out in American homes, with a growing number of homeowners and designers opting to use the space for other purposes—as offices, extra bedrooms, and even game rooms. For House Beautiful, Lauren Purcell explores why that trend may be reversing, with the formal dining room rising to prominence again, albeit with an increased focus on serving as a “showpiece” to wow guests, rather than a location for nightly meals.
Call for Entries
Salon Art + Design has launched an open call for interior designers interested in curating the show’s front-of-house experience for the 2026 fair, which will take place November 4 through 8 at New York’s Park Avenue Armory. The selected designer will reimagine the show’s entrance, from the vestibule through the Armory’s historic rooms, with an eye toward bridging the space’s 19th century architecture with the fair’s contemporary art and design pieces. To submit a proposal before the July 20 deadline, email emilia@thesalonny.com.
