This week in design, the secret to a successful 40-year marriage might just lie in repeated gut renovations (eight in total for the couple in question). Stay in the know with our weekly roundup of headlines, launches, recommended reading and more.
Business News
Cohen Brothers Realty has defaulted on the mortgage backing New York’s Decoration & Design Building, Bisnow reports. The $150 million loan went into special servicing earlier this month before maturing on May 6, though the company’s general counsel told Bisnow that Charles Cohen is “actively working with the lender” and in the process of refinancing his debt. According to Morningstar Credit, the building’s occupancy has been on the decline in recent years, reaching a low of 63 percent at the end of last year, down from 83 percent in 2020. Meanwhile, Charles Cohen’s ongoing legal battle with Fortress Investment Group continues. After a New York State Supreme Court judge gave the real estate mogul 45 days to settle his nearly $190 million debt with the lender, he managed to get the deadline pushed back 30 days to May 20. Just this week, both Cohen and Fortress filed to request yet another extension—this time until June 19—in light of the progress the landlord has made toward gathering the necessary funds to satisfy his debt.
Online home furnishings marketplace Shop Houzz—an e-commerce offshoot of the Houzz home renovation, design inspiration and software platform—is winding down operations ahead of a permanent closure later this month, Home Accents Today reports. In a notice Houzz sent to vendors dated May 7, it announced that Shop Houzz would stop accepting orders the same day, and would be closing effective May 22. According to the article, the online marketplace appears to have been separated from the Houzz platform in 2025, operating independently under the ownership of Cart.com Holdings 2 LLC. Houzz’s main site and technology offerings for design professionals will remain unaffected. The feature that would eventually be renamed Shop Houzz was controversial when it debuted in 2018, generating concern among design professionals after their project photos were being tagged by the platform with links to buy merchandise.
Inter Ikea, parent company of the Swedish home retailer, has announced that it is cutting 850 jobs in an effort to reduce costs, Reuters reports. According to chief financial officer Henrik Elm, the decision was fueled by a need to increase efficiency and lower prices in the face of falling consumer demand—an issue that has been exacerbated by the war in Iran. The recent staff reductions represent roughly 3 percent of Inter Ikea’s total workforce, including 300 employees in Sweden, where the brand was founded. The news comes two months after Ikea franchisee Ingka Group, which operates the vast majority of Ikea retail stores worldwide, announced plans to lay off 800 workers from its offices.
Meanwhile, Bed Bath & Beyond has announced its own round of layoffs as it shutters a Tennessee office for its recently acquired The Brand House Collective (formerly known as Kirkland’s) division, Retail Dive reports. According to a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification filed with the state on May 1, the closure will lead to job cuts for 88 workers at the corporate office; at press time, neither brand had responded to the publication’s request for comment. Though the company has not stated a reason for the closure, Bed Bath & Beyond CEO Marcus Lemonis said on an earnings call last month that the company’s AI adoption plan would cause a “significant reduction in headcount.”
Etsy is beta-testing a conversational AI app within ChatGPT, Retail Dive reports. The new feature will allow ChatGPT users to tag Etsy in their conversations, directing the AI agent to surface relevant search results from the platform and compare product recommendations, all of which link back to the marketplace’s main site. The e-commerce platform is also testing a conversational AI search program on its own site. According to Etsy’s chief product and technology officer, Rafe Colburn, the idea came after the brand found success in partnering with OpenAI for its Instant Checkout feature, which lets users purchase items directly from ChatGPT. The feature has been scaled back in recent months, as OpenAI shifts focus to redirecting ChatGPT users to purchase items through retailers’ sites.
Launches and Collaborations
Havenly Brands has announced the debut of a new performance rug brand called Weft. The concept launched with an array of designs that are made to withstand high-traffic spaces (many pieces in the debut collection are machine washable) while offering comfortable textures and elevated, versatile patterns and colorways.
New York–based design studio In Common With has debuted a Murano glass lighting collection in partnership with Venetian glass atelier Laguna B. The Lido series includes four designs centered on two key Murano techniques, the goti de fornasa and murrine, which fuse handblown glass with delicately crafted metal components.
The Homo Faber Guide, a digital platform highlighting global craftsmanship, officially launched in the U.S. this month. The announcement coincides with the organization adding more than 200 master artisans from across the country to its platform, ranging from New York–based ceramicist Jane Yang-D’Haene to Oregonian woodcarver and sculptor Julian Watts, and representing more than 50 different crafts. Additionally, 60 of those makers will present at the Homo Faber Biennial this summer in Venice, Italy.
Jenni Kayne teamed up with Business & Pleasure Co. to introduce a collection of outdoor furniture and accessories. United by a shared approach to California living, the assortment of umbrellas, seating and home decor calls to mind Kayne’s signature interiors style, defined by a neutral palette and an emphasis on materiality.
Ruggable tapped Marimekko to create a capsule collection of washable rugs that highlight the Finnish design house’s playful patterns. Spanning nine designs—including favorites like Ensikukat by Erja Hirvi, Tuulahdus by Lotta Maija, and Unikko by Maija Isola—the array deals in striking prints, primary colors and oversize graphics, creating a bold floor-level focal point.
Showhouses
The 3,000-square-foot showhouse debuts at The Mart in Chicago this month, unveiling a first-floor space designed to depict a multiroom urban penthouse. It has been reimagined by 13 of the city’s celebrated design firms—including Jessica Lagrange Interiors, Gil Melott Studio and Randy Heller Design—and will be open to the public from May 26 through September 25. For more information, click here.
Recommended Reading
In an era when twentysomethings hunt for cheap antiques online and septuagenarians collect contemporary art, a person’s home is no longer a clear reflection of their current stage of life. For Elle Decor, Rory Satran argues that when it comes to design decisions, age is just a number—and that the old rules around how a home’s style must mature alongside its owners can be thrown out the window.
Design history seems to be repeating itself. In the 1970s, the punchy and playful postmodern era followed the warmth and minimalism of midcentury modern, and now the revivals of those movements are enjoying a similar life cycle. For House Beautiful, Meghan Shouse explores how a resurgence of mid-20th-century styles is giving way to a renewed interest in the flashy, maximalist aesthetic of the ’70s and ’80s—though this time around, the animal motifs and vibrant hues are being updated with a slightly more subdued touch.
Cue the Applause
The ninth annual 1stDibs 50 list has been announced, highlighting a globally diverse group of design firms. The 2026 cohort includes first-time honorees such as Ashley Lavonne, Billy Cotton and Catherine Kwong, as well as returning talents like David Kleinberg, Eli Dweck and Heidi Caillier. For the full list, click here.
House Beautiful unveiled the 2026 Next Wave designers, spotlighting the most exciting rising voices in the industry today. Among this year’s group are designers like Connecticut-based Abigail Marcelo Horace, New York– and Rhode Island–based Blair Moore, and North Carolina–based Marie Cloud. For the full list of honorees, click here.
