This week in design, 1990s nostalgia is inspiring homeowners to bring small, old-school televisions back into the kitchen. Stay in the know with our weekly roundup of headlines, launches, recommended reading and more.
Business News
After several years of slashing prices, Ikea is now reversing course in the face of tariffs, The Wall Street Journal reports. Tolga Öncü, the retail manager at parent company Ingka, told the WSJ last week that the company will be raising prices on some items, as it can no longer “stay immune to absorb all the costs.” The decision follows the news that Ikea’s total retail sales fell for the second year in a row for the period ending in August, with sales at all locations declining 1 percent, even as the sales volumes rose by 3 percent. Plus, with the onset of new furniture-specific tariffs last week, the retailer is particularly exposed, as only about 15 percent of its U.S. stock is sourced regionally. While Öncü says Ikea is working on reducing operational costs to ease the impact on customers, the price of some items has already gone up: The Uppland sofa, for example, went from $849 to $899 in August, while the three-piece Tonstad bedroom set went from $959 two months ago to $1,048 today.
Bernards Furniture acquired fellow North Carolina–based home furnishings importer Null Furniture, Home News Now reports. A purchase price was not disclosed, though the deal will include Null Furniture’s name, inventory, intellectual property and customer contacts. The news comes on the heels of Null Furniture’s August announcement that it was winding down operations after 50 years in business. HNN reports that the company—which sourced its products from China and other Asian countries—had been challenged by tariffs. Moving forward, Bernards plans to resource Null items from Vietnam, which is currently subject to a lower tariff rate than China.
Southern California furniture retailer Nader’s LA Popular is closing after nearly 70 years in business as its owners prepare to retire, Furniture Today reports. Founded in 1956, the family-owned business grew to five different locations in the Los Angeles area at its largest, and most recently operated stores in Signal Hill and Gardena, in addition to a distribution center. Nader’s will hold a going-out-of-business sale, facilitated by Planned Furniture Promotions, on November 6.
Last week, the Transportation Department announced that it will withhold more than $40 million in funding to California after the state was accused of failing to comply with the English proficiency requirement for truckers put into place in May by Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, The Washington Post reports. Between June 1 and last Monday, 6,000 truck drivers were pulled off the road for violations to the new requirement, according to the Post’s analysis of Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration data. “California is the only state in the nation that refuses to ensure big-rig drivers can read our road signs and communicate with law enforcement,” Duffy said in a statement. Under the new rules, drivers who fail a roadside English-proficiency exam will be forbidden to drive a commercial truck, and some analysts are concerned that strict enforcement could result in a potential worker shortage which could affect the supply chain and furniture lead times.
As people live longer, new housing options are becoming increasingly popular for senior Americans, The Wall Street Journal reports. The number of older adults living with unrelated housemates and roommates increased by 8.8 percent to 990,000 in 2023—more than double the number two decades ago, according to the Harvard University Joint Center for Housing Studies. Based on a recent AARP study, nearly 50 percent of people 50 and older who are sharing or willing to share their homes say they can use help; half said they wanted companionship and half reported needing extra income. In addition to more and more people cohabitating with unrelated people, the number of multigenerational households grew from 7 percent in 1971 to 18 percent in 2021.
Launches and Collaborations
Benjamin Moore announced its 2026 color of the year: Silhouette AF-655—a rich brown shade reminiscent of espresso, with added hints of darker charcoal hues. According to Andrea LaConte-Magno, the paint brand’s director of color marketing and development, the hue was chosen for its timeless qualities, and in response to a rising interest in the brown color family among both the fashion and home sectors.
Charleston, South Carolina–based design duo and Magnolia Network stars Gray Benko and Chelcie Eastman teamed up with Milton & King for the launch of the wallpaper brand’s first-ever fabric collection. Building off of the wallpaper collaboration Benko and Eastman debuted with Milton & King earlier this year, the resulting assortment of patterns celebrates the designers’ maximalist style, with everything from bold florals to wavy stripes and classic checks.
Dallas-based interior and textile designer Meredith Ellis partnered with luxury towel brand Weezie for a special holiday collaboration. Together, they’ve introduced a limited-edition line featuring Ellis’s Deakins Vine print, available in the hues Field and Swedish Blue.
A Tréca Paris pop-up has arrived at the Printemps New York flagship just in time for the holidays. The installation showcases four of the French atelier's signature bed designs, including the leather-upholstered Poésie, the Pierre Frey velvet–clad Versailles, the airy Portofino, and the Studio Uchronia–designed Marguerite.
Los Angeles–based lifestyle company Flamingo Estate tapped social activist Monica Lewinsky for the debut of a new limited-edition scented candle. The Blossoming Camellia—which includes a blend of white camellia, lemon, vanilla and clove—was released in tandem with National Bullying Prevention Month, with 100 percent of proceeds going to anti-bullying organizations across the U.S., U.K. and Australia.
Recommended Reading
While many fans know Diane Keaton, who passed away earlier this month, for her extensive film repertoire, fewer may be aware that she had a passion for design that was almost as prolific—having resided in, renovated or designed nearly 50 homes in her lifetime. For The New York Times, Rukmini Callimachi and Shawn Hubler unpack Keaton’s oft-overlooked design legacy that includes renovations of a Mayan Revival home by Lloyd Wright (son of Frank Lloyd Wright) in Los Feliz and a midcentury estate in Rustic Canyon originally commissioned by composer Alfred Newman. These projects, in addition to the celebrated actress’s homeware collections with Hudson Grace and Fabricut, took off alongside her on-screen success and remained constant through every season of her life.
There’s been a lot of buzz around bitcoin-fueled home purchases since this year’s launch of a Christie’s cryptocurrency division and introduction of new federal guidelines for considering crypto-backed loans—but what is it actually like to process those transactions? For Curbed, Kim Velsey spoke with brokers and developers in major markets like Miami, New York and Los Angeles to get a better picture of today’s crypto clients.
A New York property could be in the perfect location, be the perfect size, and have the best view—but still come with a host of issues that make it a challenging sell (tight spaces and outdated appliances, to name a couple). That’s where Jason Saft of Staged to Sell Home comes in: The stager and designer—with nearly $3 billion in real estate sales under his belt since he started staging homes in 2005—helps a prospective buyer see the potential. For The New Yorker, Alexandra Schwartz dives into Saft’s unique approach to beautifying “unsellable” homes.
Additional reporting by Aidan Taylor
