This week in design, those in search of inspiration may want to take a page out of designer (and newly minted Substacker) Kelly Wearstler’s book—her method for sparking creativity includes meditation, daily reading, sauna sessions and lots of lists. Stay in the know with our weekly roundup of headlines, launches, events, recommended reading and more.
Business News
The investment arm of Ikea parent company Ingka Group has announced plans to direct $1.03 billion toward recycling companies, The Business of Fashion reports. Roughly one-third of the funds will go toward ventures the company has already invested in—such as mattress recycling firm RetourMatras and plastic recycling company Morssinkhof Rymoplast, both based in the Netherlands—while the rest will be funneled toward new investments, with a focus on textiles and wood. The move aligns with Ingka Group’s goal of full circularity by 2030.
Auburn, Maine–based high-end wood furniture manufacturer Thos. Moser has been acquired by holding company Chenmark (based in nearby Portland) after 53 years of family ownership, Furniture Today reports. The terms of the deal were not disclosed. The company was founded by Tom Moser in 1972, and his son Aaron has led the business since 2016. He is now transitioning to an “ambassador” role, and Chenmark vice president Philip Hussey has taken on the CEO position. Otherwise, the manufacturer’s existing team will remain in place, and the company’s operations will continue to be based in Maine.
Fabric and wallcovering house Dedar has acquired fellow Italian business Filippo Uecher Srl, parent company of the Mariaflora brand. Founded in 2015, Mariaflora locally produces an assortment of outdoor and performance textiles supplied to furniture brands.
This week saw the shuttering of two longstanding family-owned home retailers. First, following 79 years in business, Dixie Furniture & Mattress is going out of business and liquidating its stores in North Charleston and Walterboro, South Carolina, Furniture Today reports. Founded in 1946 by Abe Kirshstein—who started the company after decades of selling his wares out of a horse-drawn buggy on the streets of downtown Charleston—the retailer went on to operate four brick-and-mortar locations across the state (one was closed in 2004 and another in 2017). It was led for the last 35 years by the Kirshstein family’s third-generation owners. Second, 72-year-old Metairie, Louisiana–based Comeaux Furniture, Appliance and Mattress is closing following the retirement of the company’s president and owner, Michael Comeaux. Planned Furniture Promotions will handle both companies’ going-out-of-business sales.
New York Attorney General Letitia James has filed a lawsuit against Brooklyn-based home e-commerce company Payless Furniture, alleging that the retailer defrauded hundreds of customers, Furniture Today reports. In a release, James states that her office received “hundreds of complaints” against the company—which also operates under the name 1StopBedrooms—for a number of offenses, including falsely advertised delivery timelines; “exorbitant” cancellation and return fees; and delivering damaged products without providing customers an opportunity to refund or exchange. In a comment to FT, 1StopBedrooms denied the allegations.
Less than a year after Badcock Home Furniture’s closure following the bankruptcy of parent company Conn’s, two of its former executives are joining forces to debut a new retailer called Hometown Furniture, Home News Now reports. Robert Ball is CEO and Matt Pridemore COO of the newly launched company, which is partnering with 11 former Badcock dealers to debut 33 stores that span Florida, Georgia, Alabama, North Carolina and South Carolina. According to the duo, Hometown Furniture will offer a similar range of lower- and middle-price point offerings, along with introducing some higher-end, aspirational items.
Florida furniture retailer Kane’s, which operates 18 stores across the state, has agreed to pay nearly $1.5 million to resolve a class action lawsuit claiming the company implemented a discriminatory hiring policy, Furniture Today reports. According to the suit, which was brought forth by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the company routinely screened out women who applied for driver and warehouse positions. One female applicant cited in the suit claims that she was told she wouldn’t be able to lift heavy objects as the position required—despite similar experience in a past position—before being told by the company that “Kane’s could not offer her the position because she was female.” In addition to the payment, the settlement will require Kane’s to overhaul its hiring practices with the help of an independent expert.
Flos B&B Italia Group CEO Daniel Lalonde is no longer serving in the company’s top position, Women’s Wear Daily reports. According to a statement Flos B&B Italia Group released last week, former Flos CEO Piero Gandini has been appointed executive chairman “effective immediately.” Lalonde, meanwhile, will remain on the company’s board of directors “to support the future development of the business.” The statement did not mention who will replace him at the group’s helm, stating only: “The group and its shareholders sincerely thank Mr. Lalonde for his vision and leadership over the past years and his continued commitment and dedication to the group.” Appointed as CEO in 2021, Lalonde made it his mission to make the company the “LVMH of Home,” leading the strategy that saw its various brands—B&B Italia, Flos, Louis Poulsen, Maxalto, Arclinea and Azucena—brought together under one group and showcased together in a new shared showroom in New York. As the company embarks on the new year, Gandini states that his goal at the group’s helm will be “consolidating our position as a benchmark of excellence in global markets.”
Launches and Collaborations
Scandinavian furniture, decor and lifestyle company Teak New York has announced the debut of a 1,265-square-foot pop-up shop in Beverly Hills, open through the end of March. Along with the brand’s standard wares, the pop-up will offer resources to those affected by the recent wildfires, including a donation hub for essential goods like clothing, bedding, toiletries and nonperishable food items; workshops for local designers, architects and building professionals to collaborate on rebuilding efforts; and matching for in-store donations.
California-based home textile and apparel brand Coyuchi has expanded into a new category with the launch of its first mattress. Created with sustainably sourced materials like organic cotton and wool, the made-to-order piece extends the brand’s existing eco-friendly sleep assortment.
After 15 years under the La Cienega Design Quarter moniker, Los Angeles’ design district is rebranding to Design Los Angeles. There will also be a number of structural changes, including an expansion of the group’s scope beyond the previous LCDQ area—it now encompasses showrooms, galleries and studios across the city. Along with producing the Legends design festival, the organization will offer exclusive membership to invited showrooms and businesses, along with a “Friends of” tier available to “key contributors to L.A.’s creative landscape,” including interior designers, restaurants, hotels and cultural institutions. This year, the group will also partner with brands and sponsors to support the community’s rebuilding efforts in the wake of this month’s wildfires.
Showhouses
The 46th-annual San Francisco Decorator Showcase will take place this spring in a 1902 Pacific Heights home by architect T. Paterson Ross. The residence spans 9,400 square feet, five levels and eight bedrooms—complete with a rooftop terrace overlooking the skyline and San Francisco Bay. The space will be reimagined by a group of designers including Diane Rosenblum, Katie Monkhouse, Assel Teskey and more. The event will be open to the public from April 26 to May 26, and proceeds will benefit San Francisco University High School’s financial aid program.
Recommended Reading
Food is a permanent (if inedible) fixture in Jonny Carmack’s home: A stack of doughnuts, a peppermint and a pink gummy bear each takes shape in his furniture. For The New York Times, Josh Ocampo explores the social media frenzy that has led collectors like Carmack to descend on discount retailers in search of culinary-inspired pieces, creating an online community in the process.
The trouble with traditional home fragrance methods like candles, diffusers and plug-ins is that humans are only hardwired to register their scent for a few seconds. Thanks to a condition known as olfactory blindness, we’ve evolved to quickly screen out smells in order to instantly detect threats and avoid overstimulation—but a new scent technology may have found a work-around. For Fast Company, Elizabeth Segran writes about Estée Lauder Companies’ recent investment in a scent startup called Exuud, which promises a new home scent system that prevents desensitization.
Call for Entries
The High Point Market Authority is now seeking applicants for the Design Influencers Tour at Spring High Point Market. Created in partnership with Esteem Media, the program selects 10 interior designers and design-focused influencers to report on the event, sharing their favorite experiences and products with their online audience in exchange for a fee for creative services, accommodations and travel expenses. To apply before the February 14 deadline, click here.
