This week in design, some luxury beachfront homebuyers are particular about the specifics of their coastal surroundings—right down to the shade and texture of the sand.
Business News
Chicago-based countertop manufacturer Florenza Marble & Granite Corp. is facing $1 million in Occupational Safety and Health Administration violations after two of its employees contracted an incurable work-related lung disease, leaving both in need of lung transplants. As Furniture Today reports, OSHA inspectors recently conducted an investigation into the manufacturer and found that it did not have a safety program in place to protect the health of its employees, who are at risk of exposure to silica—a material released in the process of cutting engineered stone—which can lead to a life-threatening disease known as silicosis. In recent years, awareness of these risks has increased, with Australia enacting a nationwide ban on engineered stone late last year. In the case of Florenza, OSHA issued citations for more than 30 health and safety violations.
The Federal Reserve’s effort to tamp down inflation by raising interest rates has done nothing to ease a long-running housing affordability crisis, and many are hoping for relief with the arrival of long-awaited September rate cuts. But as The New York Times reports, those decreases might not be enough to kickstart the stagnant housing market. While 30-year mortgage rates are expected to eventually settle in the 5.5 to 6 percent range (down from a 7.5 percent peak last year), that rate still represents an increase from the 4 percent average pre-pandemic. Plus, the housing industry is still facing high labor costs, more expensive materials, and regulations that limit new construction. And rising home prices and rents have outpaced wage growth since about 2012. That combination of factors is expected to keep U.S. housing supply scarce—with a shortage to the tune of 3 million homes, according to one economist.
French design fair Maison&Objet is planning to debut new formats for its two upcoming trade shows. The fall edition, taking place September 5 to 9, will feature more “consumer-driven” programming, including a section dedicated to emerging Scandinavian designers and an exhibition of young designers from Hong Kong via a partnership with Hong Kong Design Week. Elsewhere, the show will include a more robust Cook & Share section (which will now take place annually instead of biannually), featuring a dedicated restaurant and offerings centered on cooking, tableware, culinary accessories and gourmet food. Then in the winter, Maison’s January show will hone in on collectible design, hospitality and fashion.
The average number of people employed by new businesses has trended downward since the pandemic, The Wall Street Journal reports, ushering in the era of the “pint-size startup.” Companies launched between March 2020 and March 2021 had 4.6 employees on average—marking a drop from 5.3 a year earlier, and the first time the average dipped below 5 in more than three decades. For many, changes in work behavior that arose during the pandemic have allowed for leaner teams, with companies shifting labor to contract gigs and the growing number of available software tools. Maintaining a lower headcount has also been a necessity amid recent economic headwinds, as companies launched during the pandemic were more likely to report operating losses and decreases in revenue and employment over the prior 12 months.
Foreign direct investment in Mexico hit an all-time high in 2024, reaching $31 billion in the first six months and pacing 7 percent higher than last year, Furniture Today reports. The majority of investment came from companies already established in the country—newcomers were responsible for only $900 million. The United States was Mexico’s top source of investment, with Germany and Japan falling next in line. In the home industry, the country has become the fastest-growing exporter of furniture to the U.S. in the years since the pandemic, its growth rate outpacing competitors in Vietnam, China, Malaysia and Indonesia as of earlier this year.
Launches and Collaborations
Crate & Barrel’s children’s division, Crate & Kids, has partnered with Nest—a nonprofit organization that connects artisans and retailers in the handicraft space—for a new collection of bedding. The assortment was designed by Nest partner Gee’s Bend Quilters, whose Alabama-based members have been producing patchwork pieces dating back to the 1920s. Designed by Gee’s Bend artist JoeAnn Pettway-West, the collaboration includes hand-pieced quilts and shams in a graphic pattern, made with 100 percent organic cotton voile.
Showhouses
Southern Living has debuted its 2024 Idea House, located in the Kiawah River community on Johns Island, South Carolina. The 4,400-square-foot home features both indoor and outdoor entertaining spaces, a pool and a carriage house for guests, and has been reimagined with the help of a team of design professionals including interior designer Allison Elebash, architect Kirsten Schoettelkotte, builder Tom Dillard and landscape architect Scott Parker. The showhouse is open to the public for tours through December 22, and a portion of the proceeds will benefit three local charities: Communities in Schools of South Carolina, Sea Island Habitat for Humanity and the Emanuel Nine Memorial Foundation.
Recommended Reading
In the past, college freshmen might have personalized their dorm rooms with posters, pictures and the odd Ikea table lamp. Today, those small-space improvements have grown by leaps and bounds to include luxury light fixtures, custom cabinetry and removable wallpaper. For The New York Times, Danielle Braff explores why undergraduates are spending nearly double the amount they did a decade ago (now roughly $87 billion)—and working with designers to trick out their temporary spaces.
Vivid hues have long served as indicators of wealth and prosperity in bygone eras—a rich shade of yellow in imperial China, a deep blue-purple in early modern Europe. Today’s most coveted color? According to experts and trend consultants, it’s brown. In The Washington Post, Kassia St. Clair explores why the once-reviled shade is now linked with quiet luxury, infiltrating fashion and home spheres as a new signal of wealth.
This year, Elle Decor celebrates its 35th anniversary—and with editor in chief Asad Syrkett at the helm, the publication’s long-running traditional design legacy has been refreshed to meet the modern era. In a profile for Women’s Wear Daily, Marisa Guthrie traces the editor’s climb through the ranks of the shelter magazine world and explores his diligent approach to infusing Elle Decor with fresh cultural relevance.
