This week in design, wall-to-wall carpeting is making a comeback, with homeowners gravitating toward luxury materials and striking hues. Stay in the know with our weekly roundup of headlines, launches, recommended reading and more.
Business News
MW USA Manufacturing, a subsidiary of Hong Kong–based furnishings giant Man Wah Holdings, has acquired Gainline Recline Intermediate Corp. in a $32 million deal, Furniture Today reports. The addition of a $26 million-plus, interest-free loan, allowing the Mississippi company to repay a U.S. bank, brings the total value of the acquisition to roughly $58.7 million. The purchase makes Gainline—which owns upholstered furniture manufacturers Southern Motion and Fusion Furniture—a fully-owned subsidiary and, according to Man Wah officials, helps address “international trade dynamics” by expanding the company’s U.S. manufacturing capabilities.
California-based home furnishings brand Armen Living has announced the acquisition of North Carolina outdoor furniture manufacturer Uwharrie Chair Company. The purchase price was not disclosed. Following the deal, the two brands will continue to operate independently, with all of Uwharrie’s existing staff remaining on, including previous owner Erica Lloyd, who is overseeing the company’s transition. Armen Living will begin showcasing Uwharrie’s products during Atlanta Winter Market starting January 12.
Housing discrimination complaints in the U.S. increased by more than 17 percent from 2014 to 2024, according to a new report from the National Fair Housing Alliance. According to The New York Times, the nonprofit’s president and chief executive, Lisa Rice, attributes the uptick in part to public educational campaigns from fair housing organizations, which have made residents more aware of their rights. Despite that progress, Rice expects the number of complaints to decline in the years ahead, as federal funding cuts and policy changes lead to fewer resources for handling complaints, ultimately discouraging the public from making them. Those reductions include the Trump administration’s cancellation of close to $30 million in federal grants for fair housing nonprofits last year. Although a Massachusetts judge later ordered the release of the funds, several groups have yet to receive them.
TikTok’s Chinese parent company, ByteDance, signed an agreement to give control of the app’s U.S. operations to a group of investors that includes cloud computing giant Oracle, private equity group Silver Lake, and Abu Dhabi investment fund MGX, Reuters reports. The investors will form a joint venture with an 80.1 percent stake, and ByteDance will retain 19.9 percent. The specifics of the deal remain unclear, though TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew said that the new joint venture would “operate as an independent entity with authority over U.S. data protection, algorithm security, content moderation and software assurance,” according to an internal memo seen by Reuters. Expected to be finalized on January 22, the deal would put an end to a Biden-administration ultimatum that required ByteDance to divest its stake in the company or face a ban in the U.S.
MillerKnoll released its second-quarter earnings report last week, issuing cautious guidance for the second half of the 2026 fiscal year. The company saw some mild declines, with year-over-year net sales down 1.6 percent as reported and 2.5 percent organically, though orders were up 5.5 percent as reported and 4.5 percent organically, driven by growth in every segment and a “record performance” during Black Friday and Cyber Monday this year. The retailer also reported an adjusted operating margin of 5.9 percent, compared to 7.1 percent in the previous year. The coming year will see a continuation of MillerKnoll’s new pricing strategy, which was implemented in July after additional tariffs were revealed. Still, the company remains largely protected, sourcing about 70 percent of its North American retail goods in the U.S. After results were announced last Thursday, the company’s stock increased by 7.93 percent.
Currey & Company has recalled one of the chandeliers in its collection after a component in the product’s ceiling mount was found to be threaded incorrectly, posing a risk of injury from impact should the light fixture fall unexpectedly. According to the recall issued last week by the Consumer Product Safety Commission, there have been two reports of the Electra Chandelier and Electra Three Tier Chandelier fixtures falling from the ceiling, and one instance of property damage, but no injuries reported. Consumers can contact Currey & Company to receive a free in-home repair kit and installation services.
Launches and Collaborations
New York–based designer and curator Raksha Sanikam has announced the launch of House of Santal: a new contemporary design gallery and online platform championing South Asian craftsmanship. The venture’s debut exhibition will open on February 18 in an 8,000-square-foot gallery in midtown Manhattan, showcasing an array of furniture, objects and sculptural works from 12 Indian designers and studios. The inaugural cohort includes designer Aashka Desai, who created a series of sculptural, handcrafted mirrors; Sage Living, a Hyderabad-based brand producing furniture and decor; and AD100 India designer Veeram Shah, who works with specialist workshops across India to put a contemporary lens on historic craft techniques.
Recommended Reading
In recent months, a growing number of interior design platforms (including Havenly, Spoak, Block, and Hover, to name a few) have introduced AI-powered tools that help users envision their redesigned spaces. For The New York Times, Rachel Wharton explores how technological leaps have paved the way for increasingly accurate visualizations—though challenges remain when it comes to ensuring that an AI-generated design scheme is “actually buildable,” as one design professional put it.
Studio apartments have long been a no-frills housing option for single residents in search of an affordable living space—but that’s beginning to change. For Curbed, Kim Velsey writes about how the studio apartment has undergone a makeover—complete with luxury appliances, oversize windows and stylish cabinetry—and why its evolution reflects broader changes in the housing market.
Call for Entries
The American Home Furnishings Hall of Fame Foundation is now accepting nominations for the 2026 Paul Broyhill Leader awards, given to five honorees annually during Spring High Point Market. Eligible nominees must be under 40 years of age, and represent the highest level of leadership, personal growth, communication and design industry commitment. To submit a nomination before the February 1, 2026, deadline, click here.
Cue the Applause
British designer Tom Dixon has been appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire for his outstanding contributions to the design industry. Honored in King Charles III’s New Year Honours list, Dixon is celebrated for his four decades of experience in the fields of furniture, lighting and accessories, and his work has been exhibited in top institutions like the Victoria and Albert Museum in London and the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
