This week in design, an age-old debate took place on social media, courtesy of House Beautiful: “Is the pillow chop finally dead?” Stay in the know with our weekly roundup of headlines, launches, events, recommended reading and more.
Business News
Chinese e-commerce sites Shein and Temu will raise prices next week as a result of the Trump administration’s new trade policies, CBS News reports. Both companies posted similar statements on their sites this week, announcing the hikes would go into effect beginning April 25. The news follows President Donald Trump’s introduction of a 145 percent tariff on imports from China, along with the end of the “de minimis exemption,” which previously allowed goods worth less than $800 to enter the U.S. duty-free. The rule allowed low-cost retailers like Shein and Temu to flourish: The number of de minimis parcels to the U.S.—the bulk of which came from China—skyrocketed from 153 million in 2015 to more than 1 billion in 2023. Following the Trump administration’s April 2 executive order ending the exemption, such shipments will now be subject to “all applicable duties” starting May 2.
DHL Express has suspended global shipments of more than $800 to U.S. consumers, Reuters reports. Formal entry processing was previously only required on shipments valued at over $2,500, but the new rule reduced the minimum to $800—causing delays that the shipping company cited when announcing its temporary suspension. In the meantime, DHL said business-to-business shipments would not be suspended, but may face delays.
In other tariff news, Fortune compiled a list of publicly traded companies made vulnerable due to recent market turmoil, using stock market data from financial services company Morningstar. The news outlet found that many companies in the Fortune 500 had taken a hit in recent weeks, including home brands like Wayfair, which saw its share price fall 14.9 percent in the first two weeks of April, and Williams-Sonoma, which recorded an 8.6 percent drop. (For additional context, Fortune also published a guide to understanding how the tariff collection process typically plays out for U.S. businesses.)
Lowe’s has entered into an agreement to acquire Artisan Design Group—a nationwide provider of interior design, distribution and installation services for surface finishes such as flooring, cabinets and countertops—in a $1.3 billion deal. As Retail Dive reports, ADG operates a network of more than 3,200 installers, builders and property managers—which will help Lowe’s achieve its broader goal of reaching professional customers. The deal is expected to close in the second quarter of this year, pending regulatory approval.
On May 28, creative business consultant Sean Low is back to share best practices and techniques for managing clients, and will demonstrate how essential it is to set boundaries from the very beginning of the project. Click here to learn more and remember, workshops are free for BOH Insiders.
Decor retailer At Home Group is exploring a bankruptcy filing as it evaluates different strategies to reduce its debt, Furniture Today reports. According to information from those close to the matter, the Plano, Texas–based company is also considering negotiating with landlords and creditors in hopes of restructuring its nearly $2 billion in debt. Adding to the company’s financial challenges are the new tariffs on Chinese imports, which apply to the bulk of its product assortment.
With tariffs on China at 145 percent (as well as a 25 percent tariff on some goods from Canada and Mexico and a 10 percent universal tariff), home decor retailers who import small goods and accessories are worried that they won’t be able to absorb the added costs—and that their customers will avoid making such purchases rather than pay a premium for nonessential items. As The New York Times reports, the impact would be heavily felt by retailers like New York’s Pearl River Mart, which imports roughly 65 percent of its merchandise from China and has stopped placing new orders from there until there is more clarity surrounding tariffs. Other businesses have taken a similar tack, with New Jersey–based supplier Kas Rugs announcing last week that it had dropped all collections imported from the country, Home Accents Today reports. Meanwhile, small homeware businesses across the country—such as Utah-based Adams & Co.—worry their companies won’t survive more than a year under the new policies.
Launches and Collaborations
Design Within Reach has partnered with vacation rental company Boutique to furnish the Miles C. Bates “Wave House”—a mid-1950s architectural gem in Palm Desert, California, that holds a spot on the National Register of Places—and open it to the public for short-term stays. The home has been outfitted with pieces from the new Paul Smith Collection for DWR, which features the British designer’s textiles on a variety of indoor and outdoor furniture styles, including the Eames molded-plastic side chair and Eero Saarinen’s Womb chair.
Loloi has unveiled a new collection created in collaboration with interior designer Jeremiah Brent. When crafting the diverse assortment—which spans 20 rugs and 20 pillows—Brent drew inspiration from his Manhattan neighborhood, employing geometric designs, rich colors and textural patterns.
Interior designer Athena Calderone and fashion designer Reed Krakoff have collaborated with New York jewelry boutique John Hardy on a new collection, Town and Country reports. For the 17-piece line—featuring rings, earrings, cuffs and necklaces—the duo drew upon a bevy of shared style touch points, including Balinese craft traditions and modernist design principles.
Cultured magazine, which typically covers art, architecture, design, fashion, film and music, has announced the launch of a new annual print publication dedicated to “the rooms, objects, and private rituals that shape contemporary culture.” The inaugural issue of Cultured At Home will be guest edited by Alexandra Cunningham Cameron, curator of contemporary design at Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, and will feature key industry voices such as designers Adam Charlap Hyman, Sam Chermayeff and Carlos Soto, along with pieces from Apartamento co‑founder Omar Sosa Bartolomé, creative director Erin Knutson, MoMA PS1 curator Ruba Katrib and critic Jarrett Earnest.
Showhouses
The 60th annual Pasadena Showcase House of Design is now open to the public. This year, the event takes place at the Bauer Estate & Gardens—a 1928 Monterey colonial home featuring 15,000 square feet of living spaces and five acres of botanical gardens. The property has been reimagined by a roster of 32 designers, including Rachel Duarte, Samantha Williams and Gwen Sukeena. The showhouse is open through May 18, and proceeds benefit the Pasadena Showcase House for the Arts, a nonprofit that funds art and music programs.
Recommended Reading
Today, collectors of Le Creuset cookware have practically formed their own subculture, generating massive lines for the brand’s factory sales events (which now offer VIP tickets) and countless viral social media posts divulging rare finds. For The New York Times, Julia Moskin dives into the kitchenware brand’s 100-year history, tracing the company’s present-day success back to the pair of Belgian entrepreneurs who transformed Le Creuset’s potential after introducing a variety of colors into its product line in 1925.
A survey conducted in 2023 found that roughly one-third of American adults were preparing for doomsday, in part by spending $11 billion collectively over a 12-month period on disaster preparation—which means big business for the niche home outfitters that serve that market. For The New York Times, Coralie Kraft interviews the home renovators who are producing everything from underground bunkers and hidden panic rooms to a multimillion-dollar compound with a flammable moat.
