This week in design, it looks like home and lifestyle maven Martha Stewart isn’t stepping out of the media cycle anytime soon: An upcoming biopic (starring none other than Hollywood icon Cate Blanchett) is reportedly in the works. Stay in the know with our weekly roundup of headlines, launches, recommended reading and more.
Business News
The federal tariff refund portal has officially opened this week, allowing businesses to seek reimbursement for tariffs which were struck down by the Supreme Court in February—amounting to an estimated $166 billion, NPR reports. The CAPE, or Consolidated Administration and Processing of Entries, portal will refund U.S. importers who paid duties levied by President Donald Trump under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. In their February ruling, the high court deemed these tariffs unconstitutional. According to government estimates, applicants can expect the refund review process to take about 45 days, with reimbursements to follow in the 60 to 90 days after approval.
To offset high home prices, elevated mortgage rates and economic uncertainty, builders are turning to cheaper materials as a way to make homes more affordable. As The Wall Street Journal reports, builders are not only looking to stimulate activity in a frozen housing market, but are also facing challenges like increased material and labor costs. In response, they’re opting for lower-cost alternatives like vinyl flooring, thinner countertops, fewer windows, and particleboard cabinets; in some cases, they’re doing away with features like crown molding, gutters, towel racks and automatic garage-door openers. Elsewhere, builders are also changing home layouts, with the median square footage of new single-family homes down to 2,153 in 2025, from 2,466 in 2015.
Artnet—the online platform for art industry news, pricing information and auctions—will merge under a “single leadership structure” with art-buying e-commerce marketplace Artsy. According to an announcement last week, Artsy CEO Jeffrey Yin will lead the newly combined entity, and serving as chair is Andrew Wolff, founder and CEO of private equity firm Beowolff Capital, which acquired both Artsy and Artnet last year, taking the latter private. The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, but each site will maintain its independent brand following the merger. One day after the news was made public, Hyperallergic reported that dozens of staff members were laid off from both companies. A spokesperson from the company confirmed the news but declined to provide specific numbers, stating that the reductions were “organizational changes to build one go-forward team,” and would include the shutdown of Artnet’s German operation.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul has proposed a pied-à-terre tax on second homes in New York City valued at $5 million or more, The Wall Street Journal reports. While the details of the proposal have not yet been solidified, the tax would primarily target wealthy individuals who have vacation homes and part-time properties in the city but primarily live elsewhere. The idea has already garnered backlash from the Real Estate Board of New York, which claims that the tax would “eliminate thousands of construction jobs, lower property values, and raise costs for New Yorkers.” Hochul plans to include the initiative in the state’s annual budget proposal this spring—if implemented, the measure is expected to raise $500 million annually for the city.
QVC Group, the parent company of home shopping giants QVC and HSN, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, CNN reports. The company listed liabilities and assets of between $1 billion and $10 billion, and the number of creditors is between 50,001 and 100,000. It’s been a difficult few years for the conglomerate, which saw revenue fall 9 percent in the fiscal year 2025, as it faced increased competition from online shopping and livestreaming apps, in addition to challenges from new trade policies and declining cable TV viewership. QVC reduced its workforce by 5 percent in March 2025 when it laid off 900 employees, but it currently has no plans for layoffs or furloughs. To reduce its debt from approximately $6.6 billion to $1.3 billion, the company aims to undergo a 90-day restructuring that will allow it to pay all vendors, suppliers and unsecured creditors in full. In the meantime, it plans to continue operating its businesses as usual, after becoming a top seller on TikTok Shop and expanding its own streaming services.
Home Depot has acquired warehouse technology startup Simpl Automation, Retail Dive reports. The terms of the deal were not disclosed. The acquisition follows a pilot program at the retailer’s distribution center in Locust Grove, Georgia, where the startup implemented its automated storage and retrieval. For Home Depot, the purchase will facilitate faster same-day and next-day fulfillment, while also improving product availability—part of the retailer’s multiyear effort to advance its distribution and delivery capabilities.
Launches and Collaborations
New York–based interior designer Gabriella Khalil and Swiss brand USM Modular Furniture have debuted their residency “In Good Company” at Bergdorf Goodman on Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue. The department store’s seventh floor has been reimagined with Khalil’s signature approach to interiors in mind, offering a balance of vintage and contemporary pieces as well as a window installation along its 58th Street facade.
Bonhams has announced an upcoming sale called “The Diane Keaton Collection: Architecture of an Icon.” Featuring a selection of the late actress, filmmaker and author’s fine art, interior decor, and fashion and personal objects, the collection will span New York and Los Angeles, including the June 8 live auction in Manhattan, as well as three online sales, among them “At Home With Diane,” which runs from June 1 through 10 in L.A., featuring more than 150 pieces of furniture, interior items and decorative objects from Keaton’s residences.
Showhouses
The 61st Pasadena Showcase House of Design is now open to the public, taking place this year in Arcadia’s historic Baldwin Oaks Estate, a circa-1907 shingle-style home with an aesthetic derived from the Arts and Crafts movement. The space has been reimagined by a cohort of 20 interior designers—including Rachel Duarte, James Hernandez and Jamie Loren—and will be open to the public through May 17, with proceeds to benefit the nonprofit Pasadena Showcase House for the Arts.
Recommended Reading
As wellness principles continue to make their way into the design industry, a growing number of homeowners are investing in high-level home gyms. Others are simply moving into their fitness centers. For The Wall Street Journal, Jessica Flint tests out the Life Time Living apartment complex in Henderson, Nevada, where residents not only live within a full-time fitness center, but also enjoy an array of health-centric amenities, including circadian rhythm–friendly lighting, in-unit air and water filters, and pantry audits led by nutritionists.
It’s been a difficult few years for furniture and decor retailers, with home sales settling at a 30-year low (for two consecutive years) and home prices soaring 30 percent over the last decade. For Modern Retail, Mitchell Parton dives into the retail casualties of this difficult period—and then unpacks how several key players have managed to weather the storm.
Cue the Applause
American designer and gallerist Ralph Pucci has been awarded the rank of Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, a distinction the French Ministry of Culture bestows upon artists, writers and other figures who have made significant contributions to the arts, both in France and internationally. The honor coincides with Pucci’s 50th year at the helm of his eponymous business, and was awarded in recognition of his legacy as a bridge between French and American culture through collaborations with French icons such as designer Andrée Putman and involvement with institutions like Château La Coste, where he held a stand-alone show last year. He has also helped develop the next generation of artists and designers through initiatives with groups like Studio in a School and Jazz House Kids.
