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news digest | Jan 28, 2025 |
The Property Brothers launch an agency, Charles Cohen plots a comeback, and more

This week in design, a 50-square-foot bedroom demands a special eye for designing small spaces—one Brooklyn resident opted to transform such an area into “a hug from Mother Nature.” Stay in the know with our weekly roundup of headlines, launches, events, recommended reading and more.

Business News
In 2024, existing home sales in the U.S. fell to their lowest level since 1995 for the second year in a row, The Wall Street Journal reports. Existing-home sales were down .7 percent to 4.06 million from the previous year, marking a decrease of about a third from the number of properties sold during the pandemic-induced home-buying spike in 2021. High mortgage rates—which have oscillated between 6 and 8 percent since 2022—combined with high home prices are largely to blame for the market’s inactivity. On the upside, recent months have shown some movement: Existing-home sales increased for three months straight as of December for the first time since 2021.

Global shipping disruptions caused by conflict in the Red Sea may soon ease following the signing of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire agreement, The Wall Street Journal reports. In light of the ceasefire, the Houthi rebels—who have targeted more than 100 ships in the region since October 2023—have agreed to stop attacking U.S. and British vessels. Still, the group will continue to target Israeli vessels and has suggested it could resume attacks if the agreement does not hold, prompting a pledge from three of the largest container shippers to continue sending their vessels through alternate routes. For more than a year, the conflict forced shippers to take lengthier trade routes around the Cape of Good Hope at the southern tip of Africa, adding as much as two additional weeks of transit time and spiking freight rates. One shipping executive told the WSJ that prices could drop by 20 to 25 percent for companies that resume activity in the area.

Crafts magazine is ending its print run after 50 years in publication. Since its 1973 debut, the publication has covered contemporary makers, collectors and curators in six annual issues published by the Crafts Council, the U.K.’s national charity for craft. In recent years, however, the title was forced to reduce output to two issues per year, citing the “ever-rising cost of producing a printed magazine.” The magazine’s content will move to a new digital platform offering coverage of the craft community, maker resources and events, supported by a paid membership program.

Lynnwood, Washington–based Scan Design Furniture is closing after 61 years in business, Home Furnishings Business reports. Established in 1964 by Jens and Inger Bruun, the store was launched to introduce Danish-style furniture and decor to the Pacific Northwest. Soon, the venture grew to nine locations across Washington and British Columbia, serving as a resource for Scandinavian and European-style design in the region. The company’s going-out-of-business sale began last week and will be overseen by Planned Furniture Promotions.

On February 5, designer and entrepreneur Dwayne Bergmann, who built his own firm into a $20 million operation over the course of a decade, will outline his easy-to-follow, eight-step method to set you up for financial success. Click here to learn more and remember, workshops are free for BOH Insiders.

Bedding supplier Malouf Home has shifted its mattress manufacturing to the U.S., with plans to onshore additional categories over the next 18 months, Furniture Today reports. According to CEO Sam Malouf, the process will improve the company’s lead times and overall quality, along with providing a level of stability in the wake of looming tariffs.

1stDibs released its Luxury E-Commerce Report for 2024, using data and analytics from the platform to identify the trends that dominated the past year. The key findings include a rise in searches for midcentury modern—the term rose 18 positions in the site’s rankings in searches for furniture and increased 49 positions in searches for seating. Art deco also had a resurgence, climbing 10 positions year over year in searches for chairs and ranking 13th overall in furniture. As for specific pieces, the Togo chair by Michel Ducaroy also had a banner year—ascending 62 positions in searches for chairs—as did Murano chandeliers, which rose 12 positions in overall furniture searches.

Salon Art + Design has teamed up with Bergdorf Goodman to debut an exhibition housed on the department store’s seventh floor
Salon Art + Design has teamed up with Bergdorf Goodman to debut an exhibition housed on the department store’s seventh floorJudy Pak

Launches and Collaborations
Scott Brothers Global—a lifestyle company helmed by design TV stars Drew and Jonathan Scott—has announced the launch of a brand management agency. The new venture, called BrandJourney, is designed to help build brands in the home industry. The company will offer services such as licensing, brand development, marketing and content strategy. Along with managing the Scott Brothers portfolio of brands, the agency is launching with clients like Erin & Ben Co., the brand helmed by HGTV personalities Erin and Ben Napier; and Glitterville Studios, led by fellow HGTV star Stephen Brown.

International design and fragrance house L’Objet has partnered with South African artist Ruan Hoffmann to create a collection of candles, plates, bowls and small home accessories. Modeled after Hoffman’s often playful work, many pieces in the collection are inscribed with eye-catching phrases—such as “I can still smell you” on an oil diffuser—and crafted in vibrant colors with glittering gold accents.

Salon Art + Design, the collectible art and design fair, has teamed up with Bergdorf Goodman to debut an exhibition housed on the department store’s seventh floor. Running through April 13, the presentation features a curated selection of furniture, artwork and decorative pieces from a variety of galleries that participate in Salon—including Liz O’Brien, Verso and Room 57 Gallery.

Recommended Reading
It’s not difficult to uncover negative opinions about neutrals—today, the term “sad beige” is often employed as a takedown of muted, monochromatic homes and wardrobes—but as far back as the 19th century, British critic John Ruskin described gray and brown as “hues of distress, despair and mortification.” For The Washington Post, Kassia St. Clair comes to the defense of neutrals, arguing that their long-lasting grip on home industry consumers isn’t likely to fade anytime soon.

In November 2024, billionaire landlord Charles Cohen—the owner of Manhattan’s Decoration & Design Building—found himself at the center of one of the largest foreclosure auctions in New York history, as several of the high-profile properties he once owned (including the Design Center of the Americas) were sold to the highest bidder. For Forbes, Giacomo Tognini’s profile of the real estate scion explains what led up to this moment and how Cohen plans to come back from the brink.

In Memoriam
George W. Snead, founder of the Wakefield Design Center in Stamford, Connecticut, passed away last week at the age of 73. A graduate of the College of William and Mary, Snead’s journey in the design industry began at a Virginia-based boutique design shop called Persnickety, where he honed his expertise for retail and his love of tasteful interiors. After relocating to Connecticut and launching the Wakefield Design Center, Snead soon became an integral part of the design community with his trade-only, 15,000-square-foot showroom—home to brands like Century, Lee Industries and Verellen as well as a destination for educational programming led by industry icons like Alexa Hampton and Thom Filicia. “George had unwavering loyalty, integrity and generosity that will continue to influence those who had the privilege of working with him,” says Bondi Coley, vice president of marketing at Lee Industries. “He enriched the lives of so many people as a mentor and friend, and his legacy will continue to inspire us all.”

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