This week in design, an 18-karat golden toilet makes for a particularly opulent bathroom design choice in an English palace—and apparently, perfect bait for a heist. Stay in the know with our weekly roundup of headlines, launches, events, recommended reading and more.

Tariff Rollout
President Donald Trump’s 25 percent tariffs on all imports from Mexico and Canada—along with 20 percent on Chinese goods, doubled from 10 percent previously—went into effect on Tuesday, sparking backlash from the U.S.’s top three trading partners. As Reuters reports, China’s response was swift: The country announced additional tariffs of 10 to 15 percent on certain U.S. imports starting March 10, adding certain U.S. companies to its export-control list. Not long after, Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau announced 25 percent tariffs on $20.7 billion in U.S. imports—including items like appliances, apparel, pulp and paper—along with plans to tax additional goods, such as vehicles, steel, aircraft and food products if Trump’s tariffs remain in place after 21 days. For her part, Mexican president Claudia Sheinbaum plans to announce retaliatory measures this weekend.

Though the tariffs on Canada and Mexico are only hours old, home builders and property developers had already been seeing an unpredictable trade climate drive up the costs of construction, The New York Times reports. Among the recent changes: Suppliers abroad are sending out contracts with escalation clauses to account for increased costs—which builders expect to pass on to consumers—and contractor bids are only good for as little as two weeks, rather than the typical two or three months. Amid broader housing challenges (low inventory, high mortgage rates and expensive listings), a sharp rise in building costs could slow new construction and prove to be an additional drag on an already sluggish real estate market.

Builders aren’t the only ones seeing costs rise. Already, major retailers like Target, Walmart and Best Buy have warned that they may increase their prices in the wake of the new tariffs—and the hikes are likely to reach the home industry too, considering that the U.S. is the largest market for Chinese exports of household goods, buying roughly 15 percent of the country’s output, Axios reports. In an early example, Virginia-based furniture and lighting resource Bassett Mirror announced it is imposing an average 5.5 percent price increase on certain products made in China, Home News Now reports. According to a letter from the company’s president and CEO, Melissa Whitaker, the price hike won’t apply across the board, as Bassett Mirror has already worked with manufacturing partners to maintain pricing on other products from China. For the remaining China-sourced items, the price hike will take effect March 24. Other companies—especially Canadian ones—are likely to raise prices as well; Durham Furniture president Luke Simpson told Furniture Today that although the Ontario-based manufacturer “cannot absorb it all,” it will try to work with retailers to minimize the impact on them.

Business News
Pinterest has announced new plans to better flag AI-generated content after a recent story by Futurism reported that the platform is inundated with what is sometimes referred to as “AI slop.” The site’s investigation found that across all of its top categories—including home inspiration and DIY, art, architecture and more—many such images linked to content farming sites that are disguised as real blogs and earn revenue through display ads. Initially, the company told Futurism, “Impressions on generative AI content make up a small percentage of the total impressions on Pinterest,” and that it was working to provide users with more control over the content they view on the platform. After the story was published, the company reached out to add that it will be expanding its tools to label AI-generated content in the coming months.

Delta Faucet Company has added Newport Brass, a Santa Ana, California–based brand specializing in custom-finished brass faucets and fixtures, to its family of brands. The terms of the deal were not disclosed. Following the purchase, industry veteran Barb Fuller (who most recently served as vice president of marketing at Arteriors) has been appointed vice president of luxury, overseeing the Newport Brass and Brizo brands under one unified strategy.

High-end hospitality furniture manufacturer Royal Custom Designs, which once supplied furnishings to Donald Trump’s hotels, is going out of business, Woodworking Network reports. According to company president and co-owner Jeffrey Sladick, the decision to wind down operations comes after a prospective buyer—an unidentified private equity firm—suddenly backed out last week. As a result, the company will lay off 142 employees and file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

Launches and Collaborations
Wallcovering brand Chasing Paper has teamed up with Houston-based DIY- and decor-focused content creator Fariha Nasir—the host of the Magnolia Network show Problem Spaces—for a new collection. Drawing inspiration from Nasir’s childhood spent visiting bustling block-print markets in Pakistan, each of the resulting six prints pays homage to her South Asian design heritage.

Sourcing and sampling platform DesignShop has announced the launch of a new trade program for residential design professionals. DesignShop Pro offers free unlimited samples, overnight shipping, trade discounts, and a dedicated trade specialist for each account owner, at a fee of $99 per month.

Apartment Therapy has announced the relaunch of Dorm Therapy. The media brand, which debuted in 2023 with student-focused design content that lives on a dedicated landing page along with social media channels, now has an expanded focus on “feeling at home at school.” Topics will expand into new areas—such as cooking, beauty, finance and wellness—and new social content will showcase students demonstrating innovative takes on dorm design.

Showroom Representation
Starting this month, the Fisher Weisman Collection will be represented by Holland & Sherry’s San Francisco showroom. The space will soon be home to the design firm’s lighting and home furnishings, including chandeliers, sconces and custom marble-topped dining tables.

Recommended Reading
When Alyssa Shelasky set out to childproof her living room, it wasn’t hard to source performance-fabric-covered couches and other family-oriented furnishings. The only problem? She ended up hating the look of her kid-friendly room—and it appears she’s not alone. For House Beautiful, Shelasky spoke with homeowners, designers and high-end home brands about the growing trend toward living spaces that are adult, elevated, and above all: off-limits to little ones.

For more than 70 years, Milan-based decor firm Fornasetti has printed the same face on countless plates and other decorative items—though few who own the objects know that the owner of the visage was a legend in her own time. For Women’s Wear Daily, Sofia Celeste tells the story of the Edwardian-era opera performer Lina Cavalieri, who captivated audiences across the globe, married Russian princes and American heirs alike, and eventually served as inspiration for Piero Fornasetti, who enshrined her image in countless luxury design objects.

The home staging process has long been guided by the overarching goal of depersonalization: Choose the most generic decorations and paint colors to avoid putting off prospective buyers. As Emily Landes writes for The Real Deal, that strategy has changed dramatically over the past few years, with stagers now opting to create spaces that are carefully curated, tailored to a specific demographic, and accompanied by a much higher price tag for services—albeit one that often leads to furniture sales or full-service design referrals.

Call for Entries
Revival Rugs has launched its first-ever rug design contest for kids. The competition welcomes students in kindergarten through fifth grade to submit an original design for the chance to have their artwork transformed into a real rug, with a total of three winners set to be chosen from three age groups. To submit an entry before the March 31 deadline, click here.