This week in design, The Winter Show returns to the Park Avenue Armory for its 72nd edition, in which more than 70 international art and design dealers will present their finest works—including these six charming penguins. Stay in the know with our weekly roundup of headlines, launches, recommended reading and more.

Business News
On Saturday, President Donald Trump threatened to impose new tariffs on a group of NATO allies unless they allow the U.S. to acquire Greenland, a self-governing territory of Denmark. In his announcement—which he made on social media after several of the nations committed to sending troops to the island—Trump said that starting February 1, the U.S. will impose a 10 percent levy on “any and all goods” from eight European countries—Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom—and increase it to 25 percent on June 1. It’s unclear whether the new tariffs would replace the existing deals his administration made with the U.K. and the European Union last year, which allowed exemptions for a number of imported goods. The news caused immediate concern in Europe, with the EU calling an emergency meeting of ambassadors to discuss Trump’s threats and protestors marching in both Greenland and Denmark in opposition to potential U.S. takeover.

Saks Global, the parent company of department store chains Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection last week after struggling for months under a mounting debt load. A bondholder group that includes investment firms Pentwater Capital Management and Bracebridge Capital will provide $1 billion in debtor-in-possession financing to fund the company’s restructuring and an additional $500 million in equity following its emergence from bankruptcy, while a group of asset-based lenders led by Bank of America will release $250 million in credit. It’s unclear what the company may look like following the restructuring process, although its retail footprint—which includes roughly 33 Saks stores, 36 Neiman Marcus locations, 80 Saks Off 5th discount stores and two Bergdorf Goodman stores—is likely to face reductions.

New York architecture firm Snohetta has been accused of illegally firing employees in retaliation for their unionization efforts, according to a complaint filed by a regional director of the National Labor Relations Board, The New York Times reports. The filing relates to a collectivization campaign that took place at the firm in 2023, when a group of employees sought to affiliate with the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers union, ultimately losing by a vote of 35 to 29. Several weeks after the loss, Snohetta’s leadership announced layoffs citing financial hardships at the firm, firing eight employees, all of whom had voted in favor of unionizing. The NLRB’s complaint claims that the firm “interrogated employees about their union sympathies or activities,” and illegally dismissed pro-union workers “to discourage employees from engaging in these activities.” Barring a settlement, the case will enter litigation before a labor board judge.

Investment firm SouthWorth Capital Management has acquired the Mississippi-based American Furniture Manufacturing family of brands, which includes Peak Living, Independent Furniture Supply, Delta Furniture Manufacturing and Southern Fibers, Home News Now reports. The terms of the deal were not disclosed, but SouthWorth will take over AFM’s 700,000 square feet of manufacturing space and its approximately 650-person workforce. The purchase brings AFM into a portfolio that includes several other home-related entities, including the engineering, architecture and surveying firm Fremont-Wright; rent-to-own portable building company TruWorth Rentals; and real estate investment company Merchants Capital Real Estate.

Last week, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul proposed reforms to the state’s environmental laws, seeking to loosen regulations and speed up timelines for home building projects, The Wall Street Journal reports. The revisions would exempt most housing projects from the State Environmental Equality Review Act—a 50-year-old law requiring developers to gain approval before building new developments, typically a two-year process that is said to increase project costs by 11 to 16 percent. Hochul’s efforts follow those led by California Gov. Gavin Newsom last year, with both leaders seeking to expedite development to solve housing shortages in their states, as New York is short by roughly 800,000 homes.

Real estate tycoon and design center landlord Charles Cohen is seeking more time to repay a $187 million debt owed to lender Fortress Investment Group, The Real Deal reports. In an affidavit filed last week, Cohen made the case that he had been working to reduce his debt for the past 18 months, selling two buildings in New York and giving the resulting $52 million in sales to Fortress. He also expressed the importance of retaining ownership of the Pacific Design Center, claiming that selling it would “jeopardize” the shopping complex and trigger the “collapse” of his business. However, it appears Fortress wasn’t moved by his plea. In its response, the lender requested that the court appoint a receiver to sell off assets in Cohen’s real estate portfolio to make good on his debts, stating that the billionaire landlord “cannot be trusted” to carry out the sales process himself. As for the PDC, the lender claims that receivership would not immediately lead to default, and that the high-value property could help Cohen more efficiently repay his debts.

Memphis-based retailer Sensational Sofas & Interiors is closing after 37 years in business, Home News Now reports. Current owners Roger and Sandy Phillips bought the company a decade after its founding in 1989, and set out to establish a local resource for high-end and custom furniture, later expanding to interior design services. Following years of success in the local market, the couple is now stepping away from the company to enter retirement. The retailer enlisted Planned Furniture Promotions for its going-out-of-business sale, which began last week.

Launches and Collaborations
Target has tapped interior designer and Queer Eye star Jeremiah Brent for the launch of a new bedding collection. The assortment spans more than 80 items—from sheet sets to comforters and pillows—united by a neutral color palette, clean lines and natural textures.

AI-powered design visualization platform Palazzo—co-founded by tennis star Venus Williams—has announced the launch of a new creative feature geared toward merchandising, marketing and e-commerce teams. Palazzo Studio allows users to turn product photos into AI-generated portfolios of lifestyle imagery, placing items in realistic environments complete with styling accessories like books, artwork, plants and textiles.

Showhouses
The Living by Design Virtual Showhouse returns this spring for its third edition, inviting a group of 11 designers to design conceptual spaces based on their interpretation of the dream home. This year’s showhouse will be a three-bedroom, three-bath property set in a virtual version of Dallas and brought to life with 3D rendering technology by celebrated designers like Corey Damen Jenkins, Isabel Ladd and Rasheeda Gray. For more information, click here.

Showroom Representation
Italian design brand Cassina has announced an exclusive distribution agreement to sell its collection in Los Angeles through Brand Modul, an agency dedicated to sales representation and brand development in the U.S. luxury contract furniture and systems markets. The partnership follows the end of Cassina’s agreement with its former L.A. distributor, Diva Group, last summer. The brand’s products will now be offered in a new store at 8806 Beverly Boulevard in West Hollywood—a historic building designed by Charles and Ray Eames for Herman Miller in 1949.

Recommended Reading
Few American industries are defined by immigrant labor quite like the construction sector, in which the share of foreign-born workers is nearly twice as high as in other jobs—but it wasn’t always so. For The New York Times, Ronda Kaysen and Robert Gebeloff illuminate the factors that led to seismic demographic shifts in the construction industry, and explore how the Trump administration’s mass deportation efforts could impact a housing and labor shortage.

While the bachelor pad has long been canonized in media and television as a highly stylized home for the single man, its “domestic equivalent,” the man cave, is more difficult to pin down—for good reason. For Dwell, Megan Reynolds writes in defense of the man cave as a safe space for a man to explore aesthetically or otherwise—to “organize his thoughts or, in the absence of those, play Xbox or organize his coin collection in peace.”

Over the past week, the internet was awash in nostalgia for 2016: the aesthetics, the cultural moments and the unpolished approach to social media. For Elle Decor, Julia Cancilla asks what this means for interiors, consulting designers on how the trend may translate to saturated color palettes, maximalism and a ’70s revival.

Cue the Applause
The Expert has released its 2026 Top 40 list, which recognizes the platform’s best performers each year. Among this year’s cohort, several received special recognition—Galerie Solis has been named #1 Expert Brand, Molly Kidd is Rising Star of the Year, Heidi Caillier is #1 on the West Coast, and Zoë Feldman is #1 on the East Coast. For the full list of honorees, click here.