This week in design, a Frank Lloyd Wright–inspired block set—created in collaboration with the architect’s estate and home brand Areaware—might be the perfect holiday gift for the tiny design aficionado in your life. Stay in the know with our weekly roundup of headlines, launches, events, recommended reading and more.

Business News
Months after President Biden signed a bill that gave TikTok parent company ByteDance one year to sell its stake in the company or face a nationwide ban, a panel of federal judges has decided to uphold the new law, The New York Times reports. The decision could lead to a U.S. ban on the app as early as mid-January, affecting the nearly 170 million Americans who use TikTok (including designers who rely on it as a tool for marketing and lead generation). If ByteDance doesn’t sell the platform by January 19, it would require another legal route—the Supreme Court could take on the case and order an injunction, for example—to keep the app alive in the U.S. Beyond that, there remains a range of possibilities for TikTok’s future. President-elect Donald Trump’s team has said that “he will deliver” a path forward for TikTok, with some experts speculating that Trump could instruct his attorney general not to enforce the ban—though the incoming administration has offered no details on the issue.

Pinterest has released its annual trend report for 2025, offering a glimpse at rising styles in the realms of fashion, beauty and home. According to the 2025 Pinterest Predicts report, Boomers and Gen X will lean into sustainability at home with recyclable pieces, self-sustaining gardens and other eco-inspired styles, as search terms like “solar punk house” and “chaos gardening” soar. Elsewhere, Gen Z and Gen X are embracing the playful use of primary colors, while Gen X and Boomers are mixing and matching bold patterns with striking prints for a maximalist feel. Beyond that, the platform projects a rise in cross-category aesthetics—including those inspired by dollhouses, cherry motifs and a medieval-inspired style deemed “castlecore.”

Discount furniture, mattress and appliance retailer American Freight is laying off its entire corporate workforce—62 employees—by early next year, Furniture Today reports. The decision results from parent company Franchise Group’s ongoing Chapter 11 bankruptcy announced last month, which included the announcement that the holding group would begin winding down operations at American Freight.

Two major North Carolina cabinet manufacturers—Dura Supreme and Norcraft, both subsidiaries of manufacturer MasterBrand—are shuttering their plants in the state, resulting in layoffs for 274 employees, Furniture Today reports. According to WARN notices, Dura Supreme plans to close its plant in the Charlotte suburb of Statesville at the beginning of the new year, resulting in 74 job cuts, while Norcraft’s reduction will effect its manufacturing facility and 200-person workforce in Liberty, a town outside of Greensboro. MasterBrand states that Dura Supreme plans to help employees relocate to another plant in Kinston, located in Eastern North Carolina, if there are job openings there.

Furniture supplier Dorel recalled 69,0000 wall beds after receiving reports of the pieces posing a crush hazard, Furniture Today reports. According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, the company has fielded 22 reports of the beds falling, causing 10 injuries ranging from concussions and contusions to cuts and bruises. The recalled pieces were sold online from May 2021 through April 2024 under a variety of names—including Pinnacle, Paramount, Impressions, Holly Hills and Her Majesty Wall Beds, via the brands Signature Sleep and Novogratz—through e-commerce platforms like Wayfair, Overstock, HomeDepot, Amazon and more. According to the agency, consumers should stop using the products and contact Dorel for information on reimbursement for professional inspection or reinstallation.

Launches and Collaborations
Pantone announced Mocha Mousse as its 2025 Color of the Year. The brand notes that the warm brown hue is meant to reflect the cultural zeitgeist, with this year’s shade nodding to a desire to find a sense of grounding in simple comforts. Alongside the announcement, Pantone has also debuted a furniture collection created in collaboration with home manufacturer and retailer Joybird, in which Mocha Mousse serves as the main shade for a variety of sofas, sectionals, upholstered bed frames and accent chairs, among other pieces.

Brooklinen has partnered with Dabito to create a new collection of bedding inspired by the designer, artist and author’s personal aesthetic. The product assortment borrows motifs from Dabito’s New Orleans home, offering a cozy array of sheets, quilts, throws and duvet covers in bright shades of yellow, green and blue.

Showroom Representation
Starting in 2025, New Zealand–based design brand Emma Hayes Textiles will be represented by Angela Brown Ltd in New York. The studio will carry the company’s nonwoven paper wallcoverings, each designed by its eponymous founder and creative director with inspiration drawn from the landscape of her home country.

Recommended Reading
According to a recent Zillow report on home trends, “2025 is set to go full granny”—and for Gen Z and millennials, that mindset extends to the bathroom. For Business Insider, Dan Latu explores the growing movement among younger homeowners and apartment dwellers for vintage-inspired toilets, tiles and bath fixtures, with details like frilly decorations and colorful pastel hues.

Lifestyle influencer Sydney Gifford’s style is intentionally nondescript, defined by neutrals and minimalism across her clothing and her home’s interior design. But after a few encounters with an aspiring influencer, Gifford believes she might be the victim of a copycat—and now she’s taking the battle to court. For The New York Times, Sandra E. Garcia explores the implications of the lawsuit, including the potential to set a new precedent for how influencers and social media users can wield intellectual property rights to defend the niche they’ve staked out online.

For independent jewelers looking to make a name for themselves among the heritage houses, one cross-category offering has proved particularly successful in making inroads with new clientele: accessibly priced homewares. For The New York Times, Sarah Royce-Greensill unpacks how a growing number of emerging jewelry brands have uncovered a new entry point to their higher-end collections by adding objects like candleholders, plates and small decor items to their product portfolios.

Cue the Applause
The American Society of Interior Designers has announced its 2024 Lifetime Membership Award Recipients, honoring longstanding members for their impact on the organization and the industry at large. This year’s honorees include designers Juliana Catlin, Susan Morgan, Calvin Hefner, John T. Robinson, Jean Pinto and Fernando Diaz.

Call for Entries
The Female Design Council is now accepting applications for the third edition of its annual grant supporting female designers of color. Along with $20,000 in funding, the grant provides a 12-month membership to the FDC along with one-on-one mentorship from designer Nicole Hollis. For more information, click here.

The Atlanta Decorative Arts Center is now seeking submissions for the 2025 Southeast Designers & Architect of the Year Awards. Conducted in partnership with Veranda, the annual contest invites firms and designers from across the region to submit work for consideration in the categories of residential interior design, contract interior design and architecture. For more information, or to apply before the February 28, 2025 deadline, click here.