In This Week in Design, a treasure-filled sweepstakes sale is set to debut this week The Brooklyn Museum prepares to auction off more than 200 pieces of furniture and the contents of four period rooms, including antiques spanning the 17th to 20th centuries doing. Stay up to date with our weekly roundup of headlines, releases, events, recommended books and more.
business news
The National Association of Realtors has reached a settlement over claims that they conspired to charge exorbitant fees to home sellers, agreeing to pay $418 million in damages and eliminate commission rules.as new york times According to reports, the deal could be a game-changer for the U.S. real estate market. In the US property market, sellers pay estate agents an average commission of around 6%, compared to 1.3% in the UK and 2.5% in Australia. The deal is expected to be filed in the coming weeks and will then need federal court approval. Economists say the change could reduce fees by up to 30%, cutting between $20 billion and $50 billion off the $100 billion Americans spend on fees each year.
The Biden administration has finalized a ban on the only type of asbestos still in use in the United States: raw asbestos, known as chrysotile asbestos, used in roofing, textiles and cement.according to new york timesThe new regulations announced by the Environmental Protection Agency mark the first time the federal government has significantly restricted asbestos since 1989. Once the final regulations are published, a ban on imports of the substance will be in effect immediately, but will be allowed for up to 12 years. Companies need to phase it out in manufacturing.
Nebraska is the latest state to enact regulations for the interior design profession following the passage of State Act 16, signed by Gov. Jim Pillen earlier this month. This law creates a voluntary register for “qualified interior designers'' who can work independently within a defined scope of practice, allowing design professionals to put their own stamp on licensing documents. You will be able to print your stamp. Nebraska passes legislation for registered interior designers, thanks to a multi-year effort led by local chapters of the American Society of Interior Designers and the International Interior Design Association, with support from advocacy group Interior Design Consortium It became the 29th state to do so.
At the beginning of the pandemic, Austin led the way among Sunbelt cities, attracting new residents from across the country. Lower borrowing costs helped drive home prices up 60% from 2020 to 2022 as a wave of remote workers flooded state capitals. wall street journal, today's situation in the city's housing market represents a sharp reversal of that trend. Austin home prices are down more than 11 percent from their peak two years ago, the largest decline of any metropolitan area in the country. Elsewhere, landlords are offering weeks of free rent to fill vacant luxury apartments, single-family homes are selling at a loss, and a 35-story downtown building that Google built nearly two years ago is selling at a loss. It is unclear whether there are any current plans to staff the office tower. Analysts say the decline in activity is due to a combination of factors, including overbuilding and lack of affordability, and highlights a decline in migration patterns that dominated early in the pandemic.
Cincinnati-based home furnishings retailer Watsons has acquired Recreational Warehouse, a Fort Myers, Fla.-based home goods retailer specializing in spa, pool and outdoor kitchen products. Home News Now I will report it. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. According to Watson CEO Erik Mueller, the acquisition will make Recreational Warehouse a wholly owned subsidiary of the company and will transition it fully under the company's brand over the next few years.
Montreal-based home furnishings manufacturer Dorel Industries has laid off 40 employees, representing 5 percent of its U.S. workforce, as part of a restructuring effort. today's furniture I will report it. The company cited macroeconomic distortions, particularly high inflation and high interest rates, as reasons for the job cuts. During Dorell's fourth-quarter earnings call, CEO Martin Schwartz cited recent Census Bureau data that showed industry-wide furniture sales fell 7.5% in the U.S. last year and 8% in Canada. It was pointed out that there was a decrease of nearly %. The company posted a loss of $3.8 million in the quarter, the 10th consecutive quarterly decline, but widened from last year's loss of $41.4 million.
Launch and collaboration
Duchess Meghan has announced the launch of her new lifestyle brand, American Riviera Orchard. people I will report it. The brand will also offer cookbooks and bottled food, as well as tableware and beverage supplies such as decanters and table linens, according to a pending trademark application.
Muriel Brandolini has launched a new e-commerce site. The Marketplace will feature custom, limited edition djellavas, tablecloths, vintage fabrics and panels designed with her signature eye for bold color and pattern.
The Sill has expanded into outdoor plants and gardening productsCourtesy of Sill
New York-based houseplant startup The Sill has announced its expansion into outdoor plants and gardening products. Starting this week, the direct-to-consumer brand's site will feature more than 150 new items, including evergreens and flowering trees and shrubs. Fruit trees and berry bushes. This includes gardening tools such as pruning shears, watering cans, soil, and fertilizer.
Danish lighting brand Louis Poulsen has collaborated with Home in Heaven, the brainchild of Brooklyn-based glassblowing duo designers Brianna Box and Peter Dupont, to create a lighting offering to be auctioned exclusively on 1stDibs. The collection was announced. This assortment includes seven different styles of table lamps and pendant lights and will be available for bidding from March 21st until March 28th.
Swedish retailer Desenio has announced the debut of the Imagine Collection, the brand’s first AI-generated art print series. Designed by her AI art creator Maria Rönngren, the collection aims to create surreal depictions of everyday scenes, from decorative buildings to colorful art installations.
show house
New York's Kips Bay Decorator Show House has chosen the location for its 49th annual show, which debuts May 2. The Upper East Side townhouse was designed by American architect Charles Pratt in his 1904 four-story neo-Georgian style building. Red brick home with five bedrooms, Suzhou garden, wood-burning fireplace, and more. In the coming weeks, the showroom will announce the list of designers selected to reimagine the space before it opens to the public.
Recommended books
A few years ago, as the first months of a global crisis unfolded outside, Americans faced an entirely different set of adversities at home. It was the huge toilet paper shortage of 2020. In response, American consumers began buying bidets like never before. And unlike many consumers since then. -I ditched the pandemic impulse buys, but this stuck.for washington postRachel Crusius explores the new wave of bidet evangelists sweeping the nation, promoting bidet appliances for their cleanliness, accessibility, and earth-friendly quality.
Color has always been important to consumer electronics brands. It's a tradition that dates back to 1934, when Le Creuset debuted a volcanic orange shade for cocottes, and can still be seen today with brands like KitchenAid, which has begun releasing its own color of the year. . In 2018. EaterJaya Saxena reveals why color acts as a category's gateway to the wider world of design.
Georgia's film business boomed in 2005 with a flurry of new tax credits and incentives for film and video production. As a result, the stars put down roots in Atlanta, earning them a new nickname: “Y'allywood.”for wall street journalEB Solomont analyzes the city's recent surge in luxury real estate transactions (with high-profile buyers such as Melissa McCarthy, Tyler Perry and Josh Brolin) as just one aspect of the capital's overall revitalization. There is.
signal applause
The Bienenstock Furniture Library has announced the winners of the 2024 Furniture and Interior Design Student Competition. University of Houston furniture design student Valente Zambrano won first place in this category, and Pratt Institute student Liam Monaghan took second place. In the interior design contest, Layla Nathan of Saddleback College was the winner, and Savannah College of Art and Design student Aneesha Dama was the runner-up.
