News Summary | September 12, 2023
Caroline Bourke
The design of the White House Situation Room was restored this week following a $50 million renovation aimed at ensuring the security of the top-secret communications conducted at the facility. wood and the new White House seal carved on a slab of marble quarried in Virginia. Stay up to date with our weekly news, presentations, events, recommended reading and more.
Economic news
Two former employees of Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams have filed a class-action lawsuit against the company following its sudden closure last week, Home News Now reports. The plaintiffs, Gayle Dillon and Tenisha Rogers, allege that MG+BW violated federal and state laws by failing to provide adequate notice of termination (60 days under US law and 90 days under New York State law. York for qualified employees). This is the second class-action lawsuit filed against the company in North Carolina, joining a similar lawsuit filed by two employees on behalf of 533 former MG+BW employees.
Noble House Home Furnishings, a furniture supplier to household names such as Amazon, Wayfair and Target, has filed for bankruptcy, citing inflation and lower consumer spending as its financial woes. According to a Bloomberg report, the company listed at least $100 million in assets and liabilities in its bankruptcy filing, as well as GigaCloud Technology (which agreed to purchase the company's assets, paving the way for the acquisition of GigaCloud Technology. Other offers) or others. bidder until October 31. Founded in 1992, Noble House was a distributor, manufacturer and retailer of brands such as Christopher Knight Home, Lapuf and Okioki.
WeWork's interim chief executive David Tolley announced plans to renegotiate nearly all of the company's leases for underperforming facilities, CNBC reports , weeks after warning of bankruptcy risk due to losses at Mt. After WeWork's failed IPO in 2019, the company collapsed despite an investment from majority owner SoftBank. Its market capitalization now stands at $200 million, down from a private market peak of $47 billion, partly due to post-pandemic office building vacancies.
When the current owners of Marilyn Monroe's former home in Los Angeles received permission to demolish the property last week, the news sparked protests around the world, according to LAist . In response, the Los Angeles City Council approved a proposal to save the house from demolition, beginning the process of declaring it a historic and cultural landmark. Now the city commission for the protection of cultural heritage has 75 days to approve the protected status of the object. "Our city's history is unfortunately littered with cultural and architectural masterpieces that have been lost to destruction, speculation and short-sightedness," City Council member Tracy Park said in a statement. “And once we lose that history, we can't get it back. »
The National Retail Federation has acquired the Reverse Logistics Association, a global trade organization that manages the collection, sorting, repair and recovery of products for resale and recycling, Furniture Today reports. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. According to NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay, the move was driven by growing consumer demand for sustainable offerings, with the hope that RLA's logistics expertise can help the organization's retailers develop circular practices.
Springs Creative, a Rock Hill, South Carolina-based textile design services company, has acquired Frank Cassata Designs, expanding its collection to more than a million pieces of paper, fabric, fabric and art, Furniture Today reports. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. After the purchase, Frank will join Cassata Springs Creative as a consultant, creating new wallpapers and prints and moving his company's archives to a new home at the Baxter Mill Archive Design Center in Rock Hill.
The TikTok Shop marketplace is now available to some users in the US, although early reports show many cheap and potentially fake products on the platform. According to Fortune , the app's store page displays a random list of products ranging from streetwear and home goods to small toys and other items in the new format, which aims to sell $20 billion worth of merchandise this year. However, according to Fortune , the proposed new features have many of the same signs of fraud as Amazon has in the past, including incorrect brand names and outrageous prices: items like a computer in the home and kitchen section for $16, for example. . Polyester satin desk and sheet set $8. The platform also hosts many Chinese brands that were previously banned by Amazon for falsifying customer reviews.
Launch and collaboration
Anthropologie has partnered with British designer brand House of Hackney for a new nature-themed collection. The product range includes wallpaper, bedding, tableware, tableware, slipcovers and more, all designed with maximalist patterns designed to enhance the look with bold prints, colors and fabrics.
The Container Store has announced plans to expand into new product categories in the coming months as part of a new brand promotion called Uncontent. By the end of the year, the company will release about 1,000 new products, introducing innovations in catering, entertainment, furniture and textiles. As part of the expansion this fall, The Container Store will carry a variety of third-party brands in those categories in its brick-and-mortar stores, including home improvement company The Citizenry, kitchen ingredient brand and machine maker Fellow Coffee.
exhibition hall
Real Simple today unveiled its sixth annual Model Home, bringing together a team of top designers to renovate New York City apartments. This year, the 2,789-square-foot space, located in a two-story penthouse in Brooklyn's Quay Tower, features a rooftop terrace, formal dining room, kitchen, sitting area, two meeting rooms and views of the Manhattan skyline and Brooklyn Bridge. The panel of designers and influencers chosen to remodel the home includes Bobby Burke, Michelle Gage, Linda Hayslett, Megan Hope, David Quarles IV, and Kim and Scott Vargo.
This fall , Flower magazine will host its 2023 Design Expo in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, inviting 15 Southern designers to recreate the interior of a luxury Georgian home. Located on the historic Goodwood estate, the 6,000-square-foot home includes a fenced yard, floating staircase entry, gourmet kitchen, butler's pantry, master bedroom and walk-in closet, among other features. The renovated facility will be open to the public for tours from Nov. 3 to Nov. 26, with proceeds benefiting St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Designers chosen to recreate the home include Arianna Bellizer, Rachel Cannon, Cara Cox, James Farmer, Amanda Smith Fowler, Ashley Gilbreth, Chad Gracie, Susan Hubbell, Will Hugh and Heather Dewberry, Benjamin Johnston, Megan Molten, Lisa Palmer , Warter, Laura Rowland, and Veronica Solomon.
Recommended reading
In The Jetsons , 2026 promises a bright vision of automated workplaces with robotic arms popping out of walls to do laundry and dry cleaning. Unfortunately, there are no known plans for such an innovation, but as Sophia Benoit writes for the Wall Street Journal , the appliance industry is taking a big step forward: in recent years, there has been a flurry of activity about the future of the laundry room. From colorful models like the Laundry Jet Vacuum Bin or the LG Styler Steam Cabin for laundry, to more sophisticated innovations like the energy-saving heat pump dryer. Energy and antimicrobial washing machine.
Noisy breakups, romantic reunions, petty grievances: the move itself usually evokes strong emotions, and it is often the moving team that is at the vanguard of the most memorable moments in a couple's relationship. For the New York Times, Gina Cherelas spoke to a group of New York migrants about their most stressful experiences on the front lines, from couples who forced migrants to pack and repack entire homes to husbands who abandoned their partners. Secretly - as well as the habit of breaking up, which, as a rule, is a clear sign of the relationship forecast.
It's a growing trend for celebrities like Sarah Jessica Parker, Drew Barrymore and Gwyneth Paltrow to create their own wallpaper collections, although fan comments don't always reflect their talents. As Cleo Chang writes for Curbed , the sudden proliferation of celebrity-designed wallpaper culminated in a recent crossover moment, when a sample from Parker's collaboration with Walshoppe brought new attention to Carrie Bradshaw's apartment and just the line. . . , even if not all are positive. "It [definitely] got me thinking about using wallpaper," one fan wrote on Reddit. "But not the same champion."
Applause
Luxe Interiors + Design has announced the winners of its first Next in Design list, which recognizes the country's most promising designers who are shaping the future of the industry. The first group is divided into nine categories: Skilled Innovators, Dynamic Enthusiasts, Collectors, Global Gurus, Nature-Inclined Mixmasters, New Traditionalists, Sophisticated Pattern Makers and Designers, Sarah Weichel, Ashley Ross, and Maria Wu, among others. To see the full list, click here.
Acceptance of applications
Formica Corporation is now accepting applications for its seventh annual school innovation competition. The competition invites architecture and design students from the United States, Canada or Mexico to design a piece of furniture for a residential or commercial environment that embodies their interpretation of "nostalgia" and includes at least three Formica or Fenix brand products. . To apply before the March 8 deadline, click here.
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