This week in design, a inner disaster Epic proportions took place in a five-star Berlin hotel when a 50-foot-tall aquarium spontaneously opened. Stay in the know with our weekly roundup of headlines, launches, events, recommended reading and more.
Economic news
A report released by Airbnb last week found that black house-sharing service guests still face racism when booking and staying at vacation rentals despite new anti-discrimination policies released in recent years. The New York Times reports. According to the new study, Airbnb guests who are perceived as white are able to get the rental they want 94.1% of the time, while those perceived as black can do so 91.4% of the time. The company now pledges to redouble its efforts to help close the gap.
Apartment Therapy released the results of its third annual State of the Home Design Report, which surveyed 78 designers across the United States for their predictions of 2023 home trends. Some of the report’s findings remained consistent with last year, with designers expecting the same aesthetic to prevail (namely warm minimalism, maximalism, mid-century modern and Scandinavian) as well as an overall focus on elevating home comfort – though designers predict the rise of a new crop of materials and accents, especially limed wood, red and pink marble, and onyx.
A new study from the University of California, Berkeley has mapped consumption-based emissions for households across the United States, revealing disparities in how different neighborhoods contribute to climate change. As The New York Times reports, the research found that households in dense neighborhoods closer to city centers tend to have much lower emissions on average than the rest of the country, due to the availability of public transport and the presence of houses and smaller apartments, which require less energy to heat. and great. However, suburbs and more remote suburbs produce average household emissions that are two to three times higher. As the report’s authors point out, the majority of new construction has been concentrated in the suburbs for several decades, making it easier and more affordable to buy a home in a high-emissions zone than a low-emissions zone. .
Starting in January, all new buildings constructed in Los Angeles must be all-electric — with no stoves, heaters or gas hookups — under an ordinance passed by city council members last week. As the list reports, gas appliances are linked to health problems like asthma and cancer, and in Los Angeles alone account for more than 40% of the city’s total carbon emissions. With the new ordinance, Los Angeles joins nearly 70 other cities and counties in California that have already adopted similar rules.
In the wake of rising interest rates, a declining market and general economic uncertainty, venture capital investment this year is on track for the biggest drop in more than two decades. . As Bloomberg reports, the value of new venture capital deals worldwide is down 42% this year compared to last year, a steeper drop than the 34% collapse that followed the 2008 financial crisis, according to the Preqin research firm. Anecdotally, this trend is visible in the home industry – what was once a flood of venture capital into the space has apparently slowed to a trickle in the second half of 2022, although the former CEO of Peloton , John Foley, was able to raise $25 million for a DTC mat startErnesta.
Along the same lines, the IPO market has also fallen this year from last year’s highs, CNBC reports. While U.S.-listed companies raised more than $155 billion through IPOs in 2021, they only brought in $4.8 billion in the first half of this year, according to firm data. consulting firm EY and the financial markets platform Dealogic. The recession is partly related to the fact that many companies that went public in 2021 did not perform well in the wake of the market downturn, which made investors much more risk averse. That means a tough sled for companies like Houzz – which have been rumored to be on the verge of going public for years – and Serena & Lily, which reportedly began work on a proposed listing in March.
Michigan-based flooring company Scott Group Studio has acquired RedRock, a Georgian manufacturer of machine-made rugs and carpets. As a major supplier to the aviation market segment, Scott Group Studio has partnered with RedRock to enable both companies to provide rapid refurbishment services across all 144 models in RedRock’s portfolio. Following the purchase, RedRock President Bob VanOrder will continue in his current role while joining the Scott Group management team.
Launches & Collaborations
New York-based interior design firm Float Studio has teamed up with home fashion brand Modern Matter for the launch of its first luxury hardware assortment. The first of the new collections, Marcelle, is inspired by vintage Parisian hardware, Japanese tansu and mixed metal. The other collection, Otto, opts instead for a tactile and functional selection of hardware with a robust silhouette.
Showroom representation
Laura Gonzalez reimagined a space at The Townhouse in the style of a glamorous 1980s New York apartmentCourtesy of the invisible collection
French designer Laura Gonzalez made her New York debut with a ground floor showcase at The Townhouse by Invisible Collection. The exhibition features a curated selection of furniture by Gonzalez, including the Mawu chairs, the Casa sofa, the Tortoise table and an assortment of pieces created in collaboration with Goossens, Lesage Interiors and Studio MTX, fashioned in an environment reminiscent of the sophistication of New York. In the 1980’s.
recommended reading
In 1959, just three years after the Barbie hit the market, Mattel launched the first iteration of the doll’s ever-evolving abode, an accessory that also served as a marker of design trends over the years. like the new limited edition art book. Barbie Dreamhouse: An Architectural Survey highlights. For The New York TimesJulie Lasky takes a look at six Dreamhouses from the past six decades, each drawing inspiration from leading architects, designers and trends of the time, with examples including a late ’70s-style A-frame reminiscent of homes built by the progressive architect Charles Moore and a ’90s McMansion inspired by the ornate Doric columned houses that were springing up in American suburbs at the time.
Since children’s toy and furniture brands like Fisher-Price and Graco took off in the 1950s, generations of parents with growing families have seen their homes transformed, now dominated by a range of plastic objects decorated with images of cartoon characters and saturated colors. As Elizabeth Segran writes for fast businessmillennial parents may be marking a break from this trend, as the rise of a new group of forward-thinking DTC brands such as Lalo, Nestig, Babyletto and more welcome a new aesthetic era for the modern family house.
In the fall of 2020, several photos of private household scenes captured from low angles – including a photo of a woman sitting on the toilet – ended up on an online forum for construction workers. Even more disturbing was the source of the footage: iRobot’s Roomba j7 series robot vacuum. For MIT Technology ReviewEileen Guo unravels the convoluted global supply chain that collects real user data (such as that generated from internet-connected household items) and uses it to refine a device’s model-finding algorithm through l using third-party contractors – a process that can introduce privacy risks to unsuspecting users.
Call for applications
The American Society of Interior Designers has opened submissions for the annual student portfolio competition. The competition recognizes outstanding student design achievement among undergraduate and graduate students in the United States and Canada. Finalists and winners will be admitted to ASID’s Scale Student Summit at the Gather 2023 conference in Los Angeles, along with a scholarship to further their education in interior design. To participate before February 15, click here.
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