From significant business changes to noteworthy product launches, there’s always something new happening in the world of design. In this biweekly roundup, AD PRO has everything you need to know.
In the News
Corey Damen Jenkins to headline Sotheby’s Visions of America celebration
Come January 12, Americana devotees can immerse themselves in the fine art, decorative furnishings, fashion ensembles, literary works, libations, and more of the 17th century to now at Sotheby’s inaugural Visions of America celebration. The interactive experience comes courtesy AD100 designer Corey Damen Jenkins, who is collaborating with Sotheby’s to create a richly layered exhibition tying in works from the Americana art and design auctions with his own designs plus decorations from American labels including John Rosselli & Associates, Stark, Schumacher, Kravet, and more.
Jenkins’s multi-room installation, envisioned as a pied-á-terre to encourage roaming and ruminating, will also host the eight-day celebration’s educational programming featuring discussions with AD100 Hall of Fame designer Alexa Hampton, decorative arts curator at the Philadelphia Museum of Art Alexandra Kirtley, and more. In addition to Jenkins, Visions of America has named Thom Browne as a guest of honor, tapping the American fashion designer to curate a special edit of works from the 11 dedicated auctions.
A new collectible design resource from the Walker Art Center
Design has long been central to the Walker Art Center’s mission, but it’s being taken to new heights with the arrival of Idea House 3 at the Minneapolis multidisciplinary arts institution. The 1,500-square-foot retail and events destination, developed in collaboration with London’s Zak Group, is arranged like rooms in a welcoming home, brimming with furniture, lighting, textiles, tableware, and objects from some 50 designers and makers around the world, such as the Mexican pottery collective Cooperativa 1050°, the Venice-and-Beirut-based studio T Sakhi, and Hudson, New York, glass artist Deborah Ehrlich. In the “Guest Room,” creatives from different disciplines will organize thematic exhibitions like “Midwest Design Here & Now,” the inaugural presentation overseen by curator Wava Carpenter that comprises pieces by leading and on-the-rise talents from across the region.
Product
House of RoRo puts the limelight on multifunctional children’s furniture
When shopping for her young son Iggy, Belgian-born, New York-based designer Anne-Sophie Rosseel grew frustrated by the too-precious, space-hogging furniture she encountered that would inevitably wind up in a landfill sooner rather than later once outgrown. With sustainability and longevity at the forefront, Rosseel embarked on House of RoRo, a brand centered on versatile, gender-neutral designs that adapt to the needs of fast-growing kids. Interlockables, the brand’s debut flat-pack collection of seating, tables, and storage, includes a playful rocker, a double-sided book tower, and a stool that stands in for a box or side table finished in food-grade vegan wood stains created by Audrey Louise Reynolds. The best part? Reminiscent of puzzles, the slotted pieces are easy for little ones to assemble with an assist from their parents and a soft rubber mallet.
