This week in design, the latest AI foray into the home world is Kitchen Cosmo—a robot that will survey the ingredients in your fridge and offer recipe ideas based on its findings. Stay in the know with our weekly roundup of headlines, launches, events, recommended reading and more.
Business News
A federal appeals court ruled on Friday that many of Donald Trump’s tariffs were illegal, The New York Times reports. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit affirmed a lower court’s finding in May that the president did not have the power to impose tariffs on most imports into the country. The judges delayed the enforcement of their ruling until next month—allowing current tariffs to stay in effect and giving the administration time to appeal to the Supreme Court. Trump took to social media to express his disdain for the ruling: “Today a Highly Partisan Appeals Court incorrectly said that our Tariffs should be removed, but they know the United States of America will win in the end,” he wrote. “If these Tariffs ever went away, it would be a total disaster for the Country.”
Last week, the Trump administration officially closed the so-called de minimis tax exemption, a law that allowed goods under $800 to be imported into the U.S. tariff-free. With the new regulations applying to all goods now, everyday items for the average American that come from overseas will see an increase in price as well as in shipping times, CBS News reports. According to a recent analysis by logistics platform FlavorCloud, a chef’s knife made in Japan that originally cost $240 when shipped to the States would now cost $298.49, a 24 percent increase.
Pinterest has released its “2025 Fall Trend Report,” surveying rising style movements based on user searches. The site has seen renewed interest in a “cubicle chic” aesthetic, with searches like “work office makeover” up 2,652 percent, “chic cubicle decor” up 1,543 percent and “cubicle makeover ideas” up 2,767 percent in the post-pandemic return-to-office era. Searches also spiked for statement tiles (with terms like “terracotta tiles texture,” “vintage tiles” and “striped tile bathroom”) for all Pinterest users and “art deco 1920s vintage decor,” which saw a 745 percent jump in searches among the Generation Z cohort. Meanwhile, user interest in secondhand furniture remains strong, with searches for “dream thrift finds” up 550 percent among Gen Z, and overall, “thrifted kitchen” and “thrifted decor” are up 1,012 percent and 283 percent, respectively.
Williams-Sonoma Inc. beat its profitability estimates in the second quarter. The company had growth in both furniture and non-furniture categories, with total revenues up 2.7 percent to $1.8 billion for the quarter that ended on August 3. Among the parent company’s individual brands, Pottery Barn’s net revenue remained consistent at $724.6 million, while the others saw an increase: West Elm’s was up 2.1 percent to $468.6 million; for Williams-Sonoma, up 8 percent to $249.1 million; and for Pottery Barn Kids and Teen, up 10.5 percent to 286.7 million. The stock jumped to $204 from $197.99 the morning of the earnings release, but has since decreased to $190.
North Carolina–based company Null Furniture announced the decision to close its doors after 50 years in business, Home News Now reports. The family-owned business was founded in the 1970s and quickly became known for its occasional and accent tables. On Facebook, the company shared: “This business has been more than furniture—it’s been about relationships, trust and community. … As we wind down operations, we still have inventory available in our warehouse, and we’d be honored if you’d continue to support us during this transition.”
Homebuilder confidence declined in August, Home News Now reports. The National Association of Home Builders and Wells Fargo Housing Market Index downgraded its rating of builder sentiment toward the market for newly built single-family homes from 33 in July to 32 in August. (A reading of 50 or higher means the majority of builders view conditions as good, and lower than 50 means they view conditions as poor.) This decline marks the 16th consecutive month the reading has been in the negative territory, according to the NAHB. The group attributed the downward trend to numerous factors, including higher mortgage rates and construction materials costs.
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection has accused 23 mattress importers of illegal transshipping schemes to avoid trade duties to the tune of more than $250 million, Furniture Today reports. In spring of 2024, a federal investigation launched into companies including Alloech, Deluxe Home of USA, and Inland Empire Decor Furnishing, among others—many of which are widely sold online via Amazon, Wayfair and Walmart. The report alleges that the companies have been violating fair trade laws by importing Chinese-made products to the U.S. by way of South Korea, Indonesia, Taiwan and Vietnam through a network of Chinese shell companies. “Never before has CBP identified this many importers evading AD/CVD [antidumping and countervailing duties] in a single consolidated EAPA [Enforce and Protect Act] investigation,” Susan S. Thomas, acting executive assistant commissioner for CBP’s Office of Trade, told the publication. “The revenue identified for collection exceeds $250 million, but this figure may increase as we uncover additional importers in the scheme.”
After last year’s landmark settlement by the National Association of Realtors changed the way real estate agents get paid (essentially allowing buyers to negotiate with their agents on fees rather than leaving it in the seller’s hands), the hopes that costs associated with buying a home would come down haven’t happened, The Wall Street Journal reports. The average commission paid to a buyer’s agent in the second quarter of 2025 was nearly the same as in Q2 of last year (2.43 percent of the home’s sale price, up from 2.38 percent), according to an analysis by real-estate brokerage Redfin. It was the third consecutive quarter that commissions saw a slight increase after the new NAR rules went into effect in August 2024. While the ruling has allowed for more transparency for homebuyers, experts believe nothing else has really changed—yet.
Launches and Collaborations
Chaddock Furniture Workroom announced a new collaboration with interior designer Allison Paladino. The partnership brings upholstery pieces from the Palm Beach County–based designer’s past collection with EJ Victor into the Chaddock portfolio, offering a wider range of fabrics, finishes and cushion options.
Lighting maker Lodes teamed up with fellow Italian brand Diesel Living on a new suspension lamp. The piece, titled D-Burned, is crafted using devoré denim—a semi-sheer effect created by chemical distressing—a signature technique used in Diesel’s runway collections. The fabric is suspended and illuminated by a 360-degree light tube, and the denim filters the light for a distinct ambience. The fixture is available in two sizes, around 23 inches and 47 inches.
Recommended Reading
HGTV blast from the past Decorating Cents found renewed popularity online this summer, almost three decades after it first aired, thanks to videos posted on Instagram that poked fun at the series’ outdated decorating styles. For her Substack newsletter Schmatta, Leonora Epstein tracked down the Twin Cities program’s former host, Joan Steffend, and conducted an interview that casts the makeover show in a different light—as a source of creativity and craftiness for an audience searching for an attainable approach to decorating.
When it comes to deciding whether or not to purchase a multimillion-dollar home, sometimes a 15-minute showing just doesn’t cut it. For The Wall Street Journal, Jessica Flint writes about the ultraluxury buyers who are requesting sleepovers before they close on their homes, finding that spending a few nights (or in some cases, a few months) in a prospective new place is what it takes to seal the deal.
When French-Israeli billionaire Patrick Drahi purchased Sotheby’s in 2019, the art world was surprised. Many people didn’t even know who Drahi was—he prefers to keep a low profile, unlike the owner of rival auction house Christie’s, François Pinault—and he had almost exclusively done business in the telecommunications industry. For The New Yorker, Sam Knight dives deep into Drahi’s background, why he purchased the auction house and how he brought his “wizard of debt” methods to the company (much to the dismay of others).
.jpg?1757447080)
