A blend of storytelling, craftsmanship, and bold forms defines the latest design collections, transforming everyday objects into carriers of meaning and history.
Hospitality as Legacy
The latest issue of What’s Entering the Room begins with Blackberry Fifty, a 476-page retrospective marking 50 years of Blackberry Farm, a retreat that started as a six-room inn. Mary Celeste Beall, the property’s owner, and designer Bonjwing Lee curated the book, which documents the Beall family’s philosophy of hospitality—prioritizing land stewardship, respect for traditional craftsmanship, and creating spaces where guests feel woven into the story. The project includes over 500 images and contributions from more than 100 voices, with a foreword by musician Chris Thile. It positions hospitality not just as a service but as an evolving artistic and cultural archive.
Furniture with Sculptural Intent
Croft House’s Marella Collection introduces 28 pieces across four distinct lines, merging California-inspired comfort with French aesthetic influences. The Los Angeles-based design team crafted the collection using sculptural curves, architectural arches, and lounge-inspired shapes, all executed in warm, natural materials. Subtle color accents disrupt the crisp geometric lines, ensuring each piece maintains both visual impact and accessibility.
Regina Andrews’ Ziggy Ottoman exemplifies minimalist layering through its three-tiered design, functioning as both seating and a sculptural element. Available in premium leather or fabric, the piece features contrast welting that delineates each level, making it versatile for floors or side tables. Handmade in North Carolina, the design demonstrates how restraint can still produce striking visual effects.
Rimadesio’s latest collaboration with art director Giuseppe Bavuso presents four seating designs: the enveloping Althea bergère, the adaptable Wabi stool, the Nordic-inspired Ascot armchair, and the curved Ori chair. Each piece achieves a refined balance through meticulous detailing and proportion, ensuring they serve as intentional anchors in a space.
Read Also: Filmmakers spotlight hidden world of High Point Market
Textiles and Surfaces with Depth
Sean Leffers’ The Shadow of Flowers collection reinterprets 19th-century Japanese theater costumes, domestic stripes, and a 1920s child’s kimono into 15 distinct fabrics. Through warp printing, the collection revives historic patterns with modern restraint, embedding each design with traces of its original purpose. The result is a textural language that feels both enduring and contemporary.
Dedar’s newest sheer fabrics, now displayed at the D&D Building showroom, apply a jeweler’s precision to window treatments. The collection ranges from delicate shimmer to bold ornamentation, manipulating light to add a deliberate final layer to interior compositions. Unlike conventional sheers, these pieces don’t merely filter light—they shape it.
Nourison’s FORME rugs, showcased at High Point Market, reverse traditional pattern approaches. Instead of a background dictating the design, sculptural motifs, such as pale green ginkgo leaves, dominate a neutral field, creating movement through varying pile heights. Hand-tufted in New Zealand wool with silky nylon accents, the 12 custom-made designs allow scale and color to adapt to each project.
Tile Club’s Baldwin, Plume, and Luna collections redefine ceramic surfaces by introducing shifts in light, color, and form that add texture and dimension to walls. Ann Sacks’ Savoy mosaics, her seventh collaboration with Studio McGee, reinterpret subway tile and basketweave patterns through a Japanese artisan’s perspective. Meanwhile, Kohler WasteLAB’s Crackle series repurposes manufacturing waste into two new tile colors.
