One of the world's leading capitals of culture year-round, New York transforms into an even more exciting destination come NYCxDesign, its annual festival dedicated to platforming the talents, institutions, and brands that are driving innovation in all things design forward. Launching right after the equally anticipated, global art fairs Frieze (to May 11) and TEFAF New York (to May 13), the event, whose forthcoming edition runs from May 15-21, seeks to make this field both open to and inspiring for everyone through hundreds of events between exhibitions, collection releases, trade shows, talks, and walking tours.
Attracting over 200,000 visitors from across the globe every year, NYCxDesign coincides with the International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF). Hosted at the Javits Center and in turn reuniting over 450 design houses, including established and emerging brands, from more than 35 countries, the initiative wants to promote the best-in-class in original and sustainable design. This is to say that, whether exploring the Big Apple on foot, peeking inside its pioneering galleries to interact with the works of local trailblazers, or choosing to gather fresh inspiration from the latest iteration of ICFF, creativity will be everywhere next week.
Haven't made a plan for NYCxDesign 2025 yet? Don't worry, we've done it for you. From the best New York design hotels to stay at in town to the top 11 events to catch during the festival, and a digital map to get around more easily, the Livingetc NYCxDesign 2025 Guide has got you covered (yes, we've reported on the creative community's favorite hangouts around New York City, too).
What to See During NYCxDesign 2025
1. Faye Toogood's Lucid Dream Lands in NYC
"I needed to momentarily stop all the plates spinning around me, and focus on the swirl within. Going inside the studio, inside my body, inside my imagination." — Faye Toogood
Tiwa Select, 86 Walker St floor 5, New York, NY 10013, United States. The Future Perfect, by appointment only. For all queries, contact the team
From her recent collaboration with Poltrona Frau, dubbed by Livingetc as one of the best London Design Festival projects earlier last year, to her fantastical, plastered-in-artworks Camden Town studio and showroom, House of Toogood, everything Faye Toogood touches appears imbued with an agency of its own. Instinctively, the designer's work reminds me of the small, often animal or fantasy creatures-inspired papier-mâché sculptures I used to make and play with as a child. Though, of course, I don't mean to make the two in any way comparable, there is something about her craft that can't be ascribed to the actual world, as Lucid Dream, her latest collection of hand-painted furniture and lighting creations, attests. On view across Tiwa Select gallery and The Future Perfect's New York location, the show clearly comes from the heart — or perhaps from somewhere even deeper.
"I needed to momentarily stop all the plates spinning around me, and focus on the swirl within," she said of the moment that led to the series featured in the exhibition. "Going inside the studio, inside my body, inside my imagination. Taking a line for a walk to reclaim and reconfigure what is my language when all is quiet." Comprising textural paper lanterns, standing lamps, and sconces bearing surreal, handmade motifs, alongside colorful, doodles-covered table sets, coffee tables, floating sculptures, armchair and foot stool sets, and room dividers characterized by Toodgood's signature blown-up volumes, Lucid Dream is where fantasy comes to life to everyone's enjoyment.
To June 21. Plan your visit
2. Artemest Galleria Gets a Fresh Revamp
Originally designed by Samuele Brianza, the Artemest Galleria has received a full makeover by Nicole Fuller. Updated image incoming!
Artemest Galleria, 518 W 19th St, New York, NY 10011, United States
Ippolita Rostagno's Artemest, whose home-inspired L'Appartamento exhibition format — presenting a domestic environment crafted on the occasion of Milan Design Week by a different roster of world-acclaimed designers each time — has become a staple of our Salone del Mobile guides, has just completed the refurbishment of its West Chelsea outpost. Formerly designed by Samuele Brianza, the newly revamped space, which comes courtesy of American interior designer Nicole Fuller, will be unveiled next week to coincide with this year's NYCxDesign. And if we know Artemest as well as we think, great things are on the way.
3. Winkle Ceramic Design Launches at ICFF
One of the protagonists of this year's ICFF (May 18-20), where his work will be on view as part of the WANTED section, Daniel Shapiro's Winkle Ceramic Design marries his family's heritage with tech-engineered innovation.
Javitz Center, 429 11th Ave, New York, NY 10001, United States
Housed at ICFF's Booth #W851, part of the fair's WANTED presentation, Daniel Shapiro's Winkle Ceramic Design debut collection, Squared, is a testament to the enduring value of craftsmanship. The founder, whose great-grandfather ran the Winkle Terracotta Company in St. Louis in the late 1800s, looks back to look forward with his very own artisanal venture, where storied tradition meets the power of the latest technologies. Opting for cubic shapes over cylindrical ones, Shapiro challenges the norms of sculpture through tetris-like lamps and collectible installations that put a human spin on 3D modeling and printing. From a two-step, tech-assisted initial phase, his designs are then transferred to handmade plaster molds, which he then completes with textural marbling and limewash techniques. What comes out of it are pieces that defy time to embrace the magic of yesterday, today, and tomorrow.
May 18-20. Plan your visit.
4. Love House Christens New Outpost
"Wave Column", one of Forma Rosa Studio's otherworldly sculptural creations, will be among the pieces on display at Love House through May 31.
Love House, 179 E Broadway, New York, NY 10002, USA
Jared Heinrich and Aric Yeakey's celebrated design showroom, Love House, is inaugurating a brand new, 4,000-square-foot space with the launch of their first-ever group exhibition, The Family Show. Inviting each of the 60 participating artists and designers to interpret the theme freely, the co-founders have made room for a highly personal, evocative, and tender expression of creativity to unfold. With contributions varying from otherworldly, softly glowing lighting explorations to jewels-encrusted bas-reliefs, futuristic seating, and comforting objects rooted in notions of sharing, quotidianity, and ritualism, the exhibition debunks the understanding of the home and long-term connections as static, monotonous. Instead, through the craft of boundary-pushing talents like Forma Rosa Studio, Paolo Ferrari, Lana Launay, Jan Ernst, and Alberto Essesi, the everyday becomes extraordinary.
To May 31. Get in touch with the gallery for more information.
5. A New Vanguard of Talents Takes ICFF
Also part of ICFF's WANTED section, the fair's School Showcase is your one-stop destination to the talents of tomorrow.
Javitz Center, 429 11th Ave, New York, NY 10001, United States
What better way to glance at the future of design than through the eyes of its budding practitioners? During New York Design Week 2025, the ICFF brings back the Schools Showcase, a globe-trotting deep dive into the world's most renowned schools of design and the students who bring them to life. The format, which was established in 2022, gathers the most promising talents from each institute to introduce their work to the wider design industry, serving as a bridge between them, studios, brands, and other creative institutions. This year's participating schools include the California College of the Arts, Centro de Estudios Superiores de Diseno de Monterrey / CEDIMIED, Istituto Europeo di Design S.B.p.A., Istituto Marangoni, Parsons School of Design, Pratt Institute, Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), Savannah School of Art and Design (SCAD), and School of Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC), among others. The event will coincide with the Best of Schools and Students Prize award ceremonies, presented with the support of Haworth.
May 18-20. Plan your visit.
6. Light/Lite Illuminates UrbanGlass
Jamie Harris, photographed next to one of his 'infusions', will be among the artists spotlighted by "Light/Lite", a new exhibition celebrating the work of contemporary glassware makers.
UrbanGlass, 647 Fulton St, Brooklyn, NY 11217, United States
An oasis for aspiring and established glassware makers, since 1977 UrbanGlass has been providing a space for people to engage with and try their hand at glass-based art and design. For NYCxDesign 2025, the Agnes Varis Art Center hosts Light/Lite, an intergenerational showcase of artists turning to the medium to advance innovation in lighting design. Among the talents spotlighted are Eidos Glass' Lorin Silverman, whose choreographic, hand-blown glass sculptures are adored by the world's foremost architects, designers, and fellow creatives, 3D-printing trailblazers Evenline, revitalizing tradition through a tech-engineered approach to craftsmanship, and Jamie Harris, whose translucent, ethereal creations immortalize the movement of hot glass into abstract, deeply fascinating compositions.
May 10-June 6. Plan your visit.
7. Emily Thurman Unveils Hundō
Emily Thurman's debut collection, "Hundō", "is a meditation on transformation," she explained. "Through pouring, sculpting, and burning of natural materials — bronze, cast glass, porcelain, solid oak and cherry, marble and onyx — it allows each piece to take form through an elemental force."
IRL Gallery, 86 Walker St #2, New York, NY 10013, United States
When researching shows to include in this roundup of the best NYCxDesign events, I was instantly hooked by the announcement of Emily Thurman's Hundō solo. Scheduled to open at IRL Gallery next week, her debut collection of furniture, lighting, and sculptural pieces blends archaic and contemporary canons into an evocative manifestation of artistry. The works, which will be interspersed with contributions from StudioDanielK, Camille Tan's Atelier Falaise, and Alexis Mazin, rare collectibles sourced by Past Lives' Carly Krieger, and a textile installation by Peter Christensen, are "a meditation on transformation". In molding bronze, cast glass, porcelain, solid oak and cherry, marble, and onyx through pouring, sculpting, and burning, Thurman allows the raw material to express itself in its most elemental state. Standing out for their creaturesque, largely rounded shapes, the series feels like a dialogue between the designer herself and the mediums through which she creates.
May 15-21. Plan your visit.
8. Cuff Studio's New Collection at ICFF Goes Within
Wendy Schwartz and Kristi Bender's latest furniture drop "was born from a place of deep self-assurance — an understanding that curiosity, risk, and exploration lead to the most profound creative satisfaction".
Javitz Center, 429 11th Ave, New York, NY 10001, United States
Booth #W1356 at ICFF, part of the fair's WANTED section, will serve as the stage for the latest collection by Wendy Schwartz and Kristi Bender's Cuff Studio. Titled WITHIN, the release, launching with a press preview on May 18 (8-10am), sees the Los Angeles duo look "inward more than ever before," the two explained. Retaining the vibrancy, shapely essence, and wit Cuff Studio is known for, the drop is their boldest yet, with standouts ranging from a wavy, velveting green chaise lounge and a cherry-plum, sculptural revisitation of their signature Block Daybed to a cinematic, cascade-inspired chandelier in glass and rope, and a whimsy coffee table.
May 18-20. Plan your visit.
9. Item: Enso Captures the Beauty of Imperfection
The studio's inaugural installation of furniture, lighting, and objects, Soft Grounds sees Item: Enso explore the poetic essence of metalwork and textile through flower-like lamp creations that disrupt the materials' conventional purpose, bridging the West and the East.
Colbo, 51 Orchard St, New York, NY 10002, United States
It was the stark contrast between softness and roughness, poetry and brutality, I felt while looking at interior designers Yuria Kailich and Joel Harding's joint studio practice, Item: Enso, that drew me toward it. Carved from unpolished metal sheets or textural cuts of pastel-shaded fabric, their creations transform seemingly simple, and sometimes unaesthetic, materials into dramatic furniture and lighting pieces as well as objects you can't help but wonder about their back story. For NYCxDesign 2025, they bring Soft Grounds, their inaugural installation, to the multi-purpose spaces of Colbo. At once fragile and sturdy, the designs on view — "brutalist interpretations of tender ideas" — remind me of nature's resilience; its ability to resist the signs of time, renovate, and transform. Accompanied by Itameshi-style specialties by Alimentari Flaneur and hand-poured drinks by Sake Bar Asoko, Soft Grounds is where the party begins.
May 15-21, launch May 17, from 1pm-close. Plan your visit.
10. Danish Artistry Shines at Carl Hansen & Søn
A celebration of Scandiavian design is coming to New York Design Week, with masterpieces from Danish designers Hans J. Wegner and Kaare Klint showcased alongside new product introductions by Børge Mogensen, EOOS, and Anker Bak, and Carl Hansen & Søn's own evergreen icons.
145 E 57th St, New York, NY 10022, United States
To mark the return of New York Design Week, heritage Danish house Carl Hansen & Søn will be debuting a new collection within the spectacular spaces of its NYC flagship location. Founded by its namesake in Odense, Funen, in 1908, the brand, known for its essentially sophisticated, handcrafted furniture, remains family-owned and is now in its third generation. During NYCxDesign 2025, Carl Hansen & Søn's latest outspring will dialogue with masterpieces from iconic Danish designers Hans J. Wegner and Kaare Klint, including the latter's Spherical Bed, and fresh contributions by Børge Mogensen, EOOS, and Anker Bak.
May 14, 9-11 am. Plan your visit.
11. Let Design Show You the Healthy Way of Life
Among NYCxDesign 2025's appointments is "By Design: The Healthy Way of Life", a keynote panel with wellness platform Life Time's Chief Creative Officer, Nicholas Berglund, set to investigate the link between health and design.
The Vinyl Room at Soho House Meatpacking, 29-35 9th Ave, New York, NY 10014, United States
As part of NYCxDesign 2025 program, Nicholas Berglund, Chief Creative Officer at Life Time, a lifestyle brand built around the creation of thoughtfully designed community spaces conceived to bring health, fitness, and wellness to the forefront, will be giving a talk to address ever-apparent connection between design and physical as well as mental well-being. The concept, which operates across stunningly envisioned, resort-like athletic country clubs, coworking spaces, and residences all around the US, as well as offering guided workout and yoga classes via its namesake app, and IRL events, strives to show how design can help us live our "happiest, healthiest life" — as we recently explored in a piece about Madelynn Ringo's wellness design.
May 20, 7pm. Secure your spot.
FAQs
Where and When Does NYCxDesign Take Place?
When — Also known as New York Design Week, NYCxDesign 2025's official program runs May 15-21 across hundreds of locations across town, though individual projects might inaugurate in the days ahead of its official launch. The event, which recurs annually, is dense with collection launches, design exhibitions, panel discussions, keynotes, parties, and public art activations, including the unveiling of Union Square Partnership's Annual 14th Street Mural Installation.
Where — NYCxDesign 2025 initiatives will take over the boroughs of Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens, with curated events coming to Brooklyn Heights, Bushwick, Chelsea, Dumbo, Greenwich Village, Harlem, Hudson Yards, Long Island City, Lower East Side, Red Hook, SoHo, Upper Madison Avenue, and Williamsburg throughout the course of New York Design Week (and often beyond).
Where to Eat, Drink, and Stay During NYCxDesign?
Our guide to NYCxDesign 2025 will hopefully allow you to get the most out of this week-long celebration of craftsmanship, creativity, and innovation. But knowing where to find the most exciting presentations doesn't take away the need to research where to hang out afterwards. Hit our New York page to take your pick from dozens of restaurants, bars, and stays sure to make your Big Apple sojourn even more unforgettable. And keep an eye on our lifestyle section for more!
Save the Livingetc NYCxDesign 2025 Map
Not in the Big Apple for NYCxDesign but still feel like you want to join in the frenzy? Check out our just-updated curation of the best design exhibitions in London, featuring intergenerational artistic dialogues, immersive installations, experimental furniture displays, and more.
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