From 15-21 May, the Big Apple's creative scene comes to life as part of New York Design Week 2025 – an ever-expanding ecosystem of exhibitions, talks, tours and parties.
The festivities are anchored by the NYCxDESIGN festival, whose 2025 theme is 'Design is for Everyone,' and the International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF). There are newcomers to the week as well, notably the first edition of Shelter, a design fair and marketplace created by online furniture platform Afternoon Light.
And while the majority of the festivities happen in Manhattan, this year will also have an expanded focus on Brooklyn: the opening week party kicks off at The Refinery at Domino in Williamsburg. Plus, Dumbo has been newly designated as a design district, hosting a day of open studios, an evening exhibition of outdoor projections and the week’s closing party.
That's a lot of ground to cover in just one short week. To make it easier for you to navigate, we've narrowed down a handful of the exhibits and happenings we're most looking forward to. Happy design hunting!
'Outside/In' at Lyle Gallery
Located on the Lower East side, Lyle Gallery is a multidisciplinary, inclusive exhibition space established to amplify diverse voices across design, art and fashion. The queer, women-owned gallery was founded by couple Lin and Magdalena Tyrpien with the aim of embracing alternative formats and unexpected intersections, particularly in collaboration with local groups and businesses. For New York Design Week, Lyle opens an exhibition titled 'Outside/In,' curated in collaboration with PR firm Hello Human and inspired by the Outsider Art movement. The showcase features one dozen independent artists and designers – including Inderjeet Sandhu, Kawabi, Platform Studio, Soft Geometry, Vy Voi by Steffany Trần– who explore ‘identity, materiality, and self-determination through bold and unconventional design’.
WHEN: 14 May-1 June 2025
WHERE: Lyle Gallery, 24 Rutgers St, 1st Floor
EWE Studio ‘Exhuma’ at Les Ateliers Courbet
The first US solo exhibition of Mexico City-based EWE Studio opens at Les Ateliers Courbet for New York Design Week. EWE’s new furniture collection ‘Exhuma’ pays tribute to pre-Hispanic innovation and Purépecha metallurgy passed down over generations. Crafted at EWE's collaborative foundry in Puebla, Mexico, the objects employ an ancient sand casting technique that honours the master craftsmanship of Mexico. A coffee table balances smooth cast metal and hard-carved volcanic stone inspired by ceremonial pre-Hispanic artefacts dating back 3,000 years, while a stainless-steel and bronze wall mirror responds to the forms of copper Tajadero chopping knives.
WHEN: 14 May-1 August 2025
WHERE: Les Ateliers Courbet, 134 10th Ave
NYCxDesign's Opening Night Party
NYCxDesign Festival’s kick off party at The Refinery at Domino promises a celebratory gathering of the New York design community, plus sunset views of Manhattan. Once America’s largest sugar refinery, operating from 1882 to 2004, the brick building with its iconic yellow sign is now a modern development that preserves its heritage as a reminder of Williamsburg’s industrial past amidst its transformation. This party is sure to spark some conversations about how design shapes our daily experience of the city – accompanied by lighting illuminations by L’Observatoire International, and bites and cocktails by Pinch Food Design.
WHEN: Thursday 15 May 2025
WHERE: The Refinery at Domino, 300 Kent Avenue, Brooklyn
Casa Valle's Gaudí Re-Issue
Casa Valle, located just steps off Canal Street, is the gallery space of designer Giancarlo Valle and his wife, veteran design editor Jane Keltner de Valle. Opened in 2024, this extension to their home displays their made-to-order furniture collection in dialogue with domestic, timber-clad interiors inspired by the 18th century Lispenard House.
For New York Design Week, Casa Valle is presenting a limited-edition reissue of Antoni Gaudí’s sinuous wooden ‘Batlló’ dining chair, created by Studio Giancarlo Valle in collaboration with BD Barcelona, which owns the license for reproducing the 20th century architect’s designs. It is accompanied by reissues of Gaudí’s Calvet armchair, stool and original Batlló chair by BD Barcelona.
WHEN: 15-21 May (except Sunday 18)
WHERE: Casa Valle, 50 Lispenard Street
ICFF + Wanted
ICFF, led by directors Odile Hainaut and Claire Pijoulat, is back for its 36th year, with over 450 brands from more than 35 countries. This year’s theme ‘Designing in Harmony’ celebrates human-centered and multi-sensory design (Wallpaper* is a media sponsor). Highlights include Lichen NYC’s new collaboration with Karimoku; Flokk’s reintroduction of HÅG with the Capisco task chair; and Rarify, an exhibition of collectible timber pieces, featuring Hida Sangyo and PP Møbler.
At Wanted, ICFF’s section spotlighting emerging voices and new talent, don’t miss the work of Mark Khoury and Hayeon Kim amongst others at the ‘Launch Pad’ exhibition. Or the talks programme packed with industry leaders including Patrizia Moroso, Julia Watson and Beatrice Galilee, with topics from indigenous systems to rebuilding Los Angeles. Take a breather at the Ligne Roset-designed lounge; browse the Phaidon bookshop; and catch the annual ICFF Awards May 18 at 5:30pm, where Wallpaper*'s own US editor, Anna Fixsen, will be joining the jury panel.
WHEN: 18-20 May, 2025
WHERE: Javits Convention Center, 429 11th Avenue
Shelter by Afternoon Light
Step aside because there's a new design fair in town: ‘Shelter,’ founded by Deirdre Maloney and Minya Quirk, founders of curated online design marketplace Afternoon Light will be taking over the Starrett-Lehigh Building for three days.
Similar to Milan’s Alcova, Shelter will offer an alternative platform for New York Design Week, bringing together over 100 international creatives across furniture, art and decoration, within a lively format activated by live rattan caning, shopping, lectures and–yes–piercing (Wallpaper* is a media sponsor). Leading brands such as USM, Hem and Tom Dixon, meet a strong Nordic contigent including Carl Hansen & Søn, as well as brands from beyond including New Zealand’s Resident.
The local scene will also be well-represented – with AFG Objects and Ollin from Brooklyn, Sample House and Parmatile from Queens, Stickbulb in Long Island City; plus NYC designer Chris Held’s exhibition JONALDDUDD, to name just a few – as are US studios beyond the city limits from Michigan, Texas and Montana.
WHEN: 17-19 May
WHERE: Starrett-Lehigh Building, 601 West 26th Street
-
These Loro Piana sunglasses are inspired by the house’s superlative garmentsContinuing the house’s continent-crossing journey to find the very best materials – from Mongolia to New Zealand – Loro Piana’s new sunglasses collection takes it to Japan, where the first titanium frames were made in the 1980s
-
How to build a home wine cellarOur resident drinks writer takes us through his own experiences on building the dream wine cellar at home including his favourite wines to stock up on now
-
How was Carlo Ratti’s ‘Intelligens’? Wallpaper* editors discuss the 19th Venice BiennaleHaving visited ‘Intelligens’, the 19th Venice Biennale's main show by curator Carlo Ratti, the Wallpaper* editors discuss what they saw at the world's biggest global architecture festival
-
Nendo’s collaborations with Kyoto artisans go on view in New York‘Nendo sees Kyoto’ is on view at Friedman Benda (until 15 October 2022), showcasing the design studio's collaboration with six artisans specialised in ancient Japanese crafts
-
Kvadrat’s flagship New York showrooms encompass colourful design codesIndustrial designer Jonathan Olivares and architect Vincent Van Duysen have worked with Danish textile brand Kvadrat on the vast new space, also featuring furniture by Moroso
-
What to see at New York Design Week 2022Discover Wallpaper’s highlights from New York Design Week 2022 (10 – 20 May 2022): the fairs, exhibitions and design openings to discover
-
Discover New York Design Week 2021New York Design Week 2021 highlights: our guide to the fairs, exhibitions and launches in the city during NYCxDesign, from ICFF to Salon Art + Design, and showings by independent brands and galleries
-
Emerging designers explore identity and ‘the new world’ at Carpenters Workshop GalleryA new series at New York's Carpenters Workshop Gallery (until 22 January 2022) presents the work of emerging designers from the US and Caribbean exploring themes of identity, heritage, and place
-
New York design exhibitions: collectible design and emerging talent to discoverA Wallpaper* guide to the best New York design exhibitions to visit now
-
Noguchi show celebrates his reverence for GreeceDesign show ‘Objects of Common Interest: Hard, Soft, and All Lit Up with Nowhere to Go’ opens in collaboration with Wallpaper* Designers of the Year, Objects of Common Interest, at the Noguchi Museum in Queens, New York (until 13 February 2022)
-
Daniel Arsham’s Play-Doh-inspired furnitureAmerican multidisciplinary artist Daniel Arsham presents ‘Objects for Living: Collection II’ with Friedman Benda, a new series of hand-sculpted furniture in a combination of wood, resin and stone
