A Curated Path Through NYC Design Week 2025

Design Week in New York offers no single route, but a rhythm – of openings, of objects, of rooms transformed. This guide follows the most compelling among them: an edit of considered exhibitions across the city, where design meets both history and intent.

Inventing a Modern Tropical Living

Joaquim Tenreiro at Bossa
7 May–30 June 2025
210 11th Avenue, Suite 403, Chelsea, New York

On view at Bossa, Inventing a Modern Tropical Living presents a focused look at the enduring relevance of Joaquim Tenreiro, a pioneer of Brazilian modernism. The exhibition offers a serene and architectural setting for a series of rare and reissued pieces, showcasing Tenreiro’s mastery of proportion, material, and restraint. Clean lines, rich woods, and a deep connection to Brazil’s post-war design language make this a quietly powerful contribution to the week’s narrative.

“An armchair can be as revealing as a canvas.”
— Isabela Milagre, Curator

Birth of the Polar

Jean Royère at Royère Gallery
7–30 May 2025
315 Spring Street, New York

Birth of the Polar explores the making and legacy of Jean Royère’s iconic Ours Polaire sofa, offering a rare look into the history and craftsmanship behind one of the most beloved designs of the 20th century. First conceived in 1947, the sofa’s rounded, enveloping form reflected a postwar desire for warmth, exuberance, and comfort – a sensation that continues to resonate today. Expertly handcrafted in Lyon using the same traditional techniques as in Royère’s time, the sofa remains a benchmark of French savoir-faire.

La Maison du Collectionneur

Courtney Applebaum at Invisible Collection
15–21 May 2025
24 East 64th Street, Upper East Side, New York

For her New York debut, interior designer Courtney Applebaum presents a refined ensemble of furniture and objects that highlight her singular approach to materiality and form. From seeded glass coffee tables and terracotta lighting to lacquered nightstands and cream hair-on-hide upholstery, each piece expresses quiet confidence and sculptural clarity.

The second chapter of the exhibition unveils a custom-designed bedroom imagined by Lesage Intérieurs and artfully assembled by Biehler-Graveleine. Delicate embroidery, intricate featherwork, and couture-level textile details elevate the space into a world of intimacy and savoir-faire—styled with works by Stephen Antonson, Haos, Garcé & Dimofski, and more, at The Invisible Collection’s Upper East Side townhouse.

Gaudí’s Iconic Chairs Reimagined

Casa Valle x BD Barcelona
15–21 May 2025
Casa Valle, 50 Lispenard Street, New York

Casa Valle presents an immersive exhibition unveiling Antoni Gaudí’s iconic furniture designs, reinterpreted by Valle in collaboration with BD Barcelona. The showcase includes the emblematic Calvet and Batlló chairs – originally conceived between 1900 and 1906 – now produced in limited edition by master artisans using the same materials and techniques employed in Gaudí’s time.

Curated by founders Giancarlo Valle and Jane Keltner de Valle, the presentation is both homage and intervention: a celebration of Gaudí’s expressive forms, recontextualized with new finishes and a numbered edition that brings this singular body of work into the present. The result is a collection where historical mastery and contemporary sensibility coexist – quietly monumental, deeply refined.

The Geometry of Modernity

Magen H Gallery
6 May – 6 June 2025
54 East 11th Street, New York

Curated by Hugues Magen, founder of Magen H Gallery in collaboration with Gabriella Asfar, The Geometry of Modernity explores the sensual clarity and radical restraint of French modernist design between the wars. Featuring works by Djo Bourgeois, René Herbst, Le Corbusier, Jacques Adnet, Robert Mallet-Stevens, and others, the exhibition traces how geometry became a language of refinement and quiet power.

Set within immersive vignettes – velvet carpets, lacquered boiserie, a warm wooden chimney, and wallpaper by Élitis  – the show evokes the layered elegance of 1930s Parisian interiors. These were spaces shaped not by spectacle, but by intention – where material integrity, architectural rhythm, and atmosphere defined a new way of living.

New Works by Danny Kaplan

DKS Showroom
1–22 May 2025
417 Lafayette Street, New York

Ceramicist and designer Danny Kaplan unveils three new collections at his NoHo showroom, continuing his exploration of sculptural form and architectural balance. Known for exploring materials and techniques, Kaplan expands his practice into bold new directions: the Facet Metal Furniture Collection, the Collage Rug Collection, and the Divot Mirror Collection – the latter created in collaboration with Joseph Algieri. Together, the works bridge abstraction and function.

Take a Seat

Carlos Motta: Works & Book Launch at Espasso
15 May–9 June 2025
38 North Moore Street, New York

Brazilian architect and designer Carlos Motta marks 50 years of practice with a retrospective of original works, presented by Espasso, alongside new releases and the launch of his book. The exhibition focuses on his most iconic seating designs. Known for his commitment to sustainable craftsmanship, Motta personally executes every step of the process – working with ecologically certified and reclaimed woods to create pieces that are at once durable, elegant, and deeply connected to the Brazilian landscape.

The exhibition opens with a special evening on 15 May, featuring a book launch and conversation with the designer. The publication offers a visual chronicle of Motta’s enduring legacy, with photography by Fernando Laszlo and his daughter Layla Motta.