NEW YORK, NY (February 5, 2026) – On the Bowery – a historic epicenter of music, art, and culture – Symbol, a New York-based furniture design brand and manufacturer, opens its first showroom. The Symbol Loft is a 3,000-square-foot studio perched above one of New York City’s most iconic streets, a thoroughfare that helped shape downtown’s creative edge. It will serve as a creative hub for design professionals and the surrounding community. The opening of Symbol’s permanent space in Manhattan signals its evolution from a passion project born in Nyack into a culture-driving design house.
Anchored by thoughtfully curated vignettes showcasing Symbol’s character-rich furniture collections and accented with found vintage objects, the loft unfolds as a visual feast. The open-plan environment seamlessly transitions between work, display, and gathering. By day, the space functions as the brand’s headquarters and a destination for interior designers, clients, and design aficionados to discover Symbol’s designs. By night, the loft transforms to host listening sessions, conversations, and small-scale events that bring together creative voices shaping the worlds of music, fashion, art, design, and film.
“The Loft is Symbol in context — a working studio and gathering space that shows how our furniture fits into a broader lifestyle,” says Walker Tovin, Symbol’s Managing Director. “It’s a space designed not just to show our furniture, but to welcome friends, new and old, in for listening, conversation, and connection.”
Founded in 2012, Symbol remains a family-run design studio committed to creating furniture meant to be lived with and kept. Rooted in a passion for audio gear and music, the brand debuted with a collection of record stands, media consoles, and storage pieces designed by founder and creative director Blake Tovin – a response to his desire to create display-worthy storage for his collection of more than 5,000 vinyl records.
In 2020, Blake’s son, Walker Tovin, joined the business, bringing a sharp cultural lens and a shared commitment to good design. Together, they bring decades of experience working with preeminent retailers, including Crate & Barrel, Restoration Hardware, HODINKEE, and Aimé Leon Dore – distinct perspectives that have helped forge Symbol’s evolution beyond audio storage and into the rhythms of daily life.
Under Walker’s direction, Symbol collaborated with USM Modular Furniture to develop the first-ever music-centric collection for the Swiss design icon, cementing the brand’s role at the intersection of design, music, and lifestyle. Shortly after, Symbol introduced its Living Room and Workspace collections, marking its evolution into a full-fledged furniture studio. The brand unveiled the collections during a pop-up at USM’s Soho showroom – an experiment that began nearly one year ago that quickly established the brand’s resonance in New York, and reaffirmed the need for a standalone presence.
The Symbol Loft is furnished with a curated selection of pieces from USM Modular Furniture, Kvadrat, McIntosh, East Fork, and Bankston Architectural. Paired with fixtures provided by Lightology by In Common With, Louis Poulsen, and FLOS, Walker created a layered, lived-in environment that reflects the brand’s collaborative spirit and commitment to good design.
Symbol’s move to Manhattan follows years of steady growth from its original base in Nyack, New York. While the brand’s reach continues to expand nationally, its made-to-order production remains rooted in longstanding partnerships with local, family-owned manufacturers across the US – an approach that mirrors Symbol’s commitment to longevity, craftsmanship, and objects made to last.
With the opening of the Symbol Loft, the brand establishes a new setting for creative exchange – one grounded in the pulse of culture through music and design. The Symbol Loft is now open at 262 Bowery in Lower Manhattan – to schedule a visit, please email in**@*********io.com.
ABOUT SYMBOL
Symbol designs and manufactures furniture grounded in music’s attitude and resonance. From beautifully functional audio storage to deep sofas for comfortable listening and desks that foster creative work, each piece is designed to offer an experience worth having and keeping. Founded by Blake Tovin and led alongside his son, Walker Tovin, Symbol partners with local manufacturers across the United States to create timeless, made-to-order furniture. For more information, visit symbolaudio.com and follow @symbolaudio on Instagram.
