Strategic partnerships

This Summer at Las Vegas Market, artist and product designer Austin Allen James unveiled his new collection of art, case goods, lighting, and soft goods with Stylecraft. This week we caught up with Austin for a wide-ranging conversation about the intersection of art and functional product design, how you know when the work is finished, the pursuit of universal beauty, and why he is glad he didn’t know anything about the business of art and design before committing to it.

From New York City to Hangzhou, China, Alexa Hampton’s project portfolio encompasses luxe, beautifully layered urban apartments, expansive town and country residences, private airplanes, and yachts. Newly inaugurated into the Architectural Digest’s AD100 Hall of Fame and a member of the Elle Décor A List and House Beautiful’s Top Designer list, Hampton translates the classical principles of good design and decoration into some of today’s most elegant, enduring, and functional domestic landscapes.

“We’re thrilled to partner with 1stDibs and provide our agents with first-class service and access to luxury design,” said Mauricio Umansky, CEO and Founder of The Agency. “Our brands share a remarkable synergy, and through this partnership, we can leverage our combined capabilities to offer our agents enhanced access to services that truly differentiate The Agency.”

Multi-line showrooms and design brick and mortar stores are an interesting conduit between the manufacturers whose products they sell and the people who make them look good: interior designers. Showroom and store buyers have a discerning approach to market. So how do manufacturers capture the attention of these very important buyers at market? We caught up with showrooms and stores across the country to understand their priorities when they shop at market.